Turntable & streaming system for £3-4k

[infaddict]

I know there's a lot of similar questions but looking for advice and recommendations for a new turntable system for my lounge. Budget is around £3-4k and I'm UK based.

There are constraints, mainly set by my wife, ideally avoiding black plastic finishes where possible. The room is fairly small, 6m x 4m with 2.5m ceilings. I only have one corner of the room with a cabinet, where the system will live. I was originally thinking to put everything on top of the cabinet, but now understand the speakers would cause turntable vibration and issues. So I think I might fit a floating shelf for turntable, just above the cabinet, with small bookshelf style speakers on the cabinet top itself. I realise this means audio compromise which Im prepared to live with.

Main use will be vinyl but it would be nice to stream to it as well, looking at getting Tidal unless any other recommendations.

My initial research has let me to the Rega Planar 3 RS as gets good reviews and doesn't look like black plastic. For speakers, don't need anything too big and will be standing on top of the cabinet. Saw some Kef options.

Any advice and recommendations much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Revolutions]

That's a nice budget & you could get a great system. Where possible it will pay dividends to demo & hear in person. Speakers especially, they can be very personal.

A setup that I would consider thinking about your budget...
Rega P3
Rega Elex mk4
WiiM Mini (for streaming)
Monitor Audio silver 100

 

[Fandango Andy]

There are too many variables to pick an ideal system as it, but you have already identified some good options. Kef speakers can be quite forgiving about where you place them. You ideally want them on stands, if that isn't possible make sure the cabinet they sit on is solid, put some isolation pads under them and get them a good distance from the wall, 40 to 50 cm.

Raga Planar 3 is probably the best option around and up to the £1,000 mark so should be good.

There are lots of amps around the £1,000 mark, go and have a look at some that look the part, read the reviews and pick a few to audition.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

If you want to keep the box count down to two you could buy a amplifier with a good phone stage & streamer all built in .
So then you just got to think about the speakers and TT but highly recommend you go to your local hifi shop and see what's on offer for your budget but do not tell the shop your budget because your end up spending it all .
Look at second-hand because you might end up with something better that would normally cost a lot more for less money .
I would demo Amplifier , speakers , TT to get an idea what's possible with your budget for £4000 and comeback on here what you liked about and what you didn't like and also look at something that's way over budget that way you can see what's possible as your not committed to buy anything as any good dealer should show you but give them the idea's you have and they should put together a build based on what your after .

 

[RoA]

If vinyl is your main media then I would spend most on that. Short of a Gyrodeck I'd personally probably go for a Planar 8 with separate PSU and their new'ish top MM ND7 cartridge. That is a good chunk of your £4k gone. It may not be the absolute best performing deck available for the money but it looks gorgeous, sounds great and will please your wife.

For streaming just get a WiiM Pro Plus and put it out of sight.

That leaves around £1.5k for an amplifier and speakers.

I'd suggest an Audiolab 6000A MkII. Nice (MM) phono stage included and it looks sleek next to the Rega. It has a good power supply, drives most speakers with ease and is lovely transparent regardless of speaker impedance.

Then choose stand mounts that fit your room and taste, No easy advise there but I'd probably plump for a set of Quad S2's. Sound great and look even better.

I am sure any dealer will give you a nice discount or decent cables for free.

Future upgrades could be an MC if you want to go that way and a separate phono stage.

Others will suggest splitting a budget equally or spend most on speakers. All are valid but good engineering costs money and that is unfortunately where it's needed with turntables. I had a Rega P3 and while it is nice my current Technics deck is better in most respects, looks aside.

My 2ct's. Enjoy

 

[daytona600]

Technics SL-1200GR
Technics SU-GX70 Grand Class Network Audio Amplifier
Neat Acoustics Iota II

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Just be wise about it and look at many options as possible
Look at new , open box which that will be reduced from normal retail price and second-hand as there plenty of good TT out there that have been well looked after .
I am not going to say what TT you need or speakers or amp or streamer you need to go out and look and hear them do not buy blind or some other persons taste as there's might be different to yours .

And no disrespect to the other members on here but too many people buy online without demoing anything and then regret it afterwards .

