[mcgriddlecakes]

Hey all,


I'm new here, have been interested in stereos since I was 10, but never had the cash to invest in anything until I graduated college. I'm looking to set up a "simple" two channel analog system (turntable, maybe radio) but don't want to buy anything until I've listened to a few things. With saying that, I've recently moved to Pittsburgh and don't really know of any hi-fi stores around (and I haven't found much on craigslist or audiogon around here). Is there anybody in the area that knows of any good stores to check out stuff before you buy?


Thanks

 

[Rasterfarian]

Welcome to the forums.


Would you prefer new or used, or whatever you can find? How many zeros in your budget (i.e. are you looking for stuff that costs $hundreds or $thousands)?


I don't know the Pittsburgh scene, but maybe you could make a trip to visit Audio Classics in Vestal, NY (near Binghamton). It could be a looong day trip from Pitt, but probably feasible for a Saturday if you start early and plan on getting home late. New, and lots and lots of used gear, and a helpful sales staff. They're heavy on new and used McIntosh, which is no surprise given their location, but they do have a pretty wide range of used gear. Their used stuff sells at somewhat of a premium, but it's usually been serviced and they stand behind it. It's an impressive "old school" stereo store, and fun to visit! If you think about doing that, call first and see what they have. If you make arrangements ahead of time, they'd probably let you audition used gear. audioclassics.com

 

[mcgriddlecakes]

Thanks, I'll have to check that out one day. The amp, turntable, possibly pre-amp if I need one, and radio I would probably get used so I could get higher quality stuff. The speakers I would get used depending on the age, especially if they are a great deal.


I'm still debating on the budget. If I got everything at once, I'd probably only want to spend about $2000 (I think), but if I pieced it together, I'd probably only want to spend $1000 or so on each piece (this would probably take a while, but I'd do it to get better stuff).

 

[A9X-308]

TT: Technics SL1200 . Don't buy one that's been DJ'd.

Amp: Cambridge, Rotel or NAD.

Tuner: go pre-loved www.fmtunerinfo.com

Speakers: visit stores and listen. These and the room make 90% of the sound, so you'll need to hear what you like.

Cables: Generic - $30 will set you up with everything.

 

[mcgriddlecakes]

Thanks for the info, I didn't know where to start when I was looking for stuff because it seemed like stuff was either sub-par or really expensive. I'll start looking at that stuff and hopefully it pans out.

 

[math-geek]

I was in a very similar position to yours not long ago. With much advice from various forums I pieced together a very nice system (much evolved now).


With a $2000.00 budget you have many possibilities on the used market. Be prepared to buy on the fly and listen to the equipment in your own environment. If you don't like it you can sell it and probably break even at worst. One of the finest systems I owned consisted of Dynaudio Contour 1.3 speakers ($900.00 used, $2400.00 new!), an Arcam FMJ A22 integrated amp ($516.00 used, $2000.00 new), a Cambridge Audio Azur 640C CD player ($250.00 used) and a Dual CS-430 turntable with an Ortofon OM-20 stylus ($100.00 used). it is all connected using Zu Audio cables bought off from ebay at nice discounts. For almost dead on your budget this was one hell of a system!


I have since upgraded the speakers to Dynaudio Contour 1.3 SEs and the amp to a Krell KAV 300iL and the CD player to an Arcam FMJ CD36. I can wholeheartedly recommend Dynaudio speakers as a possibilty as well as Arcam, Creek, and Cambridge Audio amps and CD players. Spend the largest amount of your budget on the loudspeakers, then amp, sources and finally wiring. My brother owns almost evrything that I have owned in the past and I cannot give a higher recommendation than that.


Could you give us a littel more information on you music choices, room size, etc., etc. We can all then contribute better recommendations to you.


Best of luck to you in your search for the "Ultimate". (It's never ending BTW

)


I had to edit this. I want to add that a very good system does not sound good with only one or two types of music but with ALL music. If a CD sounds bad it should be because it sounds bad. Well recorded music should sound heavenly. I take this in stride because I don't expect Motley Crue, Megadeath, Guns and Roses, or Metallica to sound like Norah Jones.

 

[mcgriddlecakes]

Thanks for the info, I definitely like that it is possible to find a nice starter setup pretty inexpensively without sacrificing quality (especially with your brother using the same setup).


To answer your question, I want to get into listening to vinyl, and would be limiting myself to mainly classic rock, blues, and jazz. I might add a CD player later for if I want to listen to newer music, but there aren't too many new albums that have been released recently that I like aside from one or two songs. In saying that, I would try to find older Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Heart, Doors, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Frank Zappa, The Who, Pink Floyd, other concept albums, etc...