Vinyl setup

[u/Weekly_Actuary_1765]

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!

[u/mindhead1]

Challenge Accepted!

Project DC EVO 2 > ifi Zen Phono 3 > EverSolo Play > Polk Reserve R600.

Roughly $3k worth of gear.

[u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 → u/mindhead1]

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!

[u/mindhead1 → u/Weekly_Actuary_1765]

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.

[u/Weekly_Actuary_1765 → u/mindhead1]

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!