 

[skinnypuppy71]

I'd start with a good used solid state amplifier, Naim nait xs3/ Exposure 3010s2d, something along those lines and if it has onboard phone stage, that's a bonus.....but I believe the amp is the hub of any good system....
turntable,I'd look at a project carbon debut evo,....
Speakers,..I'd probably be looking on the used market again, Dali Menuet, the se's would be even better, proac tablette10 signature edition, Pmc db1/ twenty 21or the prodigy......and some of the Neat petite /iota range would be worth a look.....
Wiim pro plus for streaming duties uuntil you find you're feet.
Just my 2cents.

 

[Al ears]

Technics SL-1200GR
Technics SU-GX70 Grand Class Network Audio Amplifier
Neat Acoustics Iota II

Now that would be a nice set-up.

 

[Al ears]

All good advice so far but your sound is going to be compromised by the position of the speakers.
You might be better off leaving the turntable on the unit and wall mounting the speakers in more favourable position, or indeed adding speaker stands.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Or if you got bookshelf speakers you could mount them on the wall with something like this ...

Essentials WB Swivel 15 (Black)

Shop for Essentials WB Swivel 15 (Black) Speaker Bracket Pair with Richer Sounds for expert advice and Lowest Prices Guaranteed.

www.richersounds.com

 

[Jasonovich]

Welcome to the forum @infaddict, I haven't read through the other comments yet, so apologies in advance if I repeat the suggestions that was mentioned.
£3-£4K is a nice budget to get something decent.

I was thinking in light of your restricted space, you could consider active speakers with a quality phono preamp. The streamer/DAC market are fairly saturated with options and great news for the buyer - below is my short list:

Active Speakers - Consider
Adams AV7 (£1,100 pair) -these are front ported speakers and can be positioned close to the wall or on brackets)
Also consider; Triangle Borea BR03 Connect Active Speakers (£649)
Or KEF LSX II Wireless Hi-Fi Speakers (£999)

Pre-Amp with phono MM/MC - Consider
QUAD Artera Pre Analogue Preamplifier (£1089)
Cyrus Classic PRE Preamplifier (£999)
Or, Audiolab 9000Q Preamplifier (£1499)

Vinyl Turntable - Consider

Pro-Ject X1 B Belt Driven Turntable (£999)
Pro-Ject T2 W Belt Driven Turntable (£899)
Pro-Ject Debut PRO B Belt Driven Turntable (£699)
Or consider one of the Rega alternatives.

Streamer DAC - Consider
Eversolo DMP-A6 2nd Gen (£799) or Master Edition 2nd Gen (£1259)
WiiM Ultra Streamer (£349)
or Blue Sound Node Icon Reference (£899)

Have fun 🙂!

 

[RTHerringbone]

I think if I were assembling a setup again with your budget, I'd go with the following:

1. Rega Planar 3 RS (I have it, it's lovely and feels like a premium product at this price point)
2. Rega Brio Mk7 - Highly regarded in its own right, and has a stylistic synergy with the power unit for the turntable. Both this and the power unit for the above are black, but not cheap and plastic in my opinion
3. The streamer seems like your lowest priority? The WiiM Mini would fit the bill but is very much a black and plastic thing, but *tiny* so your wife might not even see it. It works great and the UI is very good and works with TIDAL (which I highly recommend over Spotify). It's under £100 for the Mini and "better" options up the range are relatively inexpensive too. The less you spend here, the more you can spend on speakers
4. Assuming you get the Mini, you have a max of £2k+ here. Loads of choice so I'd look at options like Neat Petite Classics

Heavily influenced by my own experience.

 

[Al ears]

Welcome to the forum @infaddict, I haven't read through the other comments yet, so apologies in advance if I repeat the suggestions that was mentioned.
£3-£4K is a nice budget to get something decent.

