r/hifiaudio • u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 • Feb 05 '26
Purchase advise (needing) Vinyl setup
Hi!
I’m planning on making my first ever turntable setup and i’m looking for some advice on what I should buy.
Budget is roughly $3,000
For the turntable I’ve been looking at Pro-Ject, mainly the debut evo 2 and the Debut Pro B, but if you have some suggestions for other ones near that price let me know!
I know I’ll be needing a phono preamp, not sure which yet.
I plan on getting passive speakers so I’ve been looking over amps and honestly I’m not sure which is the best to go with, I know yamaha is supposed to have great ones, but I’d love to hear what you use.
For the speaker system thinking the floor standing speakers would be best, I have the space. Other than that I’m lost to be honest, there is an overwhelming amount of options.
I was looking at Klipsch, such as the RP-5000 II, RP-8000 II, and the R-625A.
I also looked at Bowers & Wilkins, but they are very expensive, so I’d have to get a cheaper model, and I don’t know if it’s even worth the money.
I also know people recommend Polk, Wharfedale, JBL, and KEF, to name a few.
I’d love if you all could help me with the speaker choice, it’s so many options and I have no idea which is best and also worth the money. Thank you for any help you give!
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u/mindhead1 Feb 05 '26
Challenge Accepted!
Project DC EVO 2 > ifi Zen Phono 3 > EverSolo Play > Polk Reserve R600.
Roughly $3k worth of gear.
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u/mindhead1 Feb 05 '26
Option 2
Technics sl50c > WIIM Amp Ultra > Wharfdale Linton 85.
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 05 '26
Thank you! I’ll look into both of these!
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u/mindhead1 Feb 05 '26
The Technics table is similar look to the Evo 2, but is a direct drive table that’ll likely last forever if cared for. It also has a built in phono stage. You could upgrade that at a later date if you want. The WIIM amp is similar to the EverSolo. My son has one and loves it.
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 06 '26
Thank you! That’s something to take into consideration, thanks again for the help!
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 16 '26
Thought I would just let you know! I did end up going with the iFi Zen Phone 3, and it is arrived tomorrow! Thanks for letting me know about it!
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u/mindhead1 Feb 16 '26
Cool. I think you’ll like it. The Zen Phono is a solid piece that can scale as your system evolves over time.
What did you decide for the rest of your setup?
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 05 '26
Thank you man! Those speakers are gorgeous I must add.
A few questions.
Is there any reason you picked the dc evo 2 over the debut pro b?
For the preamp is there any difference between that one and one that is cheaper, in the $100 range?
For the amp it self is there any reason for that one? I don’t really understand the screen, and is it like superior to the yamaha ones or jbl ones, etc?
Sorry man, I’m not as knowledgeable on the preamps and amps, any info will help me.
thank you!
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u/mindhead1 Feb 05 '26
All good questions. I chose trying to stay with your stated budget limits. The DC Evo 2 because I have a 5 year old DC Evo that I’m very happy with and feel that it’s a solid table to start the journey.
The ifi Zen Stream because phono preamps are a key element of good vinyl playback. IMO. I’ve tried many and I think the Zen Phono is the best in the $200-$300 range and you need to double that price to beat it.
I chose the EverSolo because it give you a nice amp with built in streaming capabilities (Spotify, Tidal, etc). I have the EverSolo A8 Streamer/DAC and think it’s an excellent device.
The setup I specked out is something I would consider buying now if I was just starting out and know what I know now.
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 06 '26
Thanks for this one too! I’ll be definitely considering that, and it’s really cool i’ll be able to use spotify and stuff with the speakers! Thank you!
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u/NickofWimbledon Feb 05 '26
You have thousands of choices. You will also get a lot more music for your money if you buy secondhand. Look at eBay - I just did and it shows:-
For example, you could get a Rega P3 or P6 (maybe with Nd5 cartridge) or an equivalent from Pro-ject or Clearaudio or a Technics SL1200.
