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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! 
cottguy
inna
7,923 posts
 
One of the reasons why I suggested auditioning Vienna is because I know for a fact that many women like how they sound. I heard various models a number of years ago with McIntosh tube integrated and separates and with Krells. I actually preferred the sound with McI but with some reservations. I was not auditioning for myself just assisting someone. Sonus Faber sounded thick and slow with McI, by the way.
frogman
7,500 posts
 
My dear Inna, "nasty"?  I don't think it was I who opened that door.  So, I suggest we lighten things up and get back to the business at hand.  Since I am so confused, kindly explain how Vienna speakers are "within his paradigm".  As I said, I stand by my suggestions.  The basis for those suggestions is simple common sense.  

****That's a dangerous invitation, it may cost him dearly.****

Precisely.
inna
7,923 posts
 
I forgive you, now please stop talking to me, will you?

Actually those might've been only McIntosh separates not integrated, I am not sure.
cottguy's avatar
cottguy OP
56 posts
 
I have a lot of posts to catch up on here :) 

Regardless of your opinions, I do appreciate the input.  I haven't researched audio gear for about 10 years, so I have a lot of catching up to do.  
@hifiman5 I agree 100%.  Audiophiles are very passionate about this hobby and rightfully so.  We all hear things differently and you all have put a LOT of time and money into your passion.  We truly appreciate you all taking the time to guide us along the way.  User reviews are my main source for information.  I'm not sure if the audio industry has gone the way of the automotive industry, but I know that at times, reviewers can be swayed to say certain things.  This isn't a dig at reviewers, I'm just very skeptical when it comes to magazines and websites that need to keep companies happy so that they can sell advertising to stay in business.  

Keep in mind that I haven't had the opportunity to audition a lot of gear yet.  I'm incredibly lucky that RMAF is happening when we are looking to dive into this.  We are going to be able to hear a LOT of gear over the 3 days and also be able to talk to a lot of people in the industry face to face.  

The amount of time that I have been dedicating to this decision is kind of sick :-)  Thankfully my wife is understanding and supportive of me trying to make the right decision for our investment.  We have been looking into companies like Nottingham, Vienna, Zu, Audion, Melody, Line Magnetic, and many MANY more.  We are still 100% committed to tubes and that will not change.  However, seeing as we have been unable to audition the Vandys that we are interested in, we are open to changing our towers.  This is the main thing we want to take away from RMAF and we are hoping that we might be able to buy a set of demos off the company that we decide to go with seeing as how we are only 8 blocks away from the event and can spare them from lugging the gear home :-)

One thing I can tell you is that we will not be going with Primaluna.  Their approach to touting their gear has completely turned us off on the company.  Pointing out another companies shortcomings is not a good way to promote your product.  


audioman2015
103 posts
 
Sorry I am coming to this thread a bit late.  Congrats on your decision to dive deep into this world . I just wanted to say that if you haven't chosen an amp yet take a look at the Parasound A21 at $2500.  It has outlived the test of time and continue to impress without the need for upgrades / new models.  If your budget allows, the Parasound JC-1 monoblocks at $5000 each (before discounts) would be a step up. Great thing about these is that they will most likely outlive you and unless you are looking for all class A amplification, there would be no reason to upgrade.  I have owned 2 A21 amps for about 2 years now and they continue to impress with whatever I throw at them.  They can be bridged to mono but I find that it will degrade the sound quality.  
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