Turntable / Kef LSX Advice

[Nick_H]

Hi all I’m after some advice regarding a basic but nice Turntable. I had an Ariston Q-Deck for many years but had to downsize because of teenagers leaving my small but special to me vinyl collection un-played. I have duplicated much of it on CD but it's not the same.

I currently have a pair of Kef LSX connected via Toslink to my PC and a good Sound Blaster card to play Apple Music and ALAC rips of my CD collection.

I also have a Technics SL-P555 that I purchased new in 1989 with my first pay check connected to the LSX via Phono.

So down to my shortlist …

Rega Planar 1 Plus
Rega Planar 1 with Preamp
Pro-Ject T1 Phono
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO with Preamp ( really stretching budget )

I would also have to consider connections ….

The Technics has an optical out ( never used before ) so if I connected the turntable via phono I would require some kind of Toslink switching box to switch between the PC output and the CD Player.

Alternatively and probably preferable the turntable and cd player would remain connected via phono and I would need a similar switching device.

Thanks !

 

[karloz]

Personally, as an old chap, I would buy a second hand integrated amp and turntable that fit your budget. Keep the Toslink digi connection and the amp would provide all the additional phono and line connections that you need (and more) and would connect via a single output to the speakers (tape out?). Older models by Mission (Cyrus) may be of interest because they offer a compact half size unit inc. phono and line inputs and very flexible switching options (separate listen/record control), but there are loads of others to look-out for. You would not need to use the speaker connections on the amp, just use it as the 'switching device'.
Great 2nd hand turntables are available by Rega, Dual and many others... The amp & turntable solution would also open an upgrade path for the future if that is of interest? You could then even play around with alternative standard passive speakers... such an addictive hobby....

 

[Nick_H]

Thanks karloz the amps are built into the LSX unless you mean buy another amp / speakers but that would defeat my current problem which is space. Thats why I sold my old seperates.

 

[ChorltonWheelie]

They're all decent in their price range. You'll definitely need a phono stage built in if you don't want to stretch to an extra box.

You could connect via Bluetooth (three Hail Marys to the Gods of Audiophile). Pro-ject and Audio Technica do TT's that'll do the job (they'll have analogue outputs as well for when the bug bites and you inevitably want a phono pre-amp).

Personally, I'd get the best TT I could possibly afford. Your future self will thank you as those speakers will scale with an upgraded cartridge or phono stage.

!!Edited!! When I realised the LSX only had one minijack analogue input.

 

[Member 960649]

Hi all I’m after some advice regarding a basic but nice Turntable. I had an Ariston Q-Deck for many years but had to downsize because of teenagers leaving my small but special to me vinyl collection un-played. I have duplicated much of it on CD but it's not the same.

I currently have a pair of Kef LSX connected via Toslink to my PC and a good Sound Blaster card to play Apple Music and ALAC rips of my CD collection.

I also have a Technics SL-P555 that I purchased new in 1989 with my first pay check connected to the LSX via Phono.

So down to my shortlist …

Rega Planar 1 Plus
Rega Planar 1 with Preamp
Pro-Ject T1 Phono
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO with Preamp ( really stretching budget )

I would also have to consider connections ….

The Technics has an optical out ( never used before ) so if I connected the turntable via phono I would require some kind of Toslink switching box to switch between the PC output and the CD Player.

Alternatively and probably preferable the turntable and cd player would remain connected via phono and I would need a similar switching device.

Thanks !

Hi Nick,
There is a company called Beresford that makes a TC-7240 input selector. That should make it easy for you to connect multiple analogue inputs into the LSXs.

On the turntable, I have to go with the marvellous Rega P1 with a preamp built-in. Great company, great sound. I'm recommending it wholeheartedly.

 

[karloz]

No, that's not what I meant, nevermind

 

[Nick_H]

OK