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Looking to get my first amp, speakers and turntabl

Looking to upgrade my set up and take my music listening to the next level. Unfortunately there's only one shop in town I'm aware of and I'm not 100% sure the sales dude is on the same page as me or has the same appreciation for music that I do. He's knowledgable, just not sure we're on the same page.

So far he suggested either the Rotel RA 1570 amp or Anthem MRX 700. There are two sets of speakers I've listened to so far, Bowers and Wilkins 683 and Paradigm Studio 20. I like the B & Ws but I'm a little disappointed that a sub would be necessary for either of those. i guess that's typical?

To recap, I'm looking to use the system exclusively for music, mostly vinyl, but also CDs and digital formats. Should I entertain something that can work with the TV as well? Drawbacks to that?

I listen to rock mostly. Today I took with me Jack White's Blunder Bus, two My Morning Jacket albums, Beastie Boy's Paul's Botique, Dark Side of the Moon and Radiohead Kid A.

I currently have a Sony turntable, a Sony receiver / amp from the 90's, Bose bookshelf speakers and some Cerwin Vega floor speakers.

Looking to take the whole set up to the next level. Budget would be around $3K, but would like to keep it under. Any advice or places to get info would be appreciated?
johnrva
dave_72
1,399 posts
 
No way Jose to little stand mount speakers. They can't handle amplified rock, period. You can use a sub, but in my experience they never mesh 100 percent. You have a pretty big room, so why not floorstanders?

Look at the JBL Studio L890s. Better than those B&Ws, imo. I used to use them before I upgraded, and they served me well for 5 years. You can get them for under $1000 all day long.

As far as amps go, the Rotel is cool, but if you can swing say, Bryston, go for that. Those little integrateds aren't gonna do the job for rock music.
johnrva OP
7 posts
 
Thanks Dave for the advice. I'm definitely looking for floorstanders at this point. What can I expect tog et out of the Bryston that I won't get from the Rotel? Just power or what else?
mik971
153 posts
 
I owned both a Rotel RA 1062 and a Bryston B60sst. The price differnce is definatley worth it. The Rotel is a very good mid-fi integrated. The Bryston is more refined, has better dynamics, has a 20 year warranty... Both amps work well with B&W speakers.
dave_72
1,399 posts
 
You're welcome! That's cool. Basically what Mik971 said. Plus you'll get more dynamics and transparency, imo. However, Bryston is not for everyone. Some say it's too detailed and analytical. Anyway, use your ears and hear for yourself.
dtc's avatar
dtc
1,048 posts
 
I recently demoed the 683 and 684. Honestly, I liked the 684 better, for $500 less. The 3 way implementation just seemed disjointed. The 2 way was much more integrated. This was for a home theater and music setup and we paired the 684 with a NAD T 757 and I liked the sound a lot. A NAD stereo integrated would make a nice match, however this setup was for classical, folk, jazz, not rock. PSB and Paradigm are other contenders in this price range.

Personally, I stay away from Rotel. I find them forward and bright. But, that might be what you want for rock. I just find them fatiguing.

The NAD C356 (or C375) includes a DAC and USB input so it would be easy to also do computer music, but it does not have a phone input. You can also add a phono input, but I am not sure of the details. Spearit Sound sells new and refurbished NAD amps online.

I also like the Naim Nat 5-i2 (or its replacement), but it is more money and does not have phono or DAC. But it is a great integrated for the price. I have used it with Totem, but not with the other speakers you mention.

Both the Nad and Naim will be less "analytical" than the Bryston. That is all about your tastes.

Personally, I would start with simple interconnects/speaker wires and add those on over time.

Good luck! Building this system is hard work but also fun.
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