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What's the cost of an entry level vinyl setup?

I'm just curious how much it would cost to get the equipment required to make vinyl worth listening to. I know players are available for cheap, but would anticipate the sound quality to be the same.

What would be your recommendation to go with a system worth about $5,000 in total? Is there a significant advantage to vinyl at this level? I've heard vinyl on high enough equipment to know that at it's best it's better than digital, but am not sure what it would cost for the average joe to get a quality sound.
mceljo

Showing 2 responses by craig_c

craig_c
21 posts
 
This is what Entry Level means to me:
Vintage Harman Kardon T-60 turntable = $200-$300
or
Technics SL-1200MK2 turntable - used from $300
Grado/Sumiko/AudioTechnica/other cartridge = $120-$300
Phono pre-amp - many choices - start around $100-$200
Amp/tuner - many choices, depends in part on your speakers.
Speakers - depends on your music, your room, very good vintage speakers can be found around $400.

You know that the sky is the limit on all of this, but this sort of entry level gear can still make your vinyl sound great, or at least VERY enjoyable. Your TT/Cartridge/PreAmp combo probably have the most to say about the audio quality you get.

see: http://vintage-audio-gear.com/vintage-preamps

Craig
craig_c
21 posts
 
The operative term in the original post was "ENTRY LEVEL".
I stick to the opinion that you can get very good sound from some careful choices and smart shopping. I got a brilliant Dual 721 for $20. It is in great shape. Stuck a $150 cart on it, and voila!

I'll also stick my neck out here and say that a large percentage of the population who have spent years going to clubs or live music (or with the MP3 player stuck in their ears) have such damaged hearing that they really can't distinguish the nuances that make someone spend 5K on a TT, or preamp or a cartridge.

Craig.
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