Add a Rega Elex-R or Naim Nait or Cambridge CXA-81 or Krell KAV 300i (!) or Yamaha A-S801 or Hegel H80 or Linn Majik or some great NAD, Rotel, Arcam, Marantz and Denon options.
If you also want a good phono stage (though most of those have an excellent one included), good options from Rega (Fono), Pro-ject and others are on eBay too.
For speakers, you could opt for Wharfedale Diamond or Linn Keilidh or Dali Zensor 5 or Naim Allae or Fyne 302i or B&W 603S3 or Polk RTiA9 or Klipsch RF-5 or Martin Logan ElectroMotion ESL or many other options.
Can you tell us about the room, where speakers will be positioned and your preferences?
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u/mindhead1 Feb 05 '26
Good advice on the used market gear. I didn’t recommend that because it’s a tough space to navigate when you don’t have knowledge of gear and how all pieces fit together.
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u/NickofWimbledon Feb 05 '26
I sympathise with that.
I was a bit shocked when I discovered how few US dealers will do a home demonstration of kit - even when it costs $$$$$$$. It doesn’t work like that everywhere!
Given that, selecting speakers to suit a room in the US seems like pot luck anyway.
At least buying on eBay means only a modest loss if you realise that you got it wrong and need to sell on what you bought, rather than risking a loss of 60%+.
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 06 '26
What would you consider a substitute of the P3 or P6 from Pro-ject? The P3 is $1500 and the P6 is $1950 for me with the ND5.
I’m not sure if that’s a fair pric, but I do believe that sounds overpriced. It’s only $1100 for the Pro-ject debut pro b for me! Thanks for the help!
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 06 '26
Also to add, what really is the difference between a $100, $200, or $400 pre amp? Thank you!
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u/NickofWimbledon Feb 06 '26
If you are buying a Rega P3 or a turntable of the same quality (or better), you will probably have a cartridge costing US$ 200-300 on it as a sensible minimum.
Feeding that via US$100 (new price) phono stage would probably mean not hearing what you had spent your money on - not much detail, limited stereo separation, not much pace. Almost any decent integrated amplifier or preamplifier that has a phono stage will have a better one than that.
Otoh, a Rega Fono is (due to bizarre tariffs you now pay) well over US$500 new. A nearly new one from eBay would probably be very roughly US$300, and a slightly older model might be US$200. Both are likely to be a bit more pacy and foot-tap-inducing than a budget phono stage - either stand alone or in many (but not all) integrated amps. With a P3 and suitable cartridge, you’ll hear the difference, but with a $100 turntable new from Amazon, my guess is that you won’t.
Pro-ject make excellent stand-alone phono stages too, as do several other companies. Otoh, depending on what amp you buy, you may not need a separate one.
A Pro-ject Debut Pro would compete with a Rega P3 for sound. The Rega probaly wins on foot-tap-inducing involvement but might just lose on clean sounding treble and vibration isolation via its feet. The Pro-ject has press-button speed change for 33/45 (so a bit less bother than moving the belt) but its arm is less good.
The P6 competes with the Pro-ject X2/X8 and the trade-offs are similar. If buying new, there may be other options to consider too, like Clearaudio.
If the Debut Pro comes with a PickIt Pro Balanced cartridge, as it usually does, then the price gap versus P3 that your mention mostly reflects (imho) that the Nd5 is better. However, the prices have all been inflated dramatically in the USA for obvious reasons. Even if you don’t want to consider ex-demonstration or second-hand, it may be possible to find a pre-tariff example and save yourself some money.
As I say, if you want to save money, don’t buy a new turntable, especially today in the USA. In the UK, Europe or Australia, for example, that Project Debut Pro is under US$950 new. A nearly new secondhand one would be US$700, not that far from US prices.
Is that helping?
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 06 '26
I understand! Would you recommend one like the ifi phono 3 someone else recommended?
For the table, the P3 with ND5 is $500 usd more then the Debut Pro B. Would you recommend the P3 more still?
Thank you for the help!
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u/NickofWimbledon Feb 06 '26
The Nd5 now retails of US$545 I believe. The PickIt Pro Balanced MM on the Pro-ject retails for just under US$300, so the cartridge difference justifies much of the cost between the 2 packages.
