Rick Robinson
Standard Member
Hi,
As a 50th birthday present to myself, I’m replacing the cobbled-together separates system I’ve had for the past 20 years, which includes my Dad’s 40-year old Technics SL-3300. I’m primarily concerned with a system that will sound great with my collection of vinyl.
I’d really appreciate any advice on the components I’m considering, as I’m facing a number of constraints in my setup.
My listening space is a study about 2.5m wide and 5m long; the speakers will need to be wall mounted on the sides of one of the 2.5m walls, facing down the 5m length; there is a window between them. The separates will sit on an Atacama Equinox stand just below the right speaker (this has been my setup for years, and thankfully doesn’t generate any noticeable feedback between the turntable and the amplifiers).
Because my “study” also contains a model railway as well as the desk I work at, there are no other placement options.
I’m looking to replace my turntable, amp, and speakers. As well as the left and right speakers, I’m wondering whether a sub-woofer would complement the bass of the wall-mounted left and right speakers - my current setup uses Monitor Audio Radius speakers for left and right, coupled with a Monitor Audio subwoofer which very noticeably fills out the bass. They’re remnants of a surround-sound system rather than having been chosen as a hi-fi for listening to music.
I’m willing to spend between £2000 and £4000 altogether. The reason for such a wide spread is that I’d be delighted to spend £4000 on a really amazing system; but am wondering if there are components at that price that would really work well in the space that I have.
For example, for a (roughly) £2000 budget, I could go for a Rega Planar 3, Rega Brio amp and Dali Oberon speakers that are specifically designed to wall-mount.
Or, I could “go large” with a Rega Planar 6, Rega Elex-R amp, Dali Menuet speakers and REL T7i sub-woofer
If spending all that money on the latter option would be justified, I’d be happy to do it; but if my listening space is too small to justify it, there’s no point.
And equally, I’m sure there are a bunch of other options that I haven’t considered.
In terms of music, my collection runs from classical, jazz and folk through pop and rock to industrial and dance ... but the bulk of my collection and listening time is extreme metal in various forms; so strong dynamics, fast timing and “crunch” are important qualities of sound, as well as the delicacies required elsewhere in my taste (I’m listening to Tippett’s Triple Concerto as I write this). I need a versatile but energetic system!
I’d be very grateful for anyone’s advice on the options I’m looking at, or on others that I haven’t considered,
Thankyou and best regards,
Rick
As a 50th birthday present to myself, I’m replacing the cobbled-together separates system I’ve had for the past 20 years, which includes my Dad’s 40-year old Technics SL-3300. I’m primarily concerned with a system that will sound great with my collection of vinyl.
I’d really appreciate any advice on the components I’m considering, as I’m facing a number of constraints in my setup.
My listening space is a study about 2.5m wide and 5m long; the speakers will need to be wall mounted on the sides of one of the 2.5m walls, facing down the 5m length; there is a window between them. The separates will sit on an Atacama Equinox stand just below the right speaker (this has been my setup for years, and thankfully doesn’t generate any noticeable feedback between the turntable and the amplifiers).
Because my “study” also contains a model railway as well as the desk I work at, there are no other placement options.
I’m looking to replace my turntable, amp, and speakers. As well as the left and right speakers, I’m wondering whether a sub-woofer would complement the bass of the wall-mounted left and right speakers - my current setup uses Monitor Audio Radius speakers for left and right, coupled with a Monitor Audio subwoofer which very noticeably fills out the bass. They’re remnants of a surround-sound system rather than having been chosen as a hi-fi for listening to music.
I’m willing to spend between £2000 and £4000 altogether. The reason for such a wide spread is that I’d be delighted to spend £4000 on a really amazing system; but am wondering if there are components at that price that would really work well in the space that I have.
For example, for a (roughly) £2000 budget, I could go for a Rega Planar 3, Rega Brio amp and Dali Oberon speakers that are specifically designed to wall-mount.
Or, I could “go large” with a Rega Planar 6, Rega Elex-R amp, Dali Menuet speakers and REL T7i sub-woofer
If spending all that money on the latter option would be justified, I’d be happy to do it; but if my listening space is too small to justify it, there’s no point.
And equally, I’m sure there are a bunch of other options that I haven’t considered.
In terms of music, my collection runs from classical, jazz and folk through pop and rock to industrial and dance ... but the bulk of my collection and listening time is extreme metal in various forms; so strong dynamics, fast timing and “crunch” are important qualities of sound, as well as the delicacies required elsewhere in my taste (I’m listening to Tippett’s Triple Concerto as I write this). I need a versatile but energetic system!
I’d be very grateful for anyone’s advice on the options I’m looking at, or on others that I haven’t considered,
Thankyou and best regards,
Rick