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analog newbie questions...

Okay, so I'm totally new to this whole audiophile hobby thing, but am quickly becoming obsessed with it. A lot of the questions I'm going to ask might sound stupid, but please bear with me.

To start things off, I plan on purchasing a Rega P1. I've read a lot of reviews on it and it seems like a great entry level TT with excellant features and not too many frills. I'm also aware that I will most likely nees to buy a pre-amp, and I think I'm going with the Cambridge Audio 540p. As you can tell, I'm not trying to spend a ton of money here. Now, here's where I have a question... should I get an integrated amp instead of a receiver? If so, then the only thing I'll need to get are some decent speakers, right?
stormjoe1985

Showing 2 responses by elevick

elevick
2,638 posts
 
To start, the difference between the 540 and the 640 is huge. If you skimp here, there is no need to spend money further down the line because you will never realize the quality. Get the 640.
The Ortofon 5 is a decent starter. If you decide to upgrade, you only have to replace the stylus with the 10 or 15 if I'm correct.
Cambridge Integrateds or Music Halls are a great way to start.
Make sure you don't skimp on cables. You don't need to spend a bundle but don't buy garbage and don't buy from a big box store.
Finally, Do you really want to forgo a tuner? I'd rather have a receiver than no tuner at all? Look at Music Hall, Arcam, Cambridge and many more.
Have fun, borrow where you can, buy on Audiogon so you won't take a big beating when the upgrade bug hits you.
elevick
2,638 posts
 
Since I brought up the 640p: I like Ortofons but have others that I prefer more, Goldring 1012gx or 1042gx and a Shure M97 for lower priced cartridges.
Interconnects: Under 1M can cause set-up issues sometimes.
I was always told to try to spend an even amount on each piece of gear, TT, Amp, Speakers, phono pre should be less.
Buy a used integrated with the assumption that you will upgrade eventually. Stick with newer stuff to avoid problems.
Speaker Cable: Don't buy garbage, at least 12 gauge. Get decent banana connectors. Even Madisound & Partsconnexion have some very inexpensive bananas. Avoid the twist on types.
Finally, some dealers get amazing prices on close-outs and B-stock. They are an option. AudioAdvisor was suggested and can be great. I like Spearit-sound and Echohifi also.
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