From my POV...a great turntable is the most important option.

Consider a Pro Ject Debut III available for $325 from Music Direct. It is an older model that has been replaced by the Debut Carbon

I would get a pair or Pioneer SP-BS22s. They are $117 from Amazon and are amazing for the money. They even managed to be a Stereophile Recommended component in 2013.

This leaves about $250 for an amplifier and Phono Stage - Consider a Denon DRA-297 from Accessories4less for $179.

That leaves $70 for a phono stage - you could get an Esoteric Sounds Rek-O-Kut Professional Phono Preamp MKIII for $74 from Needledoctor or consider a Pre-Ject Phono Box MM for $99. The latter is a better choice but would put you $30 over budget.

You could get an old receiver with a phono stage to get you started...they are dirt, dirt cheap. Sure, you'd be risking some chump change, but an old Technics receiver could be had for about 60 bucks and if it crapped out you wouldn't be out much.

You could even get an old turntable for under 100 bucks and use the money on some good speakers while you give spinning records a whirl to see if it's for you.

hsedky wrote:

According to my feelings about what is a minimum for a "decent" system, I would suggest a Music Hall MMF-2.2 turntable, a Music Hall 15.3 amplifier, and a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 speakers.

That will almost double your budget, however.

If you can manage it, I would suggest that you NOT buy equipment so cheap that you will be replacing it in short order; that just wastes a lot of money in the long run.

IF I really wanted something cheap that was more or less listenable, however (say to hook to a TV in a bedrom or other room), I would go with a pair of Dayton B652 speakers ($40), which are fairly good, a Sherwood RX-4109 receiver ($120), and the Music Hall MMF-2.2 turntable ($450). The receiver has a phono input.

At least that way when you decide to upgrade, the turntable will be a decent one and you can upgrade the speakers and amplifier as money allows.

Regardless of budget is the tradeoffs we make to get the best sound for the cash we have to spend whether it be $500 or $10,000 there will be tradeoffs.

In my opinion, I don't know if you will find a better speaker than those pioneers for less than $350. The Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 is amazing and is a real step forward but I can't think of a $200 of $250 speaker that I have heard that is better.

Alternatively, lets start with the Wharfedale Diamond 10.1s at $350, the $200 Audio Technics turntable and any Marantz, Denon or Harman Kardon receiver you can find on ebay for $150 is not a bad way to go. If you can find a user Denon AVR 1912 or 1913 or a use HK 3490, those would be a steal at $150. Alternatively, the refurbed Denon above would only put you $30 over.

I personally am biased against Audio Technics because I had a bad experience, but that was 12 years ago. Individual results may vary.

To me, the better turntable and phono stage is worth it's weight in gold. By getting a good turntable, you are protecting your investment in vinyl. That is what I was thinking when I laid out the above scenario. But, like I said, it is all about tradeoffs.

One other note, you need to get a record cleaner if you intend to buy used vinyl. There is lots of new available, but used gets you into treasure hunt much which I find fun. Get a Spin Clean from Amazon or Needle Doctor and you need a carbon brush. You may also want to looking into new paper sleeves and plastic jackets, also available on amazon. Whenever I buy a used record, I give it a good cleaning and I may replace the paper sleeve and always keep in a plastic jacket.

You need one of these........

http://www.spincleanrecordwasher.com/spring2012?gclid=CIKTzNO01MACFUVo7AodPAUAYQ

Bill - on the Hill
Practicing Curmudgeon & Audio Snob
- just an “ON” switch, Please –