How do you listen to your vinyl/cds? - Music

junodog4
Future Grumpy Old Man

Gender: Male
Location: Calgary

My old compact stereo is on its last legs. It's ironic, considering the amount of money I've sunk into purchasing music in my lifetime, that I've never really owned a quality system. I'm doing my research, but I thought I'd ask the BEA crowd; I'm sure some of you have nice systems.

I don't have the budget for a high end audiophile system. Good lord - you can spend 6 figures! If I can, I'd like to spend less than $1000 CAD (about £600 or $800USD) for something decent, but basic. I may be looking to upgrade down the road... Many electronic stores here have gone heavily into home theatre systems. I don't want that. I want something I can use to listen to my music myself, but also use for entertaining.

I'm torn between vintage and new.
I understand that the 'peak' of hi-fi was supposed to be in the late 70s, before planned obsolescence was built into electronic equipment. Some argue that old hi-fi is better than the new stuff coming out today; it certainly seems more durable. I know that buying used means I can afford brands I might not normally be able to new. I'm not infatuated with the vintage look. I assume there must be some advantage to new technology, but I wonder if most of it is out of reach, in the audiophile price tag.

I also want something that will include a CD player. I still need to play CDs. Would a 70s era receiver work with a 2000s era CD player? I think this might be easier if I were just talking about vinyl.

Just looking for your input. Given my price point, and considering that I need a CD player included with the other components, I'm asking for your thoughts...
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Finnegan was super bad-ass.

RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

I've heard these are garbage, but they do everything you want and more... hehe.

https://www.amazon.com/Victrola-Navigat...amp;sr=8-3

Something tells me a late 80s amplifier would be ideal because CD was a thing and then it'd clearly support a record player. That's just what comes to mind because that's what I grew up with. That's if you want a selector that is labeled CD.

MOST (not all) equipment has RCA cables (invented in the 30s), so really you are just looking for an amplifier which has RCA input and then record player/CD player accordingly.

I've plugged AUX RCA to 3.55mm cables for example in for my old stuff and it works. So even if the RCA isn't labeled as CD, doesn't mean you can't plug it in.

I'm not an audiophile though. Quality I can tell - like the difference between CD/vinyl/Spotify streaming (when it matters and when it doesn't).

To be completely honest, there's a 30% chance you can go to a second hand shop or your local record shop (sometimes they sell used gear there) and buy something pretty cheap that's pretty good - this way you can test the equipment (sometimes).

Probably rambling. Sorry if not coherent.

Oh to answer maybe a question asked... hehe:
I plug my record player into a 2.1 Bose system I share with my projector/can plug also plug in my phone to it if I want, but rarely do.

I then have Logitech THX 2.1 system for my computer with 2" mid drivers and legit metal cones/10" sub.

I've thought about getting these as my friend has had them for a few years and I dig how they sound. Could be used with CD player and record player too... some of them have Bluetooth connectivity for your phone if you swing that way too.
https://audioengineusa.com/shop/powered...-speakers/

BARDAMU

My current system is a hi-fi I took from my heroin addict ex-roommate in lieu of rent (along with a Gregg Allman record and fibreglass mannequin leg) after he skipped town without paying his share.

It's this one.

It does the job, I guess.

Streams

Most of my listening is digital but I have a lot of records and CDs that are not and will likely never be available digitally. I live that bougie life so I have a wireless Sonos system so I can sync playback across floors/rooms in the home/outside, or play totally different things on each speaker. I got a wifi-capable turntable (with an adjustable tone arm and replaced the poopy cartridge) so I can play records over the system; desyncs during longer periods of unuse are annoying but sound quality is great enough once it's going. Glad to explain more if anyone is interested in this type of system; it's clean and convenient. For CDs, it's the car or a walkman with quality over-the-ear headphones. For most of my digital listening, I just plug those headphones into my phone or laptop.

This is probably not a popular audiophile opinion, but speakers are for forward/party music and not the way to go for closely listening to sound. The speakers manipulate sound and the room does too. If the concern leans more towards hifi listening, the most economical way to listen to CDs is a walkman and a solid pair of over-the-ear headphones. For records, get the shittiest, cheapest turntable you can with an unbroken, adjustable tone arm and spend your money on a decent cartridge; get a passable, or even shitty preamp/receiver and then plug some quality over-the-ear headphones into it. Don't even buy speakers. Maybe not the most convenient for all scenarios, but all you need for quality listening.

