I’m pretty new to the whole audiophile world. I started out with a Marley stir it up turntable with the get together duos, but I was left with mixed feelings about it.
Sure it was cool to listen to music on vinyl, but I was a bit disappointed with the quality, it all came through a bit mushed together and the highs, while being loud gave me the tickling sensation in my ears when listened to loudly. Some genre sounds better than others but I can’t expect much out of that needle and pre amp.
I’m set on getting the audio technica AP LT120XUSB turntable, but I’m not quite sure on what external amp and speakers I should get, and I was hoping someone can lead me in the right direction as lots of products are marked as audiophile equipment but lack the actual quality to make it such.
I appreciate anyone who takes the time to reply!
Summary
- Choosing the right turntable setup involves considering the balance between source, amp, and speakers.
- Investing in quality equipment can significantly enhance your sound experience.
- Understanding your budget, room size, and music preferences is crucial in making informed decisions.
Hey There, Let’s Talk Budget and Preferences!
Hey there, the turntable is a good start, but you need to give us a bit more detail about your budget and what you are looking for in an amp for example, do you want a streamer and a DAC? Are you looking for bookshelf or floor standing speakers, do you want a subwoofer, or maybe add one later? What is your budget? What type of music do you listen to, and finally your room size and budget.
As a rule of thumb, you want to spend 50% on your speakers, and the other 50% on your source and amp, more likely 20% source, 30% amp. Nothing is written in stone, and there are great sounding systems that don’t follow this rule. So if you can give an idea of your budget, it’ll be easier to guide you to the right sort of products.
Finding the Cause of Disappointment in Sound
Have you narrowed down the cause of the disappointing sound? It could be bad quality vinyl, your cartridge needle being faulty, turntable being improperly setup, your speaker drivers, it could be a lot of things. At this point I would suggest getting all-in-one type equipment for simplicity sake such as the Q Acoustics M 20 HD, Triangle AIO Twin or the PSB Alpha iQ active speakers which has pretty much everything you need besides a subwoofer.
Understanding Your Budget for the System
How much are you looking to spend on the whole system?
Consider Diverse Sources for Sound
$2K is a good budget for amp/speakers. Will you have other use sources besides the turntable (streaming, cds, tv)?
Here is an example of a suggestion you might consider:
Yamaha A-S501 $550 integrated
Pair with speakers like these:
Ascend Sierra-1 v2 $998
Revel M105 $1055 Sale
Wharfedale EVO 4.2 $1200
Many other choices.
Exploring Sound Quality Comparisons
It’s my experience that you don’t achieve sound quality that is comparable to digital until you spend a good amount on a turntable and cartridge. I have a ton of records and a pretty nice setup now but if I had to start over with $2k I’d ditch vinyl and get something like the wiim pro or ifi zen streamer, schiit modi dac, Yamaha S-501 amp and a used pair of wharfedale linton speakers. It’s very worthwhile to take your time and watch local listings for hifi equipment cheap.