OT: Audiophile ???

[dsimon]

My Sons birthday is coming up and he is into old vinyl. I had a Technics with some bookshelf speakers growing up. but it seems I have lost touch with whats in and whats good. I would like to stay under 800. And it will be in a small Air-force Barracks apartment. Technics or onkyo with small speakers and good sound quality with wifi and a turntable. is there anything out there like that or would it be beneficial to build a group like we use to do? Thank you as always

[ftf]

My Sons birthday is coming up and he is into old vinyl. I had a Technics with some bookshelf speakers growing up. but it seems I have lost touch with whats in and whats good. I would like to stay under 800. And it will be in a small Air-force Barracks apartment. Technics or onkyo with small speakers and good sound quality with wifi and a turntable. is there anything out there like that or would it be beneficial to build a group like we use to do? Thank you as always

Get him some nice headphones if he's in an apartment like that.

Project turntable and some like Hifiman 560 V2s, the hifimans were on sale for 300 a few weeks ago, normally 900. Or perhaps Focal Elear 689 on Amazon if you want to stretch the budget to the max. .

[ftf]

Maybe a hand held "HIFI" player like a Fiio X5 III or X7II, IBasso is also considered pretty good for a situation like his.

[dsimon]

Thank you

[Ken Robb]

I have MANY LPs and a nice turntable but for a mobile person in a small apartment I think there are better choices of sound sources that take up less room and are easier to move and store.

[phcollard]

A nice minimalist setup would be a Rega Planar 1 and a pair of Kanto YU4 powered speakers (they have a phone preamp). I had the YU2 at some time and they were very decent speakers for the price.

[djg]

Get him some nice headphones if he's in an apartment like that.

Project turntable and some like Hifiman 560 V2s, the hifimans were on sale for 300 a few weeks ago, normally 900. Or perhaps Focal Elear 689 on Amazon if you want to stretch the budget to the max. .

Some nice headphones can be terrific, and phones plus a headphone amp are one way to go, for sure.

Still, sometimes it's nice to listen to music without phones, even by one's lonesome; and sometimes it's nice to listen to music with other people. A 300 dollar table kit (with arm, cartridge, etc., ready to play) from Pro-ject or Music Hall is probably a pretty good start. I haven't heard the little Elac bookshelf speakers but they seem to get uniformly favorable reviews (to raves), and they're only about 250 bucks -- worth checking out, probably. Wharfedale has some bookshelf speakers at about 2-250 as well -- I haven't heard the new ones but I did like some older versions of the little "diamond" speakers very well for the price, and I like the 10.7 tower version a great deal (bigger and more expensive than you want). I like the little KEFs but those are probably budget busters. You can get a decent receiver from Yamaha and stay within your budget. At 300 bucks there are integrated amps from Cambridge Audio and NAD as well.

For less expensive headphones I like the Grado options at 80 - 150 bucks, if there's anything left over. I definitely understand the perspective of better phones, and ditch the speakers, and to each his or her own, but I would lean towards the speaker option myself -- maybe especially for young people, but you (the OP) know your own kid far better than we can.

[sjbraun]

A pair of these speakers: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008NCD2LG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Add a small class D amp and the turntable of your choice.

Nice sound, small footprint and well under your budget.

[tuxbailey]

Disclaimer: I am not an audiophile but I am looking to put a budget, yet decent HT in the basement.

I am currently looking to get a pair of these for my front channels. Based on what I have read they have very good reviews:

https://www.amazon.com/Acoustics-3020-Bookshelf-Speakers-Graphite/dp/B00TR7I1EY

I am going to buy the new "i" version:

https://www.qacoustics.com/bookshelf-speakers/3020i-bookshelf-speaker-pair.html

some reviews:

https://www.whathifi.com/q-acoustics/3020i/review

[dsimon]

Thank you

[Gern]

I would like to politely express a dissenting view. I would ditch the turntable, as he will have to move it repeatedly and possibly damage the collection. Vinyl also needs cleaning and careful handling every time he wants to listen to something.

