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Help: ISO Beginner full setup for excellent sound on $2000 max budget

Overview: Brand new at this, looking for help purchasing beginner full setup of TT, Tube Amp, Speakers, Preamp that is aesthetically pleasing (i.e. minimalist, blends in as piece of furniture with plants), that sounds fantastic, and will stand up over the next 5-7 years, for $2000 max. I'm in search of the best sound, most aesthetically pleasing, and holds up longest overtime. If you could put together a beginner set of quality products for somebody about to enter their 30’s for xmas with a $2000 max budget, what would you include?


Hey y’all, I’m brand new to this and don’t want to jump down a huge rabbit hole, or spend countless hours contemplating decisions about these, not because I don’t have time, it’s just not good for me: I’m so bad at making decisions and I want somebody’s advice that I can trust. So, figured I’d start a dialogue:

I am looking for a simple setup with the following components for a small to midsized room:
- Turn Table (I like Rega, UTurn, and Pro-ject easthetics);
- Preamp (whatever pairs best with the entire setup);
- Speakers (what I think I should invest most in? - I like Omega Super 3 XRS Speakers); and
- Tube Amp (whatever pairs best with the entire setup - I like the Almarro a205a).

The most important aspects of these products are all:
- Durable (wanting to last a while and feel a little modern classic 6-7 years from now);
- Best sound for the price; and
- Aesthetically pleasing (this is important, it will be the center of my living room for the foreseeable future).

My music style: is mostly slower independent stuff: Sun Kil Moon, John Prine, Iron and Wine sounding stuff. Other than that I’ll mostly listen to Hip Hop, like J Dilla, or Rock, like Pearl Jam).

I’d love for it to be something that’s not jumping head first into this as a hobby, but something I can be proud of owning that I can play every day.

If you have any specifics please ask, I apologize for the length of this post, just figured I ’d try to be general enough so y’all could get an idea.
whyistherenopie

Showing 3 responses by soix

soix
10,175 posts
 
A librarian? Ok. Go to Google and type the names of each of the above recommended components followed by the word “reviews.” That’s where you’ll find useful information on each of the products recommended specifically for you given your requirements out of the thousands of other audio products out there.

A bartender? Got it. You have all the ingredients you need to make the kind of system you say you’re looking for. All you need to do is read a little about each of the ingredients to see which brands fit best with your particular taste to get the best mix for you within your budget. There’s tons of info on the internet, or perhaps a librarian can help you find some helpful books or publications.

Peace out.

(p.s. maybe there’s no pie because someone needs to get off their butt and start making one)
soix
10,175 posts
 
If possible, though, can you or anyone else reading this help guide me, in layman’s terms, toward a system that could work.

If you could choose a nice-looking set up for somebody who looking to gain some knowledge but not dive into this headfirst, what’s respectable and what makes sense together based on the previous posts.
Have you even really read any of the helpful advice being given to you here? You make it sound like nobody as of yet has provided any helpful advice or information. I read your stated goals carefully and actually spent quite a bit of time putting together a coherent system to meet your specific requirements and budget (as have others). Read reviews of the products I (and others) recommended here and I think you’ll see why they were chosen and why they’re particularly well suited to meet your all your needs. You’ve already received some good advice and recommendations, so at this point YOU should be doing a little research into what’s already been given to you and either asking us specific questions on why this or that is a good choice for what you’re looking to achieve or start buying the components that you find are a good fit for you. Putting together a good system is going to require a little effort on your part at this point, and it will be well worth it.

soix
10,175 posts
 
Given the music you like and the sound you’re looking for, I’d get the Unison Research Unico Hybrid integrated available here for $900, a nice pair of Nola Boxers on US AudioMart for $700, and an Audio Technica Carbon VTA turntable available at Massdrop for $350. For wires I’d get them through Acoustic BBQ made by member @grannyring.  For speaker stands I’d get the 24” Glass Floor Speaker Stands ($62) or the Monolith stands ($55) from Monoprice depending on your taste — both are sand fillable (and you should), and I’d guess the Monolith would yield marginally better sound if you’re on the fence.  The turntable is initially the biggest bottleneck of this system, but it’s still decent enough to get you going and has the advantages of coming with a cartridge and built-in phono preamp. Plus the ‘table has a good enough foundation and potential that it can be upgraded later as budget allows to significantly increase performance with a better cartridge and external phono pre. And it looks great too, as do the speakers and amp. I think you’d be thrilled with this system given your stated tastes and requirements.

BTW, ditch the notion of a separate amp and preamp at this budget level — an integrated is absolutely the way to go. And I’d also avoid a tube amp if as you say you don’t want to jump in head first and want something simple that you can play every day. The Unico has a couple small tubes in the input section so they won’t need to be changed very often and shouldn’t be very expensive, yet you’ll still get a good dose of that inviting “tube magic” I think you’re looking for — and the Nolas thrive on tubes as well. This whole shebang may end up costing a little more than $2k considering shipping, cables, and stands (depending somewhat on your negotiating skills), but I think you’ll be happy to stretch a little once the music starts playing. Hope this helps, and best of luck in your quest!
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