Most current preamp products have both XLR and RCA outputs. Get something like the PS Audio BHK signature pre and you are fixed up. There are a number of these excellent units on the used market at present at around $3k. Just remember to have fun while figuring it all out. You are embarking on a fantastic journey of discovery.
Where do I start!?!
Greetings!
I recently moved and actually have a small 12'x13' listening area in my new house and wanted to fill it with amazing sounds. I currently have a Denon AVR-4500H AV receiver hooked into a pair of Monitor Audio Silver RS6 speakers. I lucked out and got the RS6's at a really good price about 10 years ago and they're easily the best speakers I've ever owned. I used this setup for casually listening to lossless music from a central server and very much enjoyed it. I made mention to my father a couple weeks ago that I would like to get a nice turntable and maybe upgrade my sound package a little and he tells me that he recently ran into a pair of Acoustat speakers that he recently fell in love with and bought that he had his older system in a warehouse collecting dust. When I went to look at it I was amazed to find a pair of McIntosh MC1.2KW monoblocks with a pair of McIntosh XRT1K speakers and a Thorens TD309 turntable in the corner. He said I could have them if I wanted them but I would need to find something to run the monoblocks (he kept his C1100 and MX160 setup).
My biggest question now is this: What in the world do I do with these things!? The speakers are MASSIVE (fortunately I have 10ft ceilings) and the monoblocks are like 150lbs each! Is 12'x13' enough room for this setup? I thought I had a list all laid out of what components I wanted to get and how I wanted to set everything up but I was not expecting anything close to this kind of setup and it's got me pretty overwhelmed with options. I know I need a preamplifier for the turntable but where do I go with the monoblocks? Can I just go with a preamplifier that has an XLR output (e.g. Pro-Ject Phono Box RS) directly into each monoblock or do I need to get an AV processor to handle that transition? Out of fear for my sanity, I haven't even started looking at cables yet. I'm sure that'll be fun too....
Thanks for reading and looking forward to reading the replies!
I recently moved and actually have a small 12'x13' listening area in my new house and wanted to fill it with amazing sounds. I currently have a Denon AVR-4500H AV receiver hooked into a pair of Monitor Audio Silver RS6 speakers. I lucked out and got the RS6's at a really good price about 10 years ago and they're easily the best speakers I've ever owned. I used this setup for casually listening to lossless music from a central server and very much enjoyed it. I made mention to my father a couple weeks ago that I would like to get a nice turntable and maybe upgrade my sound package a little and he tells me that he recently ran into a pair of Acoustat speakers that he recently fell in love with and bought that he had his older system in a warehouse collecting dust. When I went to look at it I was amazed to find a pair of McIntosh MC1.2KW monoblocks with a pair of McIntosh XRT1K speakers and a Thorens TD309 turntable in the corner. He said I could have them if I wanted them but I would need to find something to run the monoblocks (he kept his C1100 and MX160 setup).
My biggest question now is this: What in the world do I do with these things!? The speakers are MASSIVE (fortunately I have 10ft ceilings) and the monoblocks are like 150lbs each! Is 12'x13' enough room for this setup? I thought I had a list all laid out of what components I wanted to get and how I wanted to set everything up but I was not expecting anything close to this kind of setup and it's got me pretty overwhelmed with options. I know I need a preamplifier for the turntable but where do I go with the monoblocks? Can I just go with a preamplifier that has an XLR output (e.g. Pro-Ject Phono Box RS) directly into each monoblock or do I need to get an AV processor to handle that transition? Out of fear for my sanity, I haven't even started looking at cables yet. I'm sure that'll be fun too....
Thanks for reading and looking forward to reading the replies!