£500 to spend for a vinyl record player AND speakers

[jacobjames7]

Hi all,

I am hoping to buy my first vinyl record player, but need some advice for what is best for me and my musical taste. I love listening to drum and bass, mainly liquid, along the lines of Calibre, but also film scores and anything from 30 years ago and back.

I also need some new speakers as mine have recently died but i only have a budget of £500 for both them and the record player. I could possibly go over this budget if the situation demands it, but being a student does bring limitations to the amount of wealth one has!

From my research on this and other websites the Q Acoustics 2020i's and the Pro-ject Essential II would be the best fit for me. I love the sound of vinyl on my friend's set-up, but i have no clue when it comes to music technology so if there is anything else that i would need to buy along with these items (phono preamp for example) to make the set up work then please let me know.

Thanks in advance, any help is greatly appreciated!!

 

[matthewpiano]

What amp are you using?

 

[jacobjames7]

Again not sure about all this but i was thinking of using one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Behringer-PP400-Microphono-Compact-Preamp/dp/B000H2BC4E/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1386284719&sr=8-4&keywords=pre+amp

 

[John Duncan]

Hello and welcome to the forum, jacobjames7.

As matthew hints at, you'll need an amplifier to amplify the signal to the speakers - the one you link to is just a preamp to ensure the very low-level signal from a turntable is amplified up to the right level for normal amplification to understand, so isn't everything you need. What equipment to do you have currently? You say your speakers have blown but I don't know whether they were powered or not (ie have the amplification built in)?

 

[matthewpiano]

Suggested system from me:

Pro-ject Elemental turntable with Ortofon OM5e £149

Pioneer A-30 amplifier £180-ish (includes a decent phono stage)

Q Acoustics 2020i speakers

The Elemental may be Pro-ject's cheapest turntable but it is a very clever design and works really well, particularly as the arm is designed specifically with the provided cartridge in mind.

 

[jacobjames7]

Hi again and thanks for the info. I currently own these speakers

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-2-1-Speaker-System-Z623/dp/B00413BI7Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386952002&sr=8-1&keywords=logitech+z263

but after 2 years of them being used for uni house parties i think they have had one too many beers spilt on them. In answering your question John then yes they were powered. It never struck me that i would need an amp as i have only ever owned powered speakers, how stupid!!

Anyway is there much difference between the Pro-ject Elemental or the Elemental II? A friend has the II and swears by it. The amp you have suggested Matthew seems to have a lot of good things said about it on the web, would you advise me to spend that on it. Only to a newbie it seems quite pricey, but i am happy to pay for it if it is necessary as i want to get end up with really detailed sound.

Thanks alot for your advice so far, it has already proved to be invaluable!!

 

[matthewpiano]

It all depends how far you want to go with the sound. If you really want to get some proper equipment that will let you hear more of the music then, yes, you need to spend that sort of money on the amp and speakers to get there. The Pioneer provides exactly the 'really detailed sound' you say you are looking for and will last you well.

The Essential II is £50 more than the Elemental and I'm not totally convinced you will see a huge difference in out-of-the-box performance. If you want a plug and play turntable that will bring musical enjoyment, the Elemental will work brilliantly especially as the arm is desgned specifically with the bundled cartridge in mind. It requires no set-up from the user other than putting the belt on and plugging it in as the cartridge and arm are all set up at the factory. However, if you feel the extra £50 is worthwhile to get a more conventional deck, with a dust cover, and an arm that will accomodate a wider range of cartridge upgrades later on, then the Essential II would be the way to go.

 

[MakkaPakka]

Well regarded Yamaha amp (including phono stage) plus the 2020 speakers can be had for £335 here:

http://www.audio-express.co.uk/product.php?_YAM_AS500_QAC_2020I_ST_&CAT=STSYS&id=4432&ae=1

Should be able to get the Pro-ject and the cables just inside your £500 budget.

 

[Binman]

When I was a student, I also listend to DnB, and other bass heavy stuff. I had pretty big speakers which went low and loud, and like you finally died after one too many parties.

At the time bass was king, and its only as I've grown older that I understand the need for less bass and more 'hi-fi'. If you are used to the sound of your 2.1 system with a subwoofer, you may find the 2020i dont give you the type of bass you want.

If you do buy the 2020i's you could add a subwoofer later depending on the amp you buy.

 

[Binman]

The combo suggested by MakaPaka is available for £299 here:

http://www.creative-audio.co.uk/HD.php?_YAM_AS500_QAC_2010I_ST_&CAT=STSYS&ID=4736&ns=

Leaving £200 for the Project turntable.

Cracking deal I think for £500 all in. Just add some speaker cables and you're done as the Project comes with the RCA cable.

 

[MakkaPakka]

2010 not 2020 in your link. Same company by the way so prices identical on both sites.