2. amps-preamps
  3. 123038-76301

Building a system from scratch (other than speakers)

Hello all! This is my first post. I am a relative newbie when it comes to hifi but have been doing some research and reading the forums for a while now. I am looking to build a two channel system with the best quality sound for the money. My budget is approx. $5K. I have a pair of Martin Logan Theos in my home theater that I will be pulling out for the dedicated hifi setup. 
Mainly I'm looking for preamp and amp advice. I know a point of contention is the tube v ss debate, but have read on this forum and others that you get the most out of electrostatics with tubes. I know virtually nothing first hand about tubes so am concerned about maintenance and high ongoing cost. I don't have a lot of listening time anyway, less time for working on components. Is this something to worry about? 
Also, brand/model suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'm concerned about mismatching the speakers and amp.
For cd I am looking at the OPPO BDP 105d and for vinyl the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon, but would appreciate advice here as well. 
Thank you all in advance!

arisingsound
simao's avatar
simao
1,750 posts
 
If they’re around, go to various audio stores in your area, especially ones that deal ML’s. Tell them what you have; tell them what listening habits you have; as much as you can, hear things for yourself. Ask if they’ll let you audition a piece for a few days.

I’m not the most knowledgeable person on the matter, but modern tube gear isn’t as finicky and high maintenance as you may think. The tube gear I’ve had from ARC, Rogue, Sophia Electric, Blue Circle, Jolida, and LSA have all performed beautifully with little to no fuss once the initial set-up is complete.

It really depends on what kind of sound you want (I like a warm and bloomy soundscape, for example, and listen to a lot of acoustic jazz; thus, I have a good SS/tube hybrid amp and a tube phono to power my Adagios). Listen to as many components as you can before buying --

-- and be ready to change them out as your whim and sound ideals change over the years :)
adg101
1,059 posts
 
ModWright KWI 200 w/ optional phono board. The Pro-Ject is a nice deck and I bought one, "Purple" for my teenage daughter. I'd buy used on the table and step up in the Pro-Ject line. Clear Day balanced cable to the Oppo 105d. Call Dan at ModWright; he might have a demo unit and he'll tell you how his amp will work with your ML's. 

I have Aerial Acoustics 7Bs and I bet your ML's need power as well. Like my Aerial's they work with a 100 watt amp but you won't know what your speakers can sound like until you feed them the power they need.  I might be wrong but look for an amp with 200 watts that will double down. 

Good luck
adg101
1,059 posts
 
Is your $5k budget for preamp and a amp or also for the Pro-Ject and Oppo you mentioned?  If $5k needs to include everything look at the Parasound Halo integrated. Great unit for the money which I believe has phono and a DAC under the hood, but suspect the Oppo will sound better on its own.
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
As adg101 mentions in the two posts above, with your budget, a good integrated amp is the way to go. You'll get better quality spending more money on electronics, and less money on chassis', interconnects and power cords.

I'd recommend looking for a used BAT VK-300SE w/ phono card. You should be able to find one for under $3K.
More to discover