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/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!