Hi There;

You can definitely get better sound by upgrading your system, but the bottom line is how much money would you be willing to spend.

I listen to a broad range of music, from folk to rock to classical and classic country/bluegrass. I have built up and improved my system for 30 years, and have maybe $30K invested if you add it all up. It is pretty much a system to die for; I would have have to think long and hard to think of any way to improve it a lot.

If it was me, I would start by getting a better phono cartridge and a good integrated amplifier. Your turntable is not too bad, but a Scout or the Music Hall MMF-7.3 would be major upgrades.

There are many cartridges in the $300-500 range that are excellent.

Musical Fidelity makes some excellent integrated amplifiers. The M3 goes for around $1500, and That is what I would suggest for a major sonic upgrade from the NAD gear.

I don't know a thing about your speakers, except what I read in the Stereophile review of them, so I can't give you any direction there.
It sounds like adding a subwoofer would be a good step. Klipsch makes a good 10" sub for around $250, the R10SW.

kcowling wrote:

Hello,

First time posting here, looking for advice on whether I should upgrade my system.

I have a 2000+ record collection, mostly 60s and 80s. British invasion, psychedelic, folk, garage, UK indie, shoegaze, goth, new wave, that sort of thing.

My current setup (all from early/mid 80s):

Revolver turntable (with a Grado Sonata)
http://www.hifi-classic.net/review/revolver-172.html

NAD 1020 preamp
https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/nad/1020.shtml

NAD 2140 power amp
https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/nad/2140.shtml

JBL 18Ti speakers
https://www.stereophile.com/content/jbl-18ti-loudspeaker

I've been lusting after a VPI 'table since before I can remember, and have been thinking of getting a Scout Jr. However, if I do that, seems like I'd need to upgrade everything else as well, otherwise, "weakest link" rule.

Given that a lot of what I listen to is "noise", or at least, lots of fuzz guitars, is it even worth it? I have about zero classical/jazz records, which seems to be the audiophile genres. My theory has been that since I listen to mostly 80s music, having an 80s system seems just fine.

Please let me know if you have similar tastes, and if you find that a newer, quality system does make a difference.

Thanks!

-Keith

Whatever you listen to, it comes from a sound wave in the air and converted to a waveform that's put on LP or tape, or disc, or digital file. I think you would want to reproduce that waveform as best it can at a price you can afford, even if someone else may call it "noise". Commsysman has often given useful advice about system alternatives. Phono suggestion is a good one, in my opinion.

I have a smaller LP collection, mostly classic rock and some jazz, that was purchased throughout the 1980s. My old gear was mid-fi, Harman Kardon Citation Amp, Infinity Cresendo Speakers, Onkyo Integra CD changer, and JVC 3-head cassette deck. As my gear started to die off from age, I decided upgrade rather than fix. IT was time to dabble in the low end of the high end, so Audiogon was my resource. Over the course of six months, I purchased a pair of B&W 602 S2 bookshelf speakers, a Rotel RA-12 integrated amp, a California Audio Labs CD player w/HDCD decoding, and a Pro-ject Dual Carbon w/Ortofon Red cartridge. The difference is astounding - I am hearing a level of detail and depth that I never knew existed in my old records or the old Grateful Dead CD-Rs that I amassed over the years. I spent around $1,600 for a system that would have been $4,000 brand new.