I was thinking in light of your restricted space, you could consider active speakers with a quality phono preamp. The streamer/DAC market are fairly saturated with options and great news for the buyer - below is my short list:

Active Speakers - Consider
Adams AV7 (£1,100 pair) -these are front ported speakers and can be positioned close to the wall or on brackets)
Also consider; Triangle Borea BR03 Connect Active Speakers (£649)
Or KEF LSX II Wireless Hi-Fi Speakers (£999)

Pre-Amp with phono MM/MC - Consider
QUAD Artera Pre Analogue Preamplifier (£1089)
Cyrus Classic PRE Preamplifier (£999)
Or, Audiolab 9000Q Preamplifier (£1499)

Vinyl Turntable - Consider

Pro-Ject X1 B Belt Driven Turntable (£999)
Pro-Ject T2 W Belt Driven Turntable (£899)
Pro-Ject Debut PRO B Belt Driven Turntable (£699)
Or consider one of the Rega alternatives.

Streamer DAC - Consider
Eversolo DMP-A6 2nd Gen (£799) or Master Edition 2nd Gen (£1259)
WiiM Ultra Streamer (£349)
or Blue Sound Node Icon Reference (£899)

Have fun 🙂!

All good suggestions except I wouldn't bother with Project balanced turntables if you aren't going to connect then to a balanced phono preamp.

 

[Revolutions]

Active speakers is a great shout @Jasonovich

I always forget about them, despite both pairs of speakers I own being active 😂

 

[Fandango Andy]

Looks like you have lots of good suggestions to work from.

Do you have a photograph of the corner / unit where you plan to put the system?

Also you are trying to avoid "black plastic finishes" have you given any thought to the style you do want? Black doesn't have to be plastic, at the price point you are shopping most things look relatively classy. Amps tend to be more conservative black/white/silver, but speakers and record players can range from bright colours, to retro wood and brushed aluminium.

 

[Fandango Andy]

There are too many variables to pick an ideal system as it, but you have already identified some good options. Kef speakers can be quite forgiving about where you place them. You ideally want them on stands, if that isn't possible make sure the cabinet they sit on is solid, put some isolation pads under them and get them a good distance from the wall, 40 to 50 cm.

Raga Planar 3 is probably the best option around and up to the £1,000 mark so should be good.

There are lots of amps around the £1,000 mark, go and have a look at some that look the part, read the reviews and pick a few to audition.

As mentioned, what you like is very personal. However as lots of others are suggesting what they would choose, here is what I would go for within the parameters you have set.

Firstly the caveat, it sounds like the listening room may be a little compromised, especially the speaker placement. With this in mind, I don't think you will tell too much difference between a very good and a great system. I have also chosen loudspeakers not only that I like, but also have a little forgiveness in their positioning. And, spoiler alert, I'm going to come in well under budget.

The audiolab 6000a Play is a bargain at the moment at £399. It isn't as good as the stand alone amp and streamer within the range, but it isn't far off for third the price!!! If I were really buying it I would go black but in this setup I would go silver to match the retro turntable.

Pro-Ject The Classic Evo Turntable. At £1,499 its expensive, and you will get one that sounds as good for less than £1,000, but it has the classy retro 70's look.

Triangle Borea br03 bookshelf speakers. £399 These speakers don't get the love they deserve, I sat in on a blind test a couple of years ago they destroyed more expensive B&W and Q Acoustics speakers. And, they are more forgiving over placement than a lot of speakers.

 

[infaddict]

Wow thanks so much to everybody for the great suggestions and vast range of options. This is an amazing forum with great members.

Today I visited hifi sounds in teeside and tried out some kit. In the end I bought a Ruark R610 amp, with matching Ruark Sabre speakers. And a Rega planar 3 RS turntable. And Rega shelf.

Came in under £3k and for that price point I was very impressed with the sound. Even the provided cabling gave good sound so I'll stick with that for now and might upgrade in future. I was worried about the bass based on reviews but found it to be fine for my ears. The aesthetics played a big part and I chose the walnut finish which my wife was happy with!

Of course everybody has different opinions and recommendations but so far I'm loving this setup both for vinyl and hires streaming.

Thanks for all the comments.

P.s. great service from hifi sounds in Stockton, anybody in the north east should definitely check them out.

 

[jjbomber]

Of course everybody has different opinions and recommendations but so far I'm loving this setup both for vinyl and hires streaming.

Thanks for all the comments.

Everybody has different opinions, and you just need to find what is best for YOU. It looks like you have succeeded, so well done.