Looking for vintage system suggestions (maranta, klipsch, etc...)

Restored Fisher 500c
Klipsch Heresy
Thorens TT, stock arm, Ortofon mid level cartridge

or restored AR TT and Shure M97 cartridge.

Done.

Warm tube sound to balance (potential) harshness from the Heresy pr.  Enough power to drive the speakers in all but large rooms at stadium volume.   TT, once restored and set up properly, is essentially set and forget.

You should have money left over from your $2500 budget.

Hi , my 4 cents . Go big , and get a modern turntable . I have a Marantz 2223b paired with Klipsch KG 1.5's on heavy metal stands in my bedroom . I have a Sansui 9090db  paired with JBL 4312's on Sound Anchor stands in the den . I have a pair of Klipsch Heresy II's in the closet that I rotate with the big system . I have modern low powered SEP tubes in the living room . I gave my vintage Pioneer turntable away . Orange County speaker has everything you need to restore JBL's and there are many places to obtain Klipsch parts too . I really dislike the newer Klipsch speakers , too bright ! The Heresy's on stands or platforms are nice . I'm not much of a passive radiator fan . Get some modest interconnects and speaker cables ( don't overspend ). Get a modern turntable that fits your budget . The styling will match your system, especially with a walnut base . While vintage receivers have " The Look ", will you ever use the tuner . Maybe consider a vintage integrated amp . I use 10 gauge bulk wire for the Marantz and the old woven Kimber wire for the Sansui ( I goes with the look ). It's important to match your receiver/ speaker combo ! I put the Marantz and the KG 1.5's together , and with the stands and the appropriate distance from the wall , the puny system really kicks ass . Also it's one of those rare few systems that all classic rock sounds good on . The Sansui/JBl less so , and my SEP/ Zu Omen system is extremely material sensitive ( boo hoo ). So in closing , Try to audition the pair . Go big , modest cables , and modern turntable last . Also try FLAC files with a decent DAC , you'll be surprised , especially VS the cost of getting back into vinyl . Happy Listening and I  look forward to hearing what you get . Regards , Mike . 

To answer your question about where - if you join audiokarma, for paid members, there's the Bartertown area of the site where a lot of restored vintage gear are offered up.  Many of those were restored by respected techs and are being changed hands by collectors for various reasons.  And everyone is quite helpful sharing their experiences.

I'm another klipsch/marantz fanatic.  They are a very good match.  However, as I got into the heretiage line, I have fortes and heresys, and further into vinyl, I discovered tubes bring out dimensions in klipsch  I did not know were there.  I buy everything on Craigslist and take my time, but the secondary system I have recently stumbled upon is, imho, unbeatable for price.  I'm driving recapped heresys with a modern 7 tube 20watt per channel jolinda integrated amp for under $800.  This simple, elegant, low watt, high efficiency combo sounds nearly as good as my 3x more expensive main system (forte, rogue audio tube pre, moscode tube hybrid) and way better than my 200watt solid state McIntosh amp. And is every bit as loud. If your are going to be listening to vinyl you are makeing a huge sacrifice for the aesthetic's of a 70's solid state unit vs the sound of tubes. (Though I think the aesthetics of most tube units are outstanding). Used heresys are easy on Craigslist and finding a low watt modern integrated tube amp in the 500-1000 range on Audiogon is very doable and leaves plenty of paper in your budget for either a vintage or modern turntable. I'm no expert, but have been obsessed with similar questions the last few years and my ears have led me to these conclusions. :-)

To Argonsteele - Great input , thanks. I didn't want to get long winded earlier , plus you were asking about vintage SS.  I had an Antique Sound Labs 30 wpc tube integrated about 10 years ago when I picked up the Heresy's. I rolled a quad of Winged C's and NOS Tungsram drivers . This was a great match with the Heresy's. I had amp, tubes, speakers , power cords , interconnects and speaker cables ( all Zu ), for $1400. Now if you re-cap or get Crites crossovers and a turntable , you're within budget . The Klipsch Heritage line is king of modest priced high efficiency early model speakers . The common phrase is " tubes tame the Klipsch harshness ". Like the Man of Steele , I too shop on line for used stuff . I live in central California and have driven to SF , Sacramento , San Jose and LA to pick up my purchases . It gives me a chance to see in person before I pay . Avoid shipping costs/damage and  get ripped off . True audioheads love to share their experiences. Also in this type of a system you can always add a sub(s), I have . As far as the Retro Look , tubes are the bomb , the blue light Marantz and the Macs are probably the best known look though . If you get a Marantz in the 30 to 50 watt range , it won't break the bank either . Now with the baby Marantz I have , I could also use it as preamp. I've had Dynaco FM-3, SCA 35 , MK III's and JBL L19's , Advent, Omega , Garrrard , Pioneer . I've built kit pre and power amps . I've built numerous speakers . Nothing is more satisfying to me than getting a good sound while playing with budget stuff . While I prefer the JBL sound , it takes more power to run and is more expensive . Also with tubes , you need to be committed to a larger block of listening time . With SS you can say , play an album and then turn it off . But the plus with tubes is you won't get ear fatigue, and you can change the personality of your system by tube rolling . So here we go 🏄🏽. Regards , Mike .