What is your budget?

Please stay away from Bose. There are speakers that sound much, much better for the price. Their speakers distort the sound -- I don't think you'll find any bose fans here.

Music Hall makes a good TT, as does Pro-Ject and Clearaudio. Of those three options, I'd personally go with the Clearaudio package.

The cartridge and stylus will come together (and, in some cases can't be separated). You can usually start out with whatever cart comes with the turntable if the TT does, in fact, come with one pre-installed. Then you can figure out what you like from there and build on that. It will depend on what TT you end up with, among other factors.

You'll want either an integrated amp or a preamp and power amp. I'd start with an integrated amp (see the $1500 budget thread going on right now for some input on this). Any of these will come with all the "EQ" settings you need, if you choose to use it.

Bose is a great marketing company that makes mediocre (at best) speakers. First of all, I believe that most would agree that they start the design of the 901's from a flawed premise. They've always said that 7/8 of the sound we hear is reflected, as apposed to direct sound. This is why most of the drivers in a 901 face in odd directions. Ask anyone from Bose where this number comes from and they can't tell you, yet they quote it as a cross between scientific fact and gospal. This is creating false space as apposed to recreating the space that is actually captured on the recording. Then you have their active equalizer that is there to compensate electronically by forcing drivers past their physical limits to get a "big" sound out of a small box. This MUST create distortion. Their other products are equally flawed.

Then you look at their tendency to sue people for the most goofy reasons. They sued CEDIA (Consumer Electronics Design and Installation Association), a trade association of which they are a member for the use of the word "Lifestyle" with respect to audio. Years ago they sued Thiel because they used that same model number. Which is just stupid because the whole idea copyrights is to avoid confusion in the market place. Who in the world is going to confuse Bose and Thiel? Especially when the speakers looked completely different and were designed from a completely different technical point of view?

The following is from Wikipedia, "In 1981 Bose unsuccessfully sued the magazine Consumer Reports for libel. Consumer Reports reported in a review that the sound from the system that they reviewed "tended to wander about the room." The District Court found that Consumer Reports "had published the false statement with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard of its truth or falsity" when it changed what the original reviewer wrote about the speakers in his pre-publication draft. The Court of Appeals reversed the trial court's ruling on liability, and the United States Supreme Court affirmed in a 6-3 vote in the case Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of United States, Inc., finding that the statement was made without actual malice, and therefore there was no liability for libel." I can't believe that they sued someone for a bad review! No bad reviews make the public assume that their products must be good.

Good affordable speakers that you should investigate if they are available locally; B&W, Paradigm, Magnepan, Energy, and PSB.

A receiver is three components built into one box:

1. A Tuner-which receives AM/FM signals or just FM.
2. A preamp- Which is used to raise and lower volume and switch between sources.
3. A power amp which powers the speakers.

The Marantz unit that has been suggested thus far is an integrated amp which a preamp and amp build into one component. One could also think of it as a receiver minus the AM/FM tuner. It is designed to be used for stereo (meaning one speaker for the left and one for the right.)

All of the companies that I suggested for speakers make a full compliment of speakers. Meaning that they could be used for stereo or surround sound, including Paradigm.

In general for two channel use most people would use larger speakers so that they would not NEED a subwoofer (bass speaker.) However, there is always a way to integrate a sub into an audio system.

You might find a local dealer to be of great assistance when it comes to getting into the hobby and putting together your first system. Help narrow the choice in the equipment by asking the right questions, hook up different combinations of equipment to let you know what to expect, and even for a small charge install everything for you. Sometimes it isn't what you buy, but who you buy it from that makes the difference between being happy with a purchase and regretting it. Dealers are a great resource and are well worth a little more money than what you'd save buying on the internet, especially for beginners.

I'd check out the VPI Scout as well for the TT, as well as the Rega P3-24.

Depending on your speakers, you may or may not want a subwoofer. I've heard that the Magnepan's benefit from a good, musical, woofer. If you get towers, then you likely won't need a sub.

If something is a "stereo" amp, then it'll drive two speakers. You can add the subwoofer as well. So, yes, you can have two speakers and a woofer with the Marantz PM7001. I wouldn't overlook the Onkyo A-9555, either. Ideally (some would say essentially), you could audition the speaker+amp combo you want before buying.

