Help needed with Vintage Hi-Fi Setup

[pekers678]

Since I bought my main system two years ago, my passion for vintage hi-fi has grown, and now I would like to assemble a good-quality 70/80s turntable, amp, and speakers on a budget of around £250.

Unfortunately I know very little about this era of hi-fi, so I would really appreciate some help on what things I should go for.

My amplifier possibilitis are Yamaha AX-300 (£70) or NAD 3020e (£75).
My turntable possibilities are Technics SL-20 (£65), Dual 704 (£65) or Connoisseur BD-101 (£95).
Finally, my speaker possibilities are Wharfedale 505.2 (£85), Heybrook HB-150 (£99) or Rogers LS-4a (£75).

Any help on which component out of each section that I should go for is greatly appreciated.

 

[pekers678]

Please help, any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Anonymous]

pekers678:Since I bought my main system two years ago, my passion for vintage hi-fi has grown, and now I would like to assemble a good-quality 70/80s turntable, amp, and speakers on a budget of around £250.

Unfortunately I know very little about this era of hi-fi, so I would really appreciate some help on what things I should go for.

My amplifier possibilitis are Yamaha AX-300 (£70) or NAD 3020e (£75).
My turntable possibilities are Technics SL-20 (£65), Dual 704 (£65) or Connoisseur BD-101 (£95).
Finally, my speaker possibilities are Wharfedale 505.2 (£85), Heybrook HB-150 (£99) or Rogers LS-4a (£75).

Any help on which component out of each section that I should go for is greatly appreciated.

I dont't know all the equipment, but my thoughts would be:

Technics made and make excellent turntables, so they'd be my first choice. Second would be the Dual. Don't know the Connoisseur, but some distant memory says they weren't that good. If you can find a Pioneer PL12 or 112D at a good price, they're great buys.

The NAD 3020e is a classic amp, and therefore may be overpriced. Yamaha have always made good, reliable gear, often underrated.

The speakers are more problematic. I have some Heybrook speakers, re-coned, they're too forward for my liking. Don't know the Wharfedales, but the Rogers are a good buy - they're one of the manufacturers chosen to make the classic BBC monitors, and I think the 4a hails from that time.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

[matengawhat]

don't really understand why you would want to buy kit thats 20/30/40 years old - i'd be to concerned about reliability age quallity ect even kit that looks mint on outside only needs a quick look inside to see 30 years of dust - could try find some nice wharf speaker though my first pair of speakers were handed down from my dad and i hace fond memories of them

 

[plastic penguin]

pekers678:Please help, any advice is greatly appreciated!

I'll try and put forward some suggestions. I love old classic stuff, although not an expert on all:

Pioneer SA 506, 706, 606. Absolutely great amps and still sound great against modern equivelents.

JVC AX Models are really good. Both these makes were amongst some of the best sounding amps.

In terms of turntables, don't look any further than Garrard.

Speakers, without doubt, Wharfedale E series, or Lintons, Sheltons, Dentons etc.

I hope this gives you something to chew over. I'll look later on ebay and try and pick something for less than £250.00.

 

[pekers678]

matengawhat:don't really understand why you would want to buy kit thats 20/30/40 years old - i'd be to concerned about reliability age quallity ect even kit that looks mint on outside only needs a quick look inside to see 30 years of dust - could try find some nice wharf speaker though my first pair of speakers were handed down from my dad and i hace fond memories of them

Thanks for your response, the reason why I'm buying older stuff is partly because it fascinates me (born in 1993!) and also because I hope to get more for my money...?

 

[Anonymous]

Take care with Garrard, they made some classics and some real dross. You're probably better off with Japanese turntables, which are heavily underrated (= cheap) but really good. Also Philips from that era. That said, if you can find an AR turntable at a good price, then don't think twice.

 

[plastic penguin]

pekers678:matengawhat:don't really understand why you would want to buy kit thats 20/30/40 years old - i'd be to concerned about reliability age quallity ect even kit that looks mint on outside only needs a quick look inside to see 30 years of dust - could try find some nice wharf speaker though my first pair of speakers were handed down from my dad and i hace fond memories of them Thanks for your response, the reason why I'm buying older stuff is partly because it fascinates me (born in 1993!) and also because I hope to get more for my money...?