EyeKanFly
Head Bear Master/Galactic Emperor

Age: 33
Location: Gotham

Streams wrote:

This is probably not a popular audiophile opinion, but speakers are for forward/party music and not the way to go for closely listening to sound. The speakers manipulate sound and the room does too.

This is something so important that a lot of people don't realize. You can have the best speakers imaginable but if you're in a non-rectangular room and don't have them positioned well, the quality of the speakers begins to not matter.

I should also note that this is from the perspective of a guy who took one acoustics engineering class in college but has never otherwise experimented with high-end equipment haha. That said, I moved house fairly recently and the setup in my new place is notably better despite having the same equipment. My partner who isn't as discerning even noticed the difference when I pointed it out to them.

That said, I'm assuming junodog4 has speakers and headphones and is just looking to upgrade the amp/turntable/cd player hardware.

I have an AudioTechnica LP-60 turntable from 2012. It was great then but over the years it has had issues with speeding up (plays 33s closer to 34-35) and I need to adjust it every once in a while (which is not easy to do, I've messed it up and made it too slow before...). My understanding is that this can happen to older turntables too. My recommendation is to buy an old one used. If you can at a record store, so you can test it out beforehand. You can download an app for ios/android that will tell you the RPM if you place it on the turntable! Quite cool actually.

My preamp is from 2014. It's a Sony and unfortunately I don't remember the model but it was around $150-200 (USD). It's certainly done the trick for me over the years. It has bluetooth which doesn't work great and a radio receiver which also doesn't work great, but the hookups for speakers and the digital optical audio cable that's hooked up to the TV work great.

For CDs, I would actually recommend just buying a CD laser drive from anywhere you'd get computer parts (ebay is good). Make sure whatever wiring it requires can be plugged into your preamp (or directly to your speakers). There's a lot of cheap USB disc drives, you might have to sift through those to find one that interfaces directly with A/V equipment.

I have this setup, and because I rarely listen to CDs, I usually unplug the disc drive and store it with the CDs to keep it safe/clean. It also looks a little weird when plugged into the amp and sitting on the floor.

On the other hand, if you wanna go for the cheapest route possible, get one of those Crosley all-in-ones that has cassette/CD/record players. Built in speakers too. Probably will degrade quickly with high use but it might be cheaper to replace one of those every 5 years rather than getting a high-end system that needs to be replaced in 20. Who knows.

Hopefully this helps! I'm by no means the most discerning audiophile, but I feel like I can somewhat appreciate a good setup.
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51 Washington, D.C. albums!

UofTBlues

Gender: Male
Location: Shores of Georgian Bay

I unloaded almost all of my vinyl collection a few years ago. I rarely purchase cd's except for the Paul McCartney remasters. All of my cd's have been downloaded to my computer & now I download all my music from the internet. I have 338GB of music which stored on my laptop w/ back up a few USB flash drives. In addition I have a few USB flash drives of music in my vehicle as well my mobile phone, tablet & older phone that I use for working out/running all have either 128gb or 256gb micro sd cards. I have a portable blue-tooth speaker which sounds really good especially rockin' on my patio or at the fire pit. My home stereo receiver, cd player & speakers which is bulky & doesn't fit in w/ the interior of my home is now in my garage. No matter where I go I've got tunes which is the main thing.

junodog4
Future Grumpy Old Man

Gender: Male
Location: Calgary

Thanks guys...

Anyone else?

Somehow I can see Romanelli having a good set up...?
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Finnegan was super bad-ass.

Tha1ChiefRocka
Yeah, well hey, I'm really sorry.

Location: Kansas

I can never figure out how to properly upload a photo, but my setup is this:

Bowers & Wilkins 685 S2 Speakers

Audio Technica LP 120

Pioneer Elite VSX-90

I got this when I was still working at Best Buy, because I got a ridiculous discount.

RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

Tha1ChiefRocka wrote:

I can never figure out how to properly upload a photo, but my setup is this:

Bowers & Wilkins 685 S2 Speakers

Audio Technica LP 120

Pioneer Elite VSX-90

I got this when I was still working at Best Buy, because I got a ridiculous discount.

Nice

Also really dig the Audio Technica LP 120. When I made the switch from my 80s Sony it did lose a bit of warmth for me. Have you swapped out the cartridge/anyone suggest a warmer one?

RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

junodog4 wrote:

Thanks guys...

Anyone else?

Somehow I can see Romanelli having a good set up...?

thought a similar thing