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Help: ISO Beginner full setup for excellent sound on $2000 max budget

Overview: Brand new at this, looking for help purchasing beginner full setup of TT, Tube Amp, Speakers, Preamp that is aesthetically pleasing (i.e. minimalist, blends in as piece of furniture with plants), that sounds fantastic, and will stand up over the next 5-7 years, for $2000 max. I'm in search of the best sound, most aesthetically pleasing, and holds up longest overtime. If you could put together a beginner set of quality products for somebody about to enter their 30’s for xmas with a $2000 max budget, what would you include?


Hey y’all, I’m brand new to this and don’t want to jump down a huge rabbit hole, or spend countless hours contemplating decisions about these, not because I don’t have time, it’s just not good for me: I’m so bad at making decisions and I want somebody’s advice that I can trust. So, figured I’d start a dialogue:

I am looking for a simple setup with the following components for a small to midsized room:
- Turn Table (I like Rega, UTurn, and Pro-ject easthetics);
- Preamp (whatever pairs best with the entire setup);
- Speakers (what I think I should invest most in? - I like Omega Super 3 XRS Speakers); and
- Tube Amp (whatever pairs best with the entire setup - I like the Almarro a205a).

The most important aspects of these products are all:
- Durable (wanting to last a while and feel a little modern classic 6-7 years from now);
- Best sound for the price; and
- Aesthetically pleasing (this is important, it will be the center of my living room for the foreseeable future).

My music style: is mostly slower independent stuff: Sun Kil Moon, John Prine, Iron and Wine sounding stuff. Other than that I’ll mostly listen to Hip Hop, like J Dilla, or Rock, like Pearl Jam).

I’d love for it to be something that’s not jumping head first into this as a hobby, but something I can be proud of owning that I can play every day.

If you have any specifics please ask, I apologize for the length of this post, just figured I ’d try to be general enough so y’all could get an idea.
whyistherenopie
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
What's really funny is if anyone cares to read through all my many entertaining and illuminating posts they will find buried in there somewhere the stories of the budget systems I have done for people. The most impressive of which the one that really stands out and that I miss being a full system for $1200 all-in.

The main reason it was so impressive is it was a complete system. Not just bookshelf speakers, integrated amp and CD, but also speaker cables, IC, PC and Cones under everything. 

Also did another one for $2500 all-in, including my $500 fee. So coincidentally the same $2k system budget. It was a birthday present and sounded so good the guy was convinced his wife had spent at least $5k. 

It really is that mathematically simple. Why nobody gets it I don't know. But I've done it several times now. It totally works. Its not flashy. It just sounds like way more than anyone would ever think. Same as mine. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 Tried and true.
mofojo
2,168 posts
 
Total BS you need to spend 400 bucks per on speakers cables interconnects etc for a system that price. Even a more expensive system I would argue. Buy some good purity copper cables like Mogami and be done with it. 
That said an entire system with a tube amp/preamp for 2k and speakers is not gonna be easy. Go used for sure. 
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Okay so the OP got me curious with his eclectic choice of amp and speakers, which at 93 dB actually are sensitive enough to be used with this amp. So maybe not quite as decision averse as he let on.

Plus its a tube integrated which is totally the way to go. Even though these leave precious little for a turntable. But that is also totally the way to go. So here’s what I’ll do.

You spend all the rest (roughly $500) on the best table/phono stage you can find, and increase the budget by $300, and we’ll skip the Cones and wire and I’ll tell you how to get better than you ever heard performance out of this budget system. Satisfaction guaranteed. No BS.
whyistherenopie OP
18 posts
 
This is perfect, tbh. I mean, I know you were being cheeky earlier, but that’s exactly the kind of information I want to be told. This is not my wheelhouse, I don’t know anything about this, and so even what I want is skewed with the limited information that I have, and it sounds like I’m way out of my depth. But this is perfect, cause you have a ton of knowledge about this that I wish I knew myself in this moment, but I don’t.

So, we’ve established that I don’t know what I’m talking about, and that’s great. Here’s the context: Speakers and amp was suggested from a friend’s set up, turn tables are what I have been suggested as well. I’m not looking to make this my full-time hobby, but I’d love a steady beginner rig for $2000, which I think can be done. It won’t be ideal, but it’ll get the job done.

Do you have any suggestions for what you’d spend $ on, what you think might sound good if you went over to a friend’s house who had some cash to spend that wants to become a low-level audiophile?
whyistherenopie OP
18 posts
 
@millercarbon, f*** yeah, that's exactly what I want you to hear. Sorry, read the first posts, then responded. Just now reading your second post
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