2. amps-preamps
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Finally stepping into the hobby after 30 years of watching from the sidelines

Ok, so I hope you are all ok with a longwinded post from a first time user of the forum.  I have been obsessed with vinyl and tubes since my dad played records for me as a 5 year old.  My wife and I are finally in a place that we can take the leap into the scene.  We want to grow our system over time and may even create 2-3 systems along the way as we have a bed and breakfast where we want to make analog part of the theme. 

We have made up our mind that our first speakers will be Vandersteen 2CE sigs.  That is about as far as we have gotten.  We definitely want to power them with tubes and have very little idea of where to start.  Obviously the mainstream option would be a Mcintosh mc275 and our local HiFi salesman would LOVE to sell us a pair of those.  However, we know that there are several cheeper/better options out there and would love some input from the board.  We'd like to keep the first amp under $3,000, but we aren't locked into that.  Keep in mind that we are ok starting with a single amp and then adding a second one along the way to mono them.  Also, we would love some help with a table/arm/cartridge!  One with an integrated phono stage is fine to start with and we would again be open to upgrading and adding a stand alone phono stage later on.  

We will be doing some electrical work soon to run a 40 amp fuse to the BnBs espresso machine and would be open to setting up a dedicated line for our main system at that time so that we can have clean power.  Has any one had any experience with this?  Any ideas or recommendations that you may have would be a big help here! 

Thank you all in advance, and we are really excited to finally be part of the scene! 
128x128cottguy
raymonda
855 posts
 
The VAC is an excellent recommendation, as is a Jolida but you need an outboard phono for them. I owned an el84 Jolida and it was fun. I found that the construction met a price point but it all worked well. 

Buying a used Vandy 3a is a smart way to go, as long as they are in good shape. I would also agree about the table recommendation. Shop wisely for your front end. This is where it all begins and you should get the best you can afford.

Not to push my table to hard but, if you want I would be happy to hightail you some needle drops so you get a good sense of its excellent playback capabilities. 

With the direction you are going, you are going to have hours and hours of fun.
inna
7,354 posts
 
VAC Avatar has standard MM phono and optional MC phono instead of the MM. If you decide to proceed with VAC, ask the seller about which one is there now. You probably wouldn't want low output MC cartridge and high output MC would work just fine with MM phono stage. In any case, though some others think differently, I would go with an excellent MM cartridge not MC one. Good MC cartridges are expensive and not everyone actually prefers them. But that's another subject.
raymonda
855 posts
 
Good mc are not expensive but that's another topic. The VAC with a phono is a good thing.
oleschool's avatar
oleschool
722 posts
 
Get the vac spend 3 k on used table and cart , bigger used vandys you will be happy .. That vac is rare to see used . It is a serious company they have hyper esoteric gear . It would be a focal point of a system for an above average joe . I would love to have it . Look for a vpi classic front motor , or a prime if you can swing it . Jmho
raymonda
855 posts
 
A Rogue Cronus Magnum ii, hardly used, just popped up in AG used postings. It appears to be a good deal @ 1595. 

You could do a whole lot worse and hardly better.

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