I assume he already has a laptop. Get a TIDAL subscription and an Audioquest Dragonfly red, and use the laptop as a front end. I can attest this works very well -- even into a very expensive reference system (TIDAL also has a high def subscription for some of their "master" tracks). It is very convenient, and he can also listen, and download, on his phone. I would get a decent integrated amp, some PSB Alphas and a sub off of Audiogon and call it good. Headphones in a USAF dorm are a good call as well.

[pjm]

I think it’s great to see young people expressing an interest in turntables and vinyl. I would check out something like this combo and maybe add a powered subwoofer.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_700TBLKITB/Audioengine-A2-Music-Hall-USB-1-Bundle-Satin-Black.html?tp=75887
Or
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_70012BA2B/Audioengine-A2-Audio-Technica-AT-LP120BK-USB-Bundle.html

[xnetter]

I second the refocus on headphone-based listening for this scenario. With headphones, he can listen at whatever time is convenient/available.

A good set of cans, a laptop/iPod and a decent DAC/headphone amp would be my recommendation for a dorm-room. Many DAC products have a host of digital connections to work with whatever source you are using.

KJ

[93KgBike]

https://nadelectronics.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/D-3020-V2-Lifestyle_1920x1080.jpg

D 3020 V2 Hybrid Digital DAC Amplifier. $399

Worth a look?

https://nadelectronics.com/product/d-3020v2-hybrid-digital-amplifier/

[IJWS]

I have some experience with building budget systems since I was in school and good news: small apartment means nearfield listening means cheap speakers sound better than they are. :hello:

I started with a vintage NAD amp, Project Debut turntable, and matching era KEF speakers, then I went to a Class D chip amp and some nicer Mission speakers as well as a bang and olufsen tt that was just gorgeous looking. Now I have a Rega Brio R and RP3 running through KEF Q100's (in a larger space). I also had a short period of time where I was ordering and trying out a lot of speakers to see what I liked. There is some good advice in the posts above.

I also have two decent pairs of AKG headphones at work and while they sound good, I get fatigued and I like the air and presence of my stereo system at home. Nice cans aren't a bad idea but I don't think they will be as exciting as a stereo so let's build one. 3 pieces, $800 let's go!

1. Speakers are going to be the most important especially in a "first" stereo. these guys (https://smile.amazon.com/ELAC-Debut-Bookshelf-Speakers-Black/dp/B07B4Q5587/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1533623326&sr=8-4&keywords=elac), ELAC B6 2.0's would be great speakers. I listened to a pair of the B6 1.0's and was pretty happy with them. You can get a lot of good sound from them without trying. They will be like inexpensive scotch. At some point your son will wonder how he could stand listening to them, but it's going to take him a few years to build his palette to get to that point.

2. For an amp I would either go Class D or a Craigslist NAD. The class D Like this (https://smile.amazon.com/SMSL-50Wx2-TDA7492-Amplifier-Adapter/dp/B00F0H8TOC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1533623347&sr=8-4&keywords=smsl) this SMSL amp (that I used to have and is currently in my friend's system) will work great and give you nice mid and high frequencies and will be reliable. An old NAD 3020 or 7240 or something of that ilk will sound a world warmer but might be on the verge of breaking and sending your son to the electronic repair shop for some heartbreak...but they do sound pretty good for cheap. It's definitely worth looking for a NAD first and then adding the SMSL to your amazon order if you can't find anything.

3. In this build we're at $300 for the speakers and $65 for the amp which leaves $435 for a turntable. Great. You can get one of these (https://smile.amazon.com/Pro-Ject-Debut-Carbon-Piano-Black/dp/B00IIMXATU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1533623755&sr=8-3&keywords=project+debut), a Pro-ject Debut DC and your'e finished. It will blow your son's mind, look cool, and most importantly, play records. Or, you could go the Craigslist alternative and
A) look for an older Rega and haggle, or
B) look for an older Pro-ject since they are the hipster TT dujour and a lot of people that bought them have either grown out of them or stopped using them. There is a rabbit hole of great TT's from the past that you could look for on CL. These are some off the cuff recommendations that I have personal experience with.

4. Tidal. Everyone that said get a Tidal subscription is 100% correct. I don't even have to repeat their case. I won't count the $15 a month toward the $800 because I am very bad with personal expense accounting. A dragonfly Red could also be a nice surprise to get in the mail sometime next year and will really take it up a notch.

