Need help putting together a starter hi-fi

If you're looking for only 2ch audio, then go with an integrated amp or (traditional) receiver, not AVR. Not sure what to suggest beyond doing some googling or looking on sleazebay or craig's list for something good second hand.

The marantz is a good option. I would also look at the music hall a15.2 which has a phono preamp and a bit more power than the marantz

Why?


Anyways (this is not directed at you A9X):

I would try to find a receiver/whatever with an integrated phono pre, if possible (used this shouldn't be too hard), or a turntable with the same (shouldn't be hard if shopping new).

If you're going brand new, I'd take an AVR with all the bells and whistles, and you'll have to buy a phono preamp, I think the website is actually called "phonopreamp.com" and that's where I'd start - something in the very attractive $30 range should get you set-up.

The speakers you've picked are far from full range, so (part of the reason an AVR is going to make nice) a subwoofer would make a lot of sense. Focal even suggests one.

Reasonable choice.


Not so reasonable. Most stereo receivers have built in phono stages. This one might well be better, but it's not better enough to justify devoting almost 15% of your system budget to it. If the receiver you wind up choosing doesn't have one, $50 or so will buy you a decent basic model.


Look at the Onkyo TX-8255.


OK, but have you considered either towers or a 2.1 system?

A good general guideline is to put most of your budget into speakers. That's a little trickier when you've got a turntable in the mix, but the P1 and the Onkyo receiver I mentioned will run you a bit over $600, leaving you $700 for speakers.

Aaaaagh.....another misguided quest for audio nirvana through a needle and coil, succumbing to expectation bias......the more one spends on esoteric gear, the better it sounds. It's not the ear that falls victim, but the brain. Embrace technology and leave behind the spinning platter.

If you want to spend a little extra to give you a better sound upgrade change the cart on the Rega tonearm. Maybe have them install a Rega Bias 2 or an Ortofon 2M Blue instead of the stock cart.

A starter system with LP playback seems a bit backwards unless you already have a ton of vinyl to play.

If you are just looking for a stereo set up. My opinion would also be an integrated amp instead of avr. My experience is in general they perform better in term of musicality when compared with the same price range (or even not much much more). I used to own marantz pm7001 quite a while back which i still remember its sound until today. I also do not quite believe in throwing all the money on your speakers only to find that you cannot spend on your amp to drive them to their full capacity. Finding the right match of all equipments to your budget would be a more preferrable option. (this is the case that you dont plan to sell your gears and upgrade anytime soon)

Sorry if i dont intepret what i mean clearly. English is not my first language

I think what Arny means, and I'm making this assumption because Arny is usually pretty level-headed, is that if you don't have any equipment or media and are trying to get into music listening or stereo hi-fi; vinyl is a bad place to start because it's not commercially relevant anymore (compared to say, CDs, or digital downloads). If you're simply looking to access an existing collection of vinyl, that's another story. In other words, don't dump money down a hole. I didn't read it as an attack, just a level-headed suggestion.


Glad to hear it!

So many great choices out there!
I personally buy used in my 2 channel setup, as i was able to stretch my dollars much further than expected and ended up with a somewhat respectable setup.

Some people are for and some are against second hand (or 3rd or 4th) purchases. I am most definitely for. Both sides have good reasons, but just wanted to make a second recommendation for it!
Good luck and enjoy.

just another option if this system is for anolog use i would look into the older recievers like marantz ,yamaha,pioneer,or sansui.these machines where made for anolog with great phono amps built in just my 2 cents

I didn't see the OP state he was looking for audio nirvana through the use of a record player. Some people like records for more reasons than sound quality. To me they are much personal than a file sitting on your computer. I like having the physical album, whether cd or vinyl. If this was a thread about getting the best possible sound quality, I think your point may be valid.

Yup, that's it. There's a lot of hype about vinyl, but if you aren't into it now, its not usually a top priority for starting out.



Again, that's exactly it. Even I have a vinyl playback system, but it exists to deal with existing collections of LPs. I completely understand that some people have vinyl collections that they need players for to either enjoy directly or digitize.

I suggest that you consider the Cambridge Audio 350A amplifier, which was $499 but is only $299 right now. An excellent amplifier at a great price while it lasts. Don't cheap out on the amplifier and ruin the sound.

You will not get a decent-sounding amplifier for much less than $500, in most cases. The Music Hall 15.2 is another good one. Those Focals are good speakers, so don't drive them with garbage from a poor amplifier.

The phono stages that are built-in to integrated amplifiers are usually poor-sounding low-budget afterthoughts. The Musical Fidelity V-LPS is excellent and runs about $130.

Is there any evidence of this you can cite?

Seems a bit rich to me. In some sense you are contradicting yourself by recoomending an amp that sells for < 300. I don't think that sale is as much of a sale as an example of selling equipment without overpricing it.


Which raises another point - are those Focals really all that much better sounding than say Inifinity Primus 163s, or 250s or whatever?


Given that all that is required for what used to be an exceptional phono stage is a < $1 chip and the usual passive components, I'd need more convincing than just someone's say-so, especially someone who disses everything costing less than some arbitrary number like $500.

I like your style Arny