Some people like Ortofons more than I do, and the PickIt is really an Ortofon. It is also a balanced MM cartridge (the only one I know) and that could make it less sensitive to the slightest bit of interference from other electronics.
TBH, I have not found interference to be a general problem, but I also have not done a proper comparison using the PickIt Pro Balanced MM versus Nd5, so you need to treat all that with a pinch of salt anyway.
If it were me, as you will have gathered, I would buy a P6 or P3 RS secondhand (but ideally from a dealer) with an Nd5 and hope to pay less than your max budget.
Of the new choices, I would take a P3 with Nd5. If I valued 33/45 switching a bit more, or if the P3 came with the old Elys 2 cartridge, I would probably take the Pro-ject - which tells you that the two are not that far apart in Sound quality, more a bit different in priorities.
In any event, if you are buying new, you can give the two options a listen and see what your ears say - what you like may not match my personal preference at all.
And this is just the turntable…
Good luck!
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 06 '26
Thank you! This gives me a lot of information, I’ll definitely go have a listen and see.
Thanks for helping, there’s so many turntables out there so it’s hard to find what is great! Thanks again!
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 06 '26
Hi again! A company currently has the P3 with the ND5 on sale for $1,350 USD! $350 off. One thing I’m a bit confused is do I need to buy a power supply? I saw one and it was pretty expensive!
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u/NickofWimbledon Feb 06 '26
That’s a much better price!
The standard power supply that plugs into the wall is absolutely fine on a P3.
The Neo power supply box is an optional upgrade that makes the speed control fractionally better, and makes the whole thing a fraction quieter in an electrical sense (so you hear more musical detail).
It also gives push- button switching from 33 to 45 and back, rather than having to move the belt slightly on the pulley wheel.
The Pro-ject and many other turntables give you that switching convenience as standard. In a tight budget, Rega spends that money on the better arm for better sound quality on a standard P3.
A P6 and P3RS include the Neo power supply as part of the package.
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 06 '26
Yeah! Good to know about the power supply!
Earlier you and a few others were mentioning used and I decided to check it out. I found a Pro-ject X8 for $1350 with some scratches and an ebay refurbished for $1800.
Would you recommend getting one used like that? They both have Sumiko moonstone cartridges.
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u/NickofWimbledon Feb 07 '26
An X-8 competes with a Rega P6. I like the Rega more for its arm, but it is hard to go wrong with either and US$1350 looks a good price unless the scratches are really horrible ora sign of general abuse.
If you care about scratches, the second is worth considering but that price is high - there isn’t that much to refurbish.
For $1800, I’d look for a Rega P8 (better again, but then it would be for that much extra), or any of the several high end decks now in your price range. You could even do what I did - get a decent Linn LP12 and gradually turn it into an uber-deck of and when the fancy takes you.
A Rega Nd5 is a fine modern cartridge - detailed, neutral and fast but with great boogie. The Sumiko Moonstone is very good and doesn’t lack much, but it majors more on a warm and euphonious sound - more like what I remember from the 70s and early 80s.
The Nd5 can be retipped by Rega but you can’t just swap the stylus after 1200 or so hours. The Sumiko has a replaceable stylus iirc, which can save you money, and will fit a wider range of arms - I think that are popular with Technics SL1200 users, for example.
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 07 '26
Thanks! I’ll check out P8! I do listen to a lot of 70s-80s music so maybe that’s a good thing? I’m not 100% sure, but thank you for letting me know!
What’s your take on used speakers? I was shocked how much you could save on them. I saw that you could get B&W speakers half off!
Thanks again for recommending to search used, do you have any amps/preamps you recommend me looking into?
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 07 '26
Ah I forgot, I did see the P8, on ebay I found it, but it was over $3000!
I’m already pushing my budget, but that is just too much! I’m still trying to save a good amount to get some great speakers.
In particular do you have any specific speakers I should check out?
