Help: What sound sytem for vinyl?

[admin_exported]

I'm considering to buy a new sound system consisting of turntable, integrated amplifier and speakers. The music I listen to goes from Punk -New wave to sixties, garage, soul, rythm &blues...

So far I have tried the following combinations:

Rega P3- Rega Mira - Monitor Audio R8

Rega P3- Rega Mira - System Audio 1730

I also tried the naim 5i but it doesn't have a phono output. I was not entirely convinced with the Monitor Audio speakers and the system audio sound great but thought that were too refined. The guy in the shop also reconmended me to get an extra phono stage to improve the performance of the Rega Mira. I want to try the Roksan kandy K2 and B&W 1684 speakers too.

Any other suggestions? Is the phono stage essential? Is it adviseble to choose a sound system without trying it first?

 

[chebby]

Rega P3-24, Rega TT PSU, Ortofon 2M Blue, Rega Brio 3, Rega R3 (Or R5 for more oomph)

(The Brio has a pretty good phono-stage)

I have saved you some money on the amp by suggesting the less laid back Brio 3. You can spend some of the money 'saved' on the TT PSU for the P3-24. (It REALLY does make a difference.)

Hurry and find those R3/R5 speakers whilst they are still around. Rega are replacing them soon with RS3's that will cost £200 more!

 

[chebby]

tronkojonko:Is it advisable to choose a sound system without trying it first?

Not really. But there are plenty of Rega dealers out there and they all have excellent alternatives to demonstrate.

 

[chebby]

Another idea would be Creek Evo or Creek 5350SE integrated amplifers.

Both can be factory fitted internally with dedicated Creek MM or MC phono-boards which are excellent.

 

[the record spot]

System Audio put out some very good gear and not too wallet crushing either. Worth listening to the two lin-ups if you can, but I'd be interested to hear what you thought of the SA speakers.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not very used to the terminology of Hifi but thought that the SA had a very clear sound with great definition but I was missing some extra punch, or a more involving sound...

 

[Anonymous]

May I suggest a Pro-Ject RM5 or Xpression III. The kandy absolutely must auditioned before you buy...

2M Blue for sure though.

 

[d_a_n1979]

Have you thought about a decent turntable with a built in amplifier?

The Pro-ject DebutIII with the built in phono stage is very good and got great reviews

http://www.project-audio.com/main.php?prod=debutphsb&cat=turntables&lang=en

You can then look at a decent integrated amp that doesnt require a phono card and the speakers.

IMO for your taste in music you could take a look at the Roksan Kandy LIII integrated amp and both the B&W 684 and M/A RS6 speakers would work very well. You could also consider the Arcam FMJ A32 integrated amp or the Cyrus 6v2 amp with the B&W CM7 speakers.