There's a Pioneer SA-608 which great sounding.

A whole host of wharfedale speakers on there.

It's true about Garrard, although same can be said about most makes (dross) but classic stuff is about character as much as out-and-out sound quality.

 

[seasiders rock]

check out creek, musical fidelity and sugden for amplifiers...turntables, early rega,s, luxman direct drive,s,pioneer pl12, sansui 222 and speakers from mission 770, early rogers ls2a or ls4, or if you have a medium size room rogers ls55 or tdl rlt2

 

[gregory]

ebay is getting seriously ridiculous lately so steer clear for a while, my way would be to check out the net and see what takes your fancy, it's a shame this site hasn't taken up the reins and backdated their old reviews which i thought they were going to do,( i know it takes time guys but i thought we had a question about this earlier in the year) anyway this is still a great site and many members will be along later to give their invaluable views later.

 

[bretty]

pekers678:Since I bought my main system two years ago, my passion for vintage hi-fi has grown, and now I would like to assemble a good-quality 70/80s turntable, amp, and speakers on a budget of around £250.Unfortunately I know very little about this era of hi-fi, so I would really appreciate some help on what things I should go for.My amplifier possibilitis are Yamaha AX-300 (£70) or NAD 3020e (£75).My turntable possibilities are Technics SL-20 (£65), Dual 704 (£65) or Connoisseur BD-101 (£95).Finally, my speaker possibilities are Wharfedale 505.2 (£85), Heybrook HB-150 (£99) or Rogers LS-4a (£75).Any help on which component out of each section that I should go for is greatly appreciated.

Hi Mate, I take it you're looking at 'Steve's hi fi' for your gear?

I bought my complete system off steve, last November. He's a good guy and has good gear in from time to time.

The good thing with Steve is that he will refurb all the gear before he sells it, as well as giving a three month guarantee. My cd player played up after a month or so, i took it back and he fitted a new laser with no hassle. Not many second hand places would do that.

Anyway, enough bigging him up. I've seen the Roger's in the shop. Nice. They're like the little brother to mine (studio 1a).

It's not on his website yet, but I know he has an Audiolab 8000a amp in. They are superb. I came very close to buying one myself, but it was pipped by the Cyrus. The Audiolab is more than the prices you have stated, but, if you're buying the whole system off Steve, don't be afraid to haggle!

 

[pekers678]

bretty:
Hi Mate, I take it you're looking at 'Steve's hi fi' for your gear?

I bought my complete system off steve, last November. He's a good guy and has good gear in from time to time.

The good thing with Steve is that he will refurb all the gear before he sells it, as well as giving a three month guarantee. My cd player played up after a month or so, i took it back and he fitted a new laser with no hassle. Not many second hand places would do that.

Anyway, enough bigging him up. I've seen the Roger's in the shop. Nice. They're like the little brother to mine (studio 1a).

It's not on his website yet, but I know he has an Audiolab 8000a amp in. They are superb. I came very close to buying one myself, but it was pipped by the Cyrus. The Audiolab is more than the prices you have stated, but, if you're buying the whole system off Steve, don't be afraid to haggle!

Thanks for your help, and yes, Steve's Hifi was the shop that I've been looking at a lot. I live in the Hertfordshire region so Hastings is a quite a long way to go, so thanks for the reassurance - now I know he's good I'll send him an e-mail!

Bretty, you mentioned that Steve has an Audiolab 8000a amp that's not on the website yet, does Steve put all his stuff on the website, or if I paid him a visit would he have more "in store"?.

 

[bretty]

pekers678:bretty:
Hi Mate, I take it you're looking at 'Steve's hi fi' for your gear?

I bought my complete system off steve, last November. He's a good guy and has good gear in from time to time.

The good thing with Steve is that he will refurb all the gear before he sells it, as well as giving a three month guarantee. My cd player played up after a month or so, i took it back and he fitted a new laser with no hassle. Not many second hand places would do that.

Anyway, enough bigging him up. I've seen the Roger's in the shop. Nice. They're like the little brother to mine (studio 1a).

It's not on his website yet, but I know he has an Audiolab 8000a amp in. They are superb. I came very close to buying one myself, but it was pipped by the Cyrus. The Audiolab is more than the prices you have stated, but, if you're buying the whole system off Steve, don't be afraid to haggle!

