critique my setup -- weak link? best way to improve?


I just put together my first turntable setup after many years of listening to CDs only. It sounds pretty good -- good enough that I'm curious how to make it better. (: What weak link(s) do you see in this system? Where is the best bang for the buck?

Between the two of us we listen to a wide range of styles (symphony, choral, folk, indie, dark wave, metal). The one constraint is that the speakers can't be larger than about 20" tall and need to stand on a wooden sideboard/console type thing.

The setup:

Pro-ject T1 with built in phono stage

Luminous Axiom passive preamp

Rotel RB-1070 power amp

Blue Jeans interconnects

Klipsch KG2.2 speakers

Amazon Basics 12Ga speaker wire, Monoprice banana connectors

matthijs

Depends on your goals. You seem to be going analog/vinyl, which I fully endorse.  I’d look hard at your phono rig. Built in phono pre is not the way to improve.  Move up from the Pro-Ject table and get a good free standing tube phono pre.  You have a nice system now, so improvements won’t come free/cheap.  When you have 10K to move up, go ahead and switch turntable and phono pre. Then when you have another 2K, improve the cartridge.  That’ll get your source in decent shape.  Just  my opinion!  Then you’ll be ready to drop the Rotel and Klipsch stuff when the budget replenishes. Cables you can do later. 😉

To paraphrase:

"We've met the weak link....and it be us....."

Or the room....

OP, it comes down to what in YHO what would give you the best bang/buck.  If you don't fear used and are down with paying attention to some of the 'deals gone bad' that regularly post 'round the 'gon...

I've dropped +/- 2.5K$ over awhile and its' an all-day affair to simply break it down. 

Fortunately, not too many things with a weight issue.....

@OP Running the basic phono stage in the Project TT into a passive preamp is going to be a fairly major limitation, so that's certainly an area for attention.