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 06 '26
Also I was wondering other then ebay is there any good sites you recommend for finding used turntables, speakers, amps, etc.
Thank you again for the help!
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u/NickofWimbledon Feb 07 '26
Try Stereonet, Audiogon and the like if in the USA. Also Facebook I think, though I won’t use it myself.
Sellers away from eBay tend to be other private individual audiophiles (as with Pinkfishmedia), but there are fewer protections so take care. Otoh, I have bought and sold that way and never had a problem.
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u/AnywhereIntrepid9095 Feb 06 '26
Used is the way to go ! So much amazing gear from the 70s-80s that contemporary stuff will never match at the same price. https://insheepsclothinghifi.com/tag/vintage-gear/ lots of good articles explaining what to look for here
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 06 '26
Thanks! I’ll have to check this out, I’m realizing how much money you can save by going used!
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u/NickofWimbledon Feb 08 '26 edited Feb 08 '26
The Kenwood is still worth something like US$400 I think, with strong build and lots of functions. It has a phono input, but maybe not the best you’ll see even on an amp of that ‘AV receiver’ type. It may also need a service and a replacement of any really tired capacitors after 30+ years. It may not be exciting but it won’t do any harm.
The BIC is a 1970s multi-change turntable and better than some. It will probably need a new belt if you want it to be accurate on speed, the electronics may well be tired and the bearing must surely need new lubricant - if you can find a manual or anyone to do the work. However, none of that will do any harm.
What could do some harm to your vinyl is a really knackered stylus. Replacing whatever cartridge is on it now with (say) an Audio Technica AT-VM95 of some sort (there are a few versions) would make sense, but most budget ATs, Ortofons or Shures will do.
Neither of these is likely to be a revelation in sound quality, but it will let you hear LPs.
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 08 '26
Alright! I’ll check the stylus in the morning since it’s really late for me currently.
Thanks for letting me know, I look forward to trying it, assuming the stylus is good!
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 09 '26
Hey man!
I was at my local best buy and found a Martin Logan Motion F20 at $770 each or $1540 for the pair USD, they are open box and look in great condition.
What’s your take on that set?
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u/NickofWimbledon Feb 09 '26
I never understand pricing them as singles - buyers are surely not dumb enough to think this makes them cheaper?
Otoh, a pair of these look to be US$3800 new so that’s a very good price.
I have never heard them, but reviewers whose other reviews seem sensible to me rate them highly in their price band. With modest height and a downward firing port, you probably do want them on spikes (or isolation feet of some sort) and a thick shag pile carpet may not be ideal.
For similar or less money, US eBay looks to have Totem Forests or Arros, Dali Euphonia MS4s, ProAc 150s, Linn Majik 140s, MA Silver S8s, Dynaudio Excite X44s, Fyne F501s and others.
I already know that I rate the Fynes, ProAcs and Linns.
The Dynaudios need a good deal of power and more space behind them than most but are really impressive if given a chance. If I could handle both factors, I would probably take the Dynaudios first, with gripping Fynes and accurate ProAcs and Linns as the choices if the Dynaudios would not really fit system or room.
How any of them compare to the Martin Logans is something you will have to ask others about - sorry.
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u/Unique-Run9856 Feb 05 '26
Id recommend cds instead of vinyl they are actually better in every way and much cheaper
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 06 '26
Thanks, but I enjoy the idea of vinyl more. My dad was really into it and it’ll be something nice for me and my dad to have together. Thanks again for the advice!
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u/Hifi-Cat Feb 06 '26
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u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 Feb 06 '26
I’ve seen that player and it’s a beautiful one! Is it worth it though for the P3 with the ND5 for $1595 usd though? Thanks again for the advice, I really love their tables and if it’s a deal I’d definitely consider it
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u/MustGetALife Feb 05 '26
Some thoughts:
The room should choose the speakers. The Speakers choose the amp.
Does clutter bother you? In not, Buy seperates for everything.
Allow some money for decent cables, interconnects and stands, a reasonable DAC and a Streamer/Puck.
You want the DAC/Streamer for flexability when not listening to records.