You will need a phono amp

The Music Hall MMF-2.2 is one I would highly recommend. I have the 2.2 at one home and the MMF-7 at the other. Good stuff.

The Cambridge Audio 550A is on sale a couple of places for $399 now (was $600), and that is a very good integrated amplifier for the money.

For speakers, the Monitor Audio M2 speakers are about $350, and are hard to beat in that price range. The PSB Image T6 in another one that is very good, for around $500.

I also highly recommend the Musical Fidelity V-LPS phono amplifier/RIAA circuit. A few amplifiers have a built-in phono stage, but they are gererally very poor. You should be able to get it for $150 or so.

cbstudd86 wrote:

Gday Guys

I've got an 1970's technics CD-4 system its quadphonic picked it up for 50 bucks in working order and have since been playing new and used records on it, sounds fine to me and boy is it loud i cant ever turn it past half way.. I changed the stylus in it when i got it and noticed a big difference in sound, Long story short i know its prob not the best turntable system for the money i'm spending on records, Im looking at upgrading BIG time new speakers, amp and turntable. kinda thinking $500ish on each item.... "$1500 or round that mark" looking at this setup

Turntable- Pro-Ject Debut 3 or Music Hall MMF-2.2

Not sure on the whole amp setup but do i need a main amp or a pre amp or can i just use a intergraded amp on its own ?? i know how amps work ive got 2 at home but they are for the t.v surround sound and they both dont have phono so i'm guessing they are outter the question... little lost with this one... help!! the intergraded amp i was looking at was a Yaqin brand......

Speakers well again im not sure and i want something that will match amp .......

    Is there anything else other than cables and wires that i'd need??

Christian

I like the previous suggestions but I don't think you need a new turntable just yet because you didn't post what it is though my guess it is a low end Panasonic even though it says Technics on it.  Just sayin'.  I'm still using the same system I had when I became a member here and the components range from the 1970s onward.  The oldest being my turntable manufactured by Hitachi and branded Realistic.  What I'm getting at is forget about brand names and model numbers because they may not be unique.  My turntable was also available as a Pioneer or a Sansui.

I recommend an integrated amp like a Harmon Kardon or an Outlaw.  For the same retail price you can get something better from an individual or small shop.  Speakers?  Well, they are a dime a dozen off the shelf.  You might want to do some research.  There are a lot of stereophiles out there that consider their good stuff as obsolete.  I would scarf them up at a bargain. 

Listen, Stereophile is fine but if you really want to go through the junk pile for the gems at basement prices check out and join audiokarma as well.  Don't sell yourself short.  Doesn't matter what it looks like or what it says on it.  It only needs to sound good.

BTW, I'm assuming you are wanting a two channel system.  If not you need to clarify differently or you're going to get a lot of white noise in the form of recommendations.

The phono preamp has to boost the signal from the cartridge before it is strong enough to go to a normal amplifier input. The turntable connects to the phono preamp INPUT and the phono preamp OUTPUT connects to your amplifer AUX or other spare input jacks.

The phono preamp also has to "equalize" the information coming off of the record, because records are recorded with severely reduced bass content which the RIAA equalization circuit of the phono preamp must restore to its proper level before it goes to the amplifier.

Read "RIAA EQUALIZATION" ON Wikipedia.

Are you in Australia by any chance?

Anyway, your Sony is fine and is a 5.1 channel system rather than a two channel.  As mentioned, you need a phono preamp so you can connect the turntable to your Sony unless you have RCA inputs as analog inputs (turntables and tape decks).   But I would go with a phono preamp as mentioned by others.  Personally, I don't use a phone preamp.  I let my amplifier take care of that which works fine for me.  Just sayin'

You'll be fine stick with Sony speakers.  You have suggestions for turntables above.