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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
whyistherenopie OP
18 posts
 
@millercarbon, I saw your system and read some comments folks have left about you. You seem like the exact person I want to talk to about this. I'm in your world. Budget sucks, but I'm transitioning into a new career and have to go back to school again so I'm wanting something that I can listen to when I'm studying in my living room, or studying in my bedroom. I'm wanting the warmest, most inviting sound in my living room with that budget. I understand the importance of investing in quality, and I want to do that as best I can within the parameters I'm bound by. I'll post some of my favorite songs below to give you a sense of the music style I listen to on a regular basis.

Maybe that speaker and amp might be what I should invest in. The buddy who has this setup listens to very similar music to me.

In an ideal world, I would like a set up that can pull out depth in songs like these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy8cklFZ3sA


soix
8,648 posts
 
Given the music you like and the sound you’re looking for, I’d get the Unison Research Unico Hybrid integrated available here for $900, a nice pair of Nola Boxers on US AudioMart for $700, and an Audio Technica Carbon VTA turntable available at Massdrop for $350. For wires I’d get them through Acoustic BBQ made by member @grannyring.  For speaker stands I’d get the 24” Glass Floor Speaker Stands ($62) or the Monolith stands ($55) from Monoprice depending on your taste — both are sand fillable (and you should), and I’d guess the Monolith would yield marginally better sound if you’re on the fence.  The turntable is initially the biggest bottleneck of this system, but it’s still decent enough to get you going and has the advantages of coming with a cartridge and built-in phono preamp. Plus the ‘table has a good enough foundation and potential that it can be upgraded later as budget allows to significantly increase performance with a better cartridge and external phono pre. And it looks great too, as do the speakers and amp. I think you’d be thrilled with this system given your stated tastes and requirements.

BTW, ditch the notion of a separate amp and preamp at this budget level — an integrated is absolutely the way to go. And I’d also avoid a tube amp if as you say you don’t want to jump in head first and want something simple that you can play every day. The Unico has a couple small tubes in the input section so they won’t need to be changed very often and shouldn’t be very expensive, yet you’ll still get a good dose of that inviting “tube magic” I think you’re looking for — and the Nolas thrive on tubes as well. This whole shebang may end up costing a little more than $2k considering shipping, cables, and stands (depending somewhat on your negotiating skills), but I think you’ll be happy to stretch a little once the music starts playing. Hope this helps, and best of luck in your quest!
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
@millercarbon, I saw your system and read some comments folks have left about you. You seem like the exact person I want to talk to about this. I’m in your world. Budget sucks, but I’m transitioning into a new career and have to go back to school again so I’m wanting something that I can listen to when I’m studying in my living room, or studying in my bedroom. I’m wanting the warmest, most inviting sound in my living room with that budget. I understand the importance of investing in quality, and I want to do that as best I can within the parameters I’m bound by. I’ll post some of my favorite songs below to give you a sense of the music style I listen to on a regular basis.

Maybe that speaker and amp might be what I should invest in. The buddy who has this setup listens to very similar music to me.


All good details to know. What I would advise for "one and done" is quite a bit different than in your case, which seems to me more like "get me started and then..."

I listened to that music, which I never heard before, and between that and the fact your buddy has this (and I presume you’ve heard it and like it as well) then that argues pretty strong in my book for, basically, going with what works. No need to reinvent the wheel.

We can however make it a whole lot better. You will in the process leapfrog from learning from your friend to teaching him something new.

That amp and those speakers will be wonderful with that kind of music. You will just have to figure out whatever turntable/cartridge/phono stage you can get with the remaining budget. But those are the two choices. Behind Door #1 you stretch and spend more on the amp and speakers. Behind Door #2 you stretch and spend more on the source. Either way will get you good sound.

The tie breaker, two really, are cartridges wear out but speakers last almost forever and amps nearly as long. The other tie breaker is you know what you like. Could be really hard if ever you can find a turntable/phono stage you can say the same about.

Also turntables are a whole subject unto themselves. What you would get now compared to what you will want after living with one a while and learning a lot are two completely different things. This amp and speakers are plenty good enough for you to be able to have your next big move be to a foundation type table. Kind of like what I did. If you saw my system 15 years ago when that table was built, completely different. So make the right choice it can bring smiles and pride and joy for many years to come.

I will PM to give you some valuable info that is not for the time being able to be shared on-line.


prighello
53 posts
 
You might be better served skipping tubes and vinyl and just going with an all in one solution like the Kef LS50 Wireless. Great looks and sonics. Built in amps tailored to their drivers. No preamp needed or turntable just stream right to the speakers.
Cheap tube amps tend to suck and I don’t think the one you chose is even in production anymore. Plus, you’ll need additional funds for good tubes.

Another option if you really want tubes is to again skip the vinyl and go digital with something like a Schiit saga pre, vidar power amp, and modi dac. That will leave you some dough for nice speakers and all the cabling you need. Don’t forget, if you go standmounts you’ll need stands too. Though not beautiful, Tekton speakers are high value as are Elacs. The new Elac Debut Reference are pretty slick looking and sound great too. Good luck!
br3098
969 posts
 
I think that you could put together a very good system for well under $2K, but it probably won't be tubes and it may not be the gear brands you specified.

You might look at a kit from Edwards Audio. They are a UK company that makes turntables, integrated amps and speakers. All their stuff is made in the UK and is quite good for the money. Their turntables are based on Rega design and use most use Rega tonearms but they tend to offer more/better features than Rega at the same price point. Edwards Audio is also a primary subcontractor for Rega.

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