I want to say one thing, it is important to get your son a system that doesn't sound like sh*t or ruin the music he's trying to listen to or muddy up the parts he knows are his favorites...but he absolutely does not need the best system in the world. Remember your first car? First girlfriend? Absolutely wonderful experiences that ended up making you appreciate the seconds and thirds even more.

It's a great idea to get your son a stereo as a gift--don't sweat the details too much. Better to have an "entry-level" system that is a fun experience than a great pair of Audeeze cans with a FLIO--he will love those next year after he can hear what he's hearing:)

Best of luck!

EDIT: Sorry, I forgot that you will need a phono pre-amp. This amp from Onkyo (https://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-8020-channel-Stereo-Receiver/dp/B00EE18O7W/ref=pd_cp_23_2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=5682957075090298297&pf_rd_r=BS2R6ZQF3Q3NXW3653GK&pd_rd_wg=cyNsy&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=E0MjB&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=1dec2718-9a5a-11e8-8719-f5a2c5be41ea&pd_rd_i=B00EE18O7W&psc=1&refRID=BS2R6ZQF3Q3NXW3653GK) has one built in and is a good performer. If the budget is set in stone, you could swap the Pro-ject Debut Carbon for the Pro-ject Essential III (https://www.amazon.com/Pro-Ject-Essential-Belt-drive-Turntable-Cartridge/dp/B06XDB72V7/ref=sr_1_8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1533657619&sr=1-8&keywords=pro-ject). Again, good luck!

[Bob Ross]

Remember your first car? First girlfriend? Absolutely wonderful experiences that ended up making you appreciate the seconds and thirds even more.

I've been in the audio industry for over 40 years and I don't think I've ever heard a more succinct analogy for guiding a purchase! That is pure gold.

[IJWS]

How did this turn out? I'm sure everyone would love to see what you went for and if you have more questions, I'm sure that better answers are to be had...

[dsimon]

Thank you everyone well I have settled on a New NAD with ELAC and i'm scanning Craigslist for a nice technics table

[djg]

Thank you everyone well I have settled on a New NAD with ELAC and i'm scanning Craigslist for a nice technics table

Cool, enjoy it. I notice that you're in Northern, VA -- there's a hi fi repair shop in Falls Church that always has some used tables -- I don't know if there are any bargains there, but it might be worth poking around. He has reasonable cartridges too, if you find something used elsewhere and find the cartridge wanting. Or, you know, CL might turn up a barely used table that's good to go.
The record store that's kinda next door also has used gear. All sorts of things -- recall seeing a Cambridge CD player for something like 75 bucks there, and some of the old school Quad speakers. Probably a table or three.

[Ken Robb]

If you're seeking a used 1200 you might be happy with an Audio Technica LP-120 that you can buy new ready-to-play for $300 +/-.

[benb]

Alternate plan:

Lossless player + quality headphone amp + gift certificate to HDtracks.com or something similar. Plus maybe a year subscription to a good streaming music source.

I sold off my nice stereo equipment a while ago and just kept the headphone setup(s). I'm fairly happy.

The value of streaming for music discovery/education cannot be overstated.

Or get him a musical instrument. A lot of audiophile stuff is tilting at windmills, no system will ever duplicate the magic of hearing an instrument in person, particularly anything that doesn't produce sound via a loudspeaker.

[deechee]

Alternate plan:
Lossless player + quality headphone amp + gift certificate to HDtracks.com or something similar. Plus maybe a year subscription to a good streaming music source.


Slight drift. What kind of lossless player do you use? I didn't realize that Fiio has a pretty cheap player now; debating between that and a Dragonfly DAC for my work computer.

[Tabl10s]

My Sons birthday is coming up and he is into old vinyl. I had a Technics with some bookshelf speakers growing up. but it seems I have lost touch with whats in and whats good. I would like to stay under 800. And it will be in a small Air-force Barracks apartment. Technics or onkyo with small speakers and good sound quality with wifi and a turntable. is there anything out there like that or would it be beneficial to build a group like we use to do? Thank you as always

If he has his own room, no problem. I had my high-end(not regular consumer stuff)system in Japan and stateside.