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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
mesch
3,529 posts
 
If thinking of an integrated amplifier and want an all tube system I agree with the Rogue Cronus suggestion. Within budget, has phonostage, and would mate well with the Vandys.

If willing to go the hybrid route, another option is the Vincent 237 integrated. It has tube pre and SS amp and delivers 150wpc at 8 ohms, 300 at 4 ohms. A great sounding unit, lacks phonostage however. 
miner42
709 posts
 
Rogue Cronus has high power because you have to run the snot out of the tubes which will cause premature replacement.  IMHO, PrimaLuna, although less power, offers up a better audio experience than Rogue.  A good entry level, no frills TT would be a Rega RP2 or Planar 2(new version) with an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,594 posts
 
Can you share the name and location of the B+B?   Sounds like the kind of place I'd like to hang out in.  :^)
inna
7,797 posts
 
That's what tubes are for, like candles, to be replaced with another set.
cottguy's avatar
cottguy OP
56 posts
 
Wow, thank you all for your responses!  I've been going through all of your recommendations and trying to research them to the best of my ability with the resources that I know of at this time.  

I do want to reiterate something at this point so that you are all aware of my plan moving forward.  This is my introductory system.  I know that it may not be 100% optimal for the room it is going in at this point in time.  I do plan to upgrade as it makes sense moving forward.  We have been building the BnB over the last year and want to make audio a main part of the experience for our guests and plan on having a very nice option in all the rooms.  I'm sorry if I was unclear about that up front.  

@facten I was not aware of the virtual systems page.  Thank you very much for pointing that out and I've already spent a good amount of time checking it out.  That is a phenomenal resource! 

@inna I've been looking into the Cronus Magnum II and it looks like a very solid option and right along the lines of what we are looking for.  Speaker cables shouldn't have to be over 10ft.  We are ok with an "entry" level table, and are ok spending around $1-2K give or take at this point.  

@robr45 the rp3 is compelling and right in the sweet spot for our current price range.  My local shop already tried to deal with me on an rp1, so maybe they will extend that to the 3.  

@oleschool buying used is a scary proposition for me.  I'm not saying I'm against it, but I would like a solid recommendation or two on places that you might suggest to look for used gear.  

@stevecham Those are both really nice options, were you left wanting for power at all?  

@mapman We are in Denver...I'm afraid it will be a while till it will be up to an audiophiles standards though :-) We used to own a cafe, so it's a much more relaxing way to do what we love!  

Thank you all for your responses.  If I didn't mention you, it's probably because I'm still digging into what you had to say.  

I'm currently visiting Minneapolis, do any of you have a recommendation on a shop or two that I should visit?  


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