It bring tear to my eye to read that you give back to father after sacrifice. That sign of good heart and spirit. Step one establish amount total spend. Without number you get lost in mire. Is sister have college how old she?
Choosing the right equipment
Hi Everyone, thank you for coming to my discussion. I am looking for help to create a system around a pair of Dunlavy 5. My father had to sell all his equipment to help out with my college so my sister and I are looking to create an inexpensive system just so he has something to use while we get back on our feet. I know he liked using records so I assume he needs a turn table. Any help would be appreciated as you can probably tell my knowledge is sub par. Thank you again
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She is out of college. Were not looking to spend to much due to just starting our "Adult lives" aka just out of college so we need to save money. We were hoping we could put something together for like a thousand or less. Just so he could listen to his favorite albums again in the mean time while we save to help him get his dream system. I know that's a tall order but we are trying our best! |
I think looking at used is definitely the way to go. Perhaps an integrated amp from NAD,Cambridge Audio,or Marantz with a MM phono stage built in. There are a ton of lower priced speakers on the market,Elac,PSB,Paradigm,just for an example. Turntables,ProJect makes some decent lower price offerings. There are more. Some folks might recommend vintage,which is fine. But remember,eventually old stuff wears out. It’s wonderful thing you and your sister are doing for your dad. Kudos to you! |
Sorry, man with 72 Viking, traipse and high end circus performer wife not into budget gear but make good point. Take your $1k budget, divide between turntable and integrated amp with built-in phono stage, with maybe a little left over for speaker cables. I would stick to new. Most $500 turntables will be very similar in performance, so don't sweat it. Focus on finding a good integrated amp with phono stage. This will be fine to fill in, and leave room for things like speaker cables for him to add later as he is able. |
Anything is possible, and something is better than nothing… maybe… or better wait until you can spend more. Really carefully chosen $1k will get some sound out of them… pleasing? I need help on that. But splitting $600 for integrated electronics and $400 (Rega?) for table would sound OK. Just for reference if I was looking for matching components I would think of a budget of about $20,000 for electronics… you could do so,etching fairly complimentary for $10K. The good news is they are pretty efficient speakers (91db) so they don’t need lots of power. Someone will have to chime in with specific recommendations in these price ranges. The closest thing I have experience with is a $2K integrated amp (no phono stage). |
@tubebuffer has it right about chatting with Dad first, don’t mention the inquiry about your sister as i expect he didn’t sell the shotgun. Where are you located ? $400 while a tall order might be doable w savvy craigslist type finds… Dunlavy = smart dad i am a robot without a dad |
As buffer so eloquently stated, ask your dad for his thoughts. He might find solid state gear fatiguing if he had tubes, or who knows, maybe he is looking for SS for simplicity. Hard to know. I'm not one to typically recommend Chinese gear but at your price point, if the speakers are efficient enough, a Chinese tube amp could fit the bill, if it has a phono stage. Best of luck! |
Dear OP - You have a wonderful Dad! And, you are an amazing son for bringing music back into your Dad’s life. You certainly can get a system for under $1,000. Right now Music Direct has a Marantz PM5005 integrated amp with a mm phono stage for $375, down from $500. Marantz is a very fine brand that your Dad should enjoy. Also at Music Direct is a Rega Planar 1 turntable with mm cartridge for $525. These 2 pieces of equipment and your Dad’s current speakers should get him back on the road!
Good luck to you and your Dad. |
As much as you heart is in the right place tread lightly. My system is a personal and very non objective journey that has taken years. Through my journey my wife has tried to do what she thought was right in buying a piece here and there and I can’t tell you how much of a let down it is. I am very specific in what I want snd there is no margin for error. I hated to see her waste money on something that I would never buy in a 100 years. My kids now know that the only thing they can buy is an album here and there never a piece of equipment it is to me just way to personal and I am anal about my stuff!! Again great for the two of you wanting to make pops happy but I would walk lightly through this forest. |
@thecarpathian true but then all systems are temporary….. i am a temporary robot |