As someone has already pointed out, an integrated amp is a preamp+power amp. Some integrated amps also have an "integrated" phono input (turntables are lower output than other components, and require a boost, otherwise you couldn't hear it and it would sound crappy even if you could), but some require you to have your own, external phono pre. Phono preamps run from about $20-$3,000 (although you can probably find one for more). You'll probably want to spend $80-$200 to get a decent one. In my (admittedly minimal) experience, the preamps around $200 (e.g., the Bellari VP-129) are far superior to the phono preamp in, say, the Marantz.

A note regarding this part of your question:
"I am mainly going to use it for playback, mostly classics, pops, hiphops, etc....no DJing stuff tho"

The word "mainly" concerns me. If you do ANY backcueing or scratching on the turntables being discussed here, you might ruin the expensive stylus/cartridges. So if you do ANYTHING aside from playback, get a turntable/cartridge made for scratching/turntablism (models by Technics, Stanton, Gemini, etc). Their sound quality will be less, but they are built to be abused!)

Hoon, also look into Marantz TT15, which is made by Clearaudio (I've heard that it's basically an upgraded Clearaudion Emotion). The great thing about the Marantz TT15 is that it comes with Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood cartridge packaged! Not only can you save $ on having to buy a cart, you're talking about a fantastic cartridge that retails for over $800. On audiogon.com, you can look for Marantz TT15... saw that someone bought an unopened one for $750, which is a killer deal. Rega P3-24 with outboard power supply should be tempting, at your budget.

With that money saved, you have more room to play with for speakers/amp. You should let us know the size of your listening room, too, so we can recommend specific brands.

A note about "equalizer" -
As noted by others, you do NOT need an equalizer in your system. What we call an equalizer usually refers to a separate component in the amplifier chain that adjusts/mucks up the sound. But there is another, different thing called "RIAA equalization" which might cause confusion. As Judicata said, you need a phono preamp because "turntables are lower output than other components, and require a boost". (Your phono preamp may be built into your integrated amp, or you need a separate one if your integrated does not have a phono input.) All phono preamps, in addition to boosting the signal, also apply RIAA equalization so that the sound from the turntable/cartridge is properly corrected as it comes into the amp.
Hope that's not too confusing!

Go with an integrated amp, it's a good way to get into the hobby. Please, please, find a good local dealer. You'll thank me later.

Not to be rude but forget guitar center, it's a waste of your time. If you were to get any answers they would mostly be completely wrong. I've heard very good things about Definitive Audio. I took a look at the lines that Definitive carries that they can help you put together a nice affordable system. A good rule of thumb is if they sell washers and dryers or have TV commercials they are to be avoided at all costs.

Hoon, for a dorm-sized room, you should go with monitors rather than floorstanders for speakers. With your budget, PSB Alpha B1 should do nicely, or Infinity P162.

As mentioned before, integrated amps are the way to go. Marantz or Onkyo, especially since you're saving up for a TT.

For the beginner TT, I'm sure all the TTs so far mentioned will give you years of pleasure. As I said, Marantz TT is the updated Clearaudio Emotion with the added bonus of a killer cartridge. Deal-wise, I believe it offers the best bang for the buck. Those Emotions with Lifesaver candy colors do look pretty sweet, though, can't blame ya.

Don't worry about going ape s*^%& on the power conditioning yet. When you get the equipment, simply plug everything in first. If it sounds great, the chances are, you won't have to invest immediately in power supply. You do need speaker cables & interconnects. Bluejeans & Anti-Cable have affordable solutions...

First, just in case you're still lost on the amp thing - an integrated amp is a power amp and a preamp in the same chasis (box). So you just need the integrated amp.

The phono preamp may or may not be inside the integrated amp. If you look at the integrated amp in the back, and it has an input that says "phono" then (unless the thing is screwy) it includes a phono preamp, and you shouldn't need a separate phono preamp (although a separate one will usually sound better).

As for loudness - efficient bookshelf speakers can be plenty loud for you - and just because they're floorstanders doesn't mean they're louder. It's more about the soundstage.

And Clearaudio is a solid company, as is Marantz. That they're also pretty is an added bonus.

Hey, at the end of they day, you should absolutely get what you like best.

Try to audition both in a small listening room. It will change the character of the sound. Traditionally, and audiophile will want every ounce of bass that is supposed to be there, and not more. But everyone's hearing is slightly different. Although you could get all the bass you want with some bookshelf speakers and a good woofer, if you prefer the sound of the floorstanders, you should definitely get them and not look back.