Thanks for your help, and yes, Steve's Hifi was the shop that I've been looking at a lot. I live in the Hertfordshire region so Hastings is a quite a long way to go, so thanks for the reassurance - now I know he's good I'll send him an e-mail!Bretty, you mentioned that Steve has an Audiolab 8000a amp that's not on the website yet, does Steve put all his stuff on the website, or if I paid him a visit would he have more "in store"?.

When I went in last week, he said things had been a little slow and was low on stock. Even so, he still has a lot more gear on site than he has on the website, especially amplifiers, which he usually has between 100-200 at any time. Probably 50 sets of speakers and 20 or so turntables.

Although it is a trek for you, I would advise you to arrange a demo there. When I had my demo there, I gave him a shortlist of cd players and amps that I wanted to hear. When I got there, he had plugged all the cd players into one of the amps that was on my list. This was great because I could do a direct comparison between all the cd players, by playing a track on one, switching the input on the amp and straight away listening to the same track on the next player. Doing such a direct comparison really illustrated the different characteristics of each player.

I wouldn't worry about the guy's comment about thirty years of dust...Steve completely cleans the guts of all his stuff and does things like replacing any solder that has dried/weakened. Also, it's a fact that older stuff was designed to last more than the few years you can expect to get from modern electronics. Buy with confidence, fella.

Good luck with it all.

Bretty.

 

[the record spot]

pekers678:Since I bought my main system two years ago, my passion for vintage hi-fi has grown, and now I would like to assemble a good-quality 70/80s turntable, amp, and speakers on a budget of around £250.

Unfortunately I know very little about this era of hi-fi, so I would really appreciate some help on what things I should go for.

My amplifier possibilitis are Yamaha AX-300 (£70) or NAD 3020e (£75).
My turntable possibilities are Technics SL-20 (£65), Dual 704 (£65) or Connoisseur BD-101 (£95).
Finally, my speaker possibilities are Wharfedale 505.2 (£85), Heybrook HB-150 (£99) or Rogers LS-4a (£75).

Any help on which component out of each section that I should go for is greatly appreciated.

See if you can land some 90s Mission speakers - 751 standmounts, 733i or 752s should come in around £100 give or take £10 or £20 here and there. All would be good choices - the latter 752s I can't rate highly enough; supremely good VFM if you get a pair that are well looked after. Mine cost me under £80 and given they originally sold for £500 or so, that's a fabulous price for the quality of the build and resulting sound.

Other gear - all that is Technics is not an SL1200! Some will be okay, but maybe not more than that. Do some reading up if you can, but a workaday Technics deck won't do more than get you started off; shop around a bit and see what else comes up. The Pioneer PL-12D is a good and cost effective used buy. Stick a nice catridge on it (AT 110E would be a good one given your budget, Nagaoka MP11 for a warmer touch, Goldring Elektra for a good all rounder - roughly £25, £20 and £40 respectively) and you're away.

EDIT: I see someone is selling a Project Debut 3 for £50 in the classifieds of another mainstream hifi magazine and if it's in good nick would be a steal.

Amp - plenty to choose from, NAD, Marantz, etc. Just ensure it has a decent phono stage onboard.

Happy hunting!

 

[bretty]

So, did you get what you were after?

I hope you did and, if you bought from Steve, you didn't forget to haggle!

 

[Anonymous]

If I had the time and money to do something like this for a second system I'd love to. I love the aesthetics of seventies gear. I'm suprised you haven't mentioned wanting a tuner or receiver, those big knobs and dials are the dogs. I concur with Gregory's warning though about flea bay. I was in the market for a seventies tuner not long ago but because of the wealth of information about these on the net bargains are not so easy to come by.

 

[SteveR750]

What a fascinating project! I got to hi fi in the early 80's so remember some of these models. IIRC THE budget deck was Dual CS505 II, the next upgrade after that was straight into a Sondek!! People were buying Sondeks and matching them up to £50 amps and speakers, still not sure that really was the best advice. I also have a soft spot for the Pioneer PL12D what a fantastic looking deck and superb buildy quality, lke all Pioneer stuff from that era.

Amp wise, I recall the Sansui AU919 or something like that was also recommended, then along came the 3020...