Budding audiophile/vinyl questions

Beagleone · 04-05-2011, 04:31 PM

I used to work for a major music store and sold sound & DJ equipment to many people. I was also a club and party DJ for a long time in the 80s and 90s. I still have my 2 Technics 1200s in storage along with about 1500 vinyl albums, LBs and 12" singles. Mostly old school 80s and 90s music. The Technics SL-1200s are marked for discontinued from Panasonic (parent company) late last year. They were the standard for the longest time; I've never worked a club or event that didn't have 1200s there. I would suggest getting one as soon as you can. The cost should be around $500, but used is slightly less. What can I say, they hold their value well. As for the needle, I used the Ortofon needles since they were light weight and provided a great range in sound. They were also great in design and allowed for DJs to drop the needle exactly on cue on the records. Stanton made great needles as well, but I prefer the Ortofons.

TonySmith · 04-05-2011, 06:36 PM

I don't have any recommendations for hardware, except Klipsch speakers. The La Scalas are pretty pricey, but a pair of Heresys would sound pretty good. I had a pair of them for many years. They are very efficent. Check some out if you can. That said, the speakers are the most important part of any system, choose carefully.

SvilleKid · 04-05-2011, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonySmith

I don't have any recommendations for hardware, except Klipsch speakers. The La Scalas are pretty pricey, but a pair of Heresys would sound pretty good. I had a pair of them for many years. They are very efficent. Check some out if you can. That said, the speakers are the most important part of any system, choose carefully.

Audiovox announced in January that they intended to buy 100% of Klipsch stock. Nothing against Audiovox, but I don't associate them with high quality audio components. Maybe they will leave Klipsch to their business, and not mess with a top-notch speaker! Bose make some of the most efficient speakers around. If you can find some used 901 series that are in good condition, they would be a great investment. 601 series are good bets also. Neither are cheap, though!

MTB996 · 04-05-2011, 08:26 PM

One other point: If your looking at equipment, don't be afraid of low wattage tube stuff. It can be finicky sometimes (tube biasing, etc.) and require certain types of speakers to really sing, but IMO it gets no better than a 300b SET tube amp through a decent set of speakers.

Your room and music taste (volume and content) will dictate the system more than anything else. If you don't have a huge room and aren't going to rock out at insane levels, smaller systems can sound very sweet at a fraction of the price. If you know what you want, look at audiogon dot com for used equipment.

For not much $, a Jolida integrated (I just sold mine used for $350 with new tubes) and Soliloquy 5.3 (used < $1k) speakers are incredible.

Enjoy the search.

TonySmith · 04-05-2011, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SvilleKid

Audiovox announced in January that they intended to buy 100% of Klipsch stock. Nothing against Audiovox, but I don't associate them with high quality audio components. Maybe they will leave Klipsch to their business, and not mess with a top-notch speaker! Bose make some of the most efficient speakers around. If you can find some used 901 series that are in good condition, they would be a great investment. 601 series are good bets also. Neither are cheap, though!

Sorryto hear Klipsch has been sold. I also hope they leave Klipsch alone to continue making their great speakers

04-05-2011, 04:31 PM	#1
Beagleone Feeling at Home Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Between here and there Posts: 846 Trading: (18)	Re: Budding audiophile/vinyl questions I used to work for a major music store and sold sound & DJ equipment to many people. I was also a club and party DJ for a long time in the 80s and 90s. I still have my 2 Technics 1200s in storage along with about 1500 vinyl albums, LBs and 12" singles. Mostly old school 80s and 90s music. The Technics SL-1200s are marked for discontinued from Panasonic (parent company) late last year. They were the standard for the longest time; I've never worked a club or event that didn't have 1200s there. I would suggest getting one as soon as you can. The cost should be around $500, but used is slightly less. What can I say, they hold their value well. As for the needle, I used the Ortofon needles since they were light weight and provided a great range in sound. They were also great in design and allowed for DJs to drop the needle exactly on cue on the records. Stanton made great needles as well, but I prefer the Ortofons. __________________ Whoever said "laughter is the best medicine" didn't have gonorrhea.

04-05-2011, 06:36 PM	#2
TonySmith Feeling at Home Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 653 Trading: (1)	Re: Budding audiophile/vinyl questions I don't have any recommendations for hardware, except Klipsch speakers. The La Scalas are pretty pricey, but a pair of Heresys would sound pretty good. I had a pair of them for many years. They are very efficent. Check some out if you can. That said, the speakers are the most important part of any system, choose carefully.

04-05-2011, 08:26 PM	#4
MTB996 Adjusting to the Life Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Hillsborough, NC Posts: 317 Trading: (1)	Re: Budding audiophile/vinyl questions One other point: If your looking at equipment, don't be afraid of low wattage tube stuff. It can be finicky sometimes (tube biasing, etc.) and require certain types of speakers to really sing, but IMO it gets no better than a 300b SET tube amp through a decent set of speakers. Your room and music taste (volume and content) will dictate the system more than anything else. If you don't have a huge room and aren't going to rock out at insane levels, smaller systems can sound very sweet at a fraction of the price. If you know what you want, look at audiogon dot com for used equipment. For not much $, a Jolida integrated (I just sold mine used for $350 with new tubes) and Soliloquy 5.3 (used < $1k) speakers are incredible. Enjoy the search.