Yeah, I vote for floorstanders too. More bass capability is always good. And they don't necessarily take up any more floor space than monitors do.

Quality of bass is also important - and any style/size of speaker is capable of messing that up. Fortunately, the speakers you mention (B&W, Energy, PSB, Paradigm) are all excellent, so listen and decide and dig it, man!

The PM7001 is still around: http://us.marantz.com/Products/1647.asp

I'd look into reviews for that and the Onkyo A-9555 as well.

The fact that you aren't just thinking about today but two or three steps ahead is a very good move. It will save you lots of money if you choose to make a hobby of audio.

Give a listen to Monitor Audio RS6 floorstanders, which you can find under $1K on Audiogon, or Totem Arros, too.

That will be a sweet system.

Will you have a cd player too?

Sounds sweet.

Hoon-

In general the Rotel/B&W match is regarded as a good match. I've heard B&W and Rotel used together many times, always with good results. How did the Rotel/B&W match sound to you? That's what's important. Did the salesman recommend other matches? If so did you give them a listen? If so what were they and what did you think?

Quote:
he recommended me clearaudio Performance as opposed to Emotion,
he said something about bearing and stuff
is it crucial? should I go for Performance?

Hi, Hoon. The Performance has a ceramic magnetic bearing whereas Emotion doesn't (if I remember correctly.) Not having heard the Performance TT directly, I can't attest to how it sounds, but theoretically, from listening to other tables, magnetic bearing or suspension might help in getting quieter backgrounds & more of an effortless flow from your LPs. I have La Platine Verdier, of which platter floats magnetically away from the plinth, and I very much enjoy the remarkable ease with which the music just pours out from this TT. It all depends on your preference. These days, a lot of people like heavy-mass, no suspension designs for their big, dynamic presentation. Magnetically suspended TTs like mine sound less big (although it does have a pretty monstrous bass), and less forward, but at least to me, I prefer how the TTs with magnetic bearings present the music. Suits me perfectly.

I don't know to what degree Clearaudio Performance implements the magnetic bearing, but I do hear excellent things about it. I'm sure the dealer knows what he's saying when he says Performance is a better TT, but again, you need to kind of block him out and think about if the Performance, with the Rotel/B&W, will get you that much of a difference than the Emotion. I tend to think you'll be very much happy with Emotion, and when you do itch to upgrade after living with Emotion, you'll know EXACTLY the kind of sound you're looking for... and I'm going to bet that you'd even want some other kind of TT than Performance. Happy hunting!

(1) It depends on how much you listen to CDs and whether you start being able to hear a difference.

(2) It isn't necessary - you're not going to hurt your records by not using it or anything. If you're not telling a different between speakers right now, I doubt you'd be able to hear a difference with the clamp - just wait a few months and think about it again.

(3) Don't know, but I think that is what other people on here have said.

(4) No.

Let me clarify on being able to hear a difference in audio equipment. I started when I got tired of typical MP3/CD quality equipment. I got my first setup earlier this year, and I couldn't tell between cheaper/more expensive turntables very well. After listening to the system for several months, I can definitely tell a difference when I make certain changes. The first big one for me was the preamp, which was an obvious different and, honestly, I probably couldn't picked it up from the start. Next, was the cartridge - while I couldn't tell much of a difference between cartridges initially, I certainly can now. Now, I'm hearing somewhat minor faults in certain other equipment (or equipment combinations) like my headphone amp (which is just in an integrated amp).

Should I have started off with more expensive equipment to avoid having to upgrade relatively quickly? In my mind, no, even though I *might* have saved money at this point. I started with something I could reasonably afford, and that had good recommendations. Now that my tastes and sensitivities have developed, I know more about what I actually want to move up to. If I had spent double my budget from the start, I might have struck gold, but I also might have had a good system that didn't exactly match my tastes and been disappointed.

My point is this: if you're not hearing much of a difference, just use your best judgment and go with something you can reasonably afford, and just feel free to discover over the next few months/years/lifetime what your tastes are and move up as appropriate. The system you put together looks fantastic, and should sound really great. You'll be able to hear differences between yours and "lesser" systems soon, and then on up the chain. If you never hear anything that sounds better - never upgrade. Anyway - enjoy it.

have you looked at Sonus Faber ..all of there stuff is on sale now due to 2009 rollout...i love mine, though they might be a bi expensive (2000 is their cheapest).