Compact stereo with phono input and twin speaker outputs

[admin_exported]

I wonder if the esteemed members of this forum could help with a tricky problem.

I have an old JVC HiFi system (separate units) bought in 1983 which is no longer working properly.

The tuner still works (but has never been very good), as does the CD player, and the turntable.

The tape deck doesn't work properly, but all my tapes have been digitised to I don't care about that.

The amp only drives on channel (on both sets of speakers) - I guess a power amp stage has blown.

So, after nearly 30 years, must be time to buy a new system.

What I would like is a compact, all in one unit with amp, radio (FM + DAB) and CD. It needs to have a phono input suitable for the turntable (so will need the usual phono pre-amp), and it needs to be able to drive two sets of speakers.

I don't need speakers as my existing ones are fine.

But what I see is that most compact units can't drive two sets of speakers, and don't have phono inputs.

Are there any systems which meet my needs?

If there are not, the alternative is to buy a stereo receiver and keep the existing CD player. Again, what would be suitable?

Budget - this isn't my main HiFi system so I'm not going to spend too much. A few hundred pounds at most. Forget anything over £500.

Any suggestions most welcome.

 

[Crocodile]

Only problem I can see with just buying a new amp/receiver is whether or not the JVC is genuine separates? A lot of these old systems used proprietary connections for audio &/or power.

The phono input issue on an all-in-one could be solved with a separate pre-amp. These start around £25.

Do you need the speakers to be switched individually? If both sets are on all the time they could be perhaps be wired in series. A speaker switch is another option though maybe a bit clunky in this scenario.

Denon's DM38DAB seems well regarded for an all-in-one if you can live with the above.

Edit

It seems that the Marantz M-CR502 DAB has suppost for two pairs of speakers.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks.

The JVC boxes are definitely genuine separates - they were bought over a period of a couple of years, not all together. The CD player is Philips, and the turntable is a Pioneer unit.

The connections are standard. The amp has two speaker outputs, turntable and CD in, tape 1 and tape 2 in/out and aux in. I think it's about 75W per channel; more than loud enough, in any case.

The speakers can be switched separately, yes, and I'd like to keep that arrangement; I'd imagine running them in series would give the wrong impedance in any case.

Part of the point of this change is to save space and reduce the rat's nest of wiring a bit, so I'd rather not add another box for a pre-amp; I'd already looked at the Denon (available from Richer Sounds for £199), but noted the lack of turntable input or twin speaker outputs; hence my question here.

 

[Crocodile]

Running speakers in series won't be a problem. Running them in parallel could be. Depends on the impedance of the speakers & the spec of the amp.

Have you seen my edit re the Marantz? Solves the speaker issue but AFAIK, the only other option for the turntable would be to replace it with one with a preamp built in.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks very much - that looks like it might indeed fit the bill; turntable pre-amps seem to be available pretty cheap. Given that I've already digitised all my LPs the turntable isn't going to get that much use, so I don;t want to go to the expense of replacing it.

Those speaker connectors look funny, though. The current ones are just holes that you poke the wire into, and then lock by turing the outside of the connector - very simple. It looks like the Marantz requires plugs; any idea what type? So long as they are reasonably easy to solder that won't be a problem, but I know some connectors are almost impossible to solder yourself.

 

[Crocodile]

They're standard binding posts by the look of it so will either accept 4mm banana plugs or bare wire in the same way that you describe the current setup.

There's a 360 view with zoom on that link so that may give you a better idea. They maybe look a little odd due to the use of clear plastics.