Ultimate $10K home office system for vinyl?


Looking for some advice/inspiration... If you had a $10K (USD) budget for a home office/listening room, which turntable/amps/speakers would you buy?  

Assume that the system will only be used for vinyl records - i.e. no CD player, radio etc. - just the best bang for buck vinyl-only system for $10K.  

 

 

capojacko

Well, my office system ended up being Totem Mite speakers with a matching subwoofer (all three beautiful wood). A PrimaLuna integrated amp… mine is all digital… because getting interrupted every twenty minutes in not condusive for work… you want to get in flow and stay there. I was always handling very complex problems, it could take fifteen minutes to get the whole thing in my head, and then interruption the whole thing would collapse and I would have to spend a lot of time getting back to where I was. Streaming is better for me. 

 

So, maybe a Clear Audio Concept or Rega Planar 6 with maybe a Gold Note phonostage… unless you could get a used PrimaLuna phonostage (they are really important).

That's a very good point. Most of the time I don't mind listening to records but there will be times that streaming would be helpful as well. 

Your question is so general.  There are so many combo permutations coupled by different subjective preferences it's probably not useful.  Even for a single component like speakers you'd get a lot of different answers. 

Do you prefer bookshelf on wall, stand mount, or floorstanders? Are you able to pull the speakers out into the room which most speakers require?  Tube or SS electronics (they usually sound very different)?  What type of music do you listen to?  What volume do you listen to?  New or used to save money?  

Maybe the best way to figure this out is to determine your speakers first, then see how much you have left to spend on the rest of your system - turntable, preamp, amp, phono preamp, cabling.

 

My question was really more like a thought exercise and it's meant to be subjective.  I'm specifically looking for personal opinions- how would YOU spend the $10K and why?  it's not about arriving at a correct/objective answer. 

Not Big Budget, but Excellent Sound and Imaging is more critical than anything else.

My Office: Looks simple but a lot of careful planning was involved.

I never had great sound in my office until I decided to make desk chair/speaker placement the priority.

Speakers: Tweeters Seated Ear Height; Sit dead center of Speakers for Excellent Imaging.

In addition to LP, consider Streaming from PC: Music, Music Videos, i.e. Monitor Dead Center, size that works with the speaker locations (my monitor 27")

’Bookcase’ Speaker: real bookcase speakers fit IN a bookcase, thus typically no more than 11-1/2 deep, no rear or side vents, not too big, my 3 way AR-2ax (10" woofers) are about the biggest bookcase speakers you can fit.

If you have more room than me, a deeper cabinet that would fit a horizontal TT would be nice, many more TT options.

In my case, I cut the 12" deep bookcase height, and had a 14" deep top made, so I could fit equipment on top, wires behind ....

Vertical TT and Vertical Reel to Reel worked on the bookcase top in front of me, a horizontal turntable would be difficult. Make sure Speaker Placement/Equipment Placement: Vibrations do not reach the TT/LP.

 

 

Prior to the AR-2ax Speakers, I had some Wharfedale Diamond 225’s and a Single Self-Powered Sub, just enough so the Wharfedale’s 6-1/2 woofer didn’t sound small. Restored AR’s sounded better, gave the Wharfedale’s to my son.

Efficient Speakers so I could use a low powered Tube Amp (Luxman 10 wpc), keeping heat to a minimum, and small enough for placement options/remote line of sight.

 

 

The Mitsubishi LT-5V Linear Tracking is very good, and easy.

With your added scope creep..

Clearaudio TT, arm, Hana ML, or Grace F9/Soundsmith Ruby OCL, or Ortofon Bronze, or Nakagoka 500, Hagerman Trumpet or ARC PH-5 or Sutherland, NAIM Uniti Atom,, Near field any good used LS-3 5a or similar Linn Kan, Kef 101, Or better Vandersteen VLR…  Seated but not NF add in the Maggie LRS + or Vandersteen 1ci….

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I "surmise" you didn't understand the question, nay, the purpose of an online forum such as this.  At no point did I ask anyone for "intensive analysis". I simply asked how you and others who know more than I do, might spend $10K for a small room to play records. I was not asking for tax advice or a medical opinion.

A true expert would have no problem whatsoever framing this in understandable terms for a curious beginner.  

 

 

I disagree. 10k is a lot of money so to get an honest answer one has to do much evaluation and research. That’s what most audiophiles do to maximize the sonics on a limited budget. Often these cost/benefit decision are mentally taxing. I’m assuming you want a serious honest answer, otherwise it’s easy to come up with a 10k system to list. Not sure why you assume it’s easy unless you have deep pockets and money isn’t an issue. For the rest of us we put serious brainpower to stretch our money.

If your asking as a beginner with 10k on how to construct a system that is satisfying for you? - that’s a different question.  We’d then help you find components that would suit your sonic preferences within your budget.

Apologies of my previous post was too strong. Perhaps you didn’t realize that a serious answer was a lot of work. I really hate pointless busywork. Also, for you our preferences are not relevant when compared to your preferences. Only you can decide what you like.

Threads like this can be fun. If it were me I would consider the system as 6 components, Table, arrm, cartirdge, phonostage, Integrated amplifier, and speakers. The 1st 4 could take up half the budget for an office setup. Also isolation of the TT needs be factored in.

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@capojacko 

Perhaps this might help you.

The Absolute Sound magazine March 2024 issue#347 has tested+recommended components at all price points.

Stereophile has an online list here

…TAS (The Absolute Sound) has a lot more components especially at lower price points