As a fellow jazz fan, I second Charles' recommendation about tube gear. In my opinion, tubes, vinyl and jazz just go together like a magic potion. They bring out the best in each other. That said the right solid state gear can make some special music too. My recommendation is to find a friendly dealer who can steer you in the direction of a satisfying long term setup. I would concentrate first on the vinyl playback setup since the source quality is so important. The amplifier and speaker choices are interrelated so I would make those decisions at the same time even if you have to delay the actual purchase of replacement speakers to a later date.
My jazz collection told me to get a *real* system
So I’m determined to put together my first serious analog system, having subsisted on entry-level NAD TT, integrated and phono amp for over 10 years. My tastes are very eclectic, but I’ve put together a nice jazz collection and that’s what’s really crying out. I’m looking at a budget of about $8K over the next 12-18 months. Yeah, that’s the trick: This ain’t gonna happen over night. But I’m willing to be patient with imbalances in my system as long as I’m headed in the right direction. And I’d rather go the route of buying the gear I really want for the long term rather than stop gaps and labor intensive upgrade paths etc. My life just doesn’t have room for that.
N.B.: Looking to stay SS, likely integrated+phono preamp configuration. Really just talking about the table, cart, and amplification ... speakers and ICs are OK for now.
Questions:
1) How would you divvy up the dough?
2) In what order would you buy the components?
3) Top 3 recommendations within each component category?
4) Other crucial considerations?
Appreciate the wisdom!
N.B.: Looking to stay SS, likely integrated+phono preamp configuration. Really just talking about the table, cart, and amplification ... speakers and ICs are OK for now.
Questions:
1) How would you divvy up the dough?
2) In what order would you buy the components?
3) Top 3 recommendations within each component category?
4) Other crucial considerations?
Appreciate the wisdom!