How to split a £1200 budget?

[MartinC]

Don’t forget to factor in some reasonably made cables.

I bet the cables the OP currently has already do all that is needed.

 

[hearhere]

Components needed: turntable, amp (with phono stage and headphone out), speakers and closed back headphones

With a modest £1200 budget, you should ditch the idea of vinyly playback equipment. That alone will easily swallow your entire budget and if you allocate a %age to TT arm and cartridge, the SQ will be worse than streaming.

If vinyl is left for another day (or dropped), then your budget will allow for an all-in-one, or all-in-two solution that will provide streaming, radio, payback of ripped CDs, etc plus a half decent pair of speakers - best bought used as your money will go twice as far.

Bluesound or NAD are iobvious brands to look at - NAD if your budget can stretch as they are better and more features (perhaps a phono stage for the future) and both brands offer the excellent BluOS control app, so no Roon to consider.

 

[MartinC]

With a modest £1200 budget, you should ditch the idea of vinyly playback equipment. That alone will easily swallow your entire budget and if you allocate a %age to TT arm and cartridge, the SQ will be worse than streaming.

If vinyl is left for another day (or dropped), then your budget will allow for an all-in-one, or all-in-two solution that will provide streaming, radio, payback of ripped CDs, etc plus a half decent pair of speakers - best bought used as your money will go twice as far.

Bluesound or NAD are iobvious brands to look at - NAD if your budget can stretch as they are better and more features (perhaps a phono stage for the future) and both brands offer the excellent BluOS control app, so no Roon to consider.

Have you possibly not read the full thread? Vinyl is not going to be dropped.

 

[Beobloke]

B&O Beosystem 5000 - £600
B&O Beovox S80 speakers and stands - £300
B&O H6 headphones - £200

Beer, oreos and cake - £100

Sorted.

 

[Lawrence001]

I bet the cables the OP currently has already do all that is needed.

Do you know what they are?

 

[MartinC]

Do you know what they are?

No but if they work they'll be fine IMHO, particularly with this sort of budget.

 

[Tony_J]

No but if they work they'll be fine IMHO, particularly with this sort of budget.

Absolutely, and no need to go down the "X% of the budget should be for cables" rat-hole. Cables that work well need not be expensive.

 

[bullinachinashop]

Absolutely, and no need to go down the "X% of the budget should be for cables" rat-hole. Cables that work well need not be expensive.

Thanks, that's the opinion I was hoping for on cables, having seen interconnects sell on here for more than my total system budget

 

[StingRay]

You can get reasonable turntables for around £300, there was a Systemdek on here a few weeks ago for £300, think it sold or was withdrawn. Plenty of amps around £300-400, Arcam, Sony, Marantz, RK etc.

 

[Idlewithnodrive]

He's better off with these while they're in stock. I'd buy them myself if I was after a pair of new speakers in this price range. Free delivery too.

[URL]https://www.sevenoakssoundandv...ustics-concept-40-floorstanding-speakers.aspx[/URL]

Great starting point.

 

[Tony_J]

Great starting point.

Great price too

 

[DomT]

B&O Beosystem 5000 - £600
B&O Beovox S80 speakers and stands - £300
B&O H6 headphones - £200

Beer, oreos and cake - £100

Sorted.

https://www.beoworld.org/prod_details.asp?pid=957

You might not know Adam but worth a look

 

[hearhere]

Have you possibly not read the full thread?

Yes, I read it - hence the cautious and carefel wording of my repy. ;-)

 

[Nopiano]

Knowing the speakers you currently have presents a significantly different question than starting from scratch does.

So, unless I’ve misunderstood, you’ve really got £1200 to spend on (a probably secondhand) amp to power your Neats, and buy a turntable/cartridge, yes? Unless you were supposing you’d px your speakers?

 

[tackleberry]

I wouldn’t change the speakers, just use the 1200 on the rest.

 

[bullinachinashop]

Knowing the speakers you currently have presents a significantly different question than starting from scratch does.

So, unless I’ve misunderstood, you’ve really got £1200 to spend on (a probably secondhand) amp to power your Neats, and buy a turntable/cartridge, yes? Unless you were supposing you’d px your speakers?

Thanks. In the background I was thinking about spending a big chunk of my budget on an amp and, knowing the value of what I had already, I was interested in whether I'd end up with a 'balanced' system (if that's a thing!).

£1200 budget would include selling some of what I have and I would be adverse to replacing any of it I ended up with a better system

What this has taught me is that my TT/Cart needs attention and most people prioritise speakers over amp - I was thinking the opposite.

So really useful feedback for me!! And, as usual on here, loads of good advice, some links to some good deals and contacts, and lots to think about

 

[MartinC]

most people prioritise amp over speakers.

I'm not sure this has really been covered above. Rather people have suggested your speakers aren't likely your current weakest link and that cheap speakers are likely to be worse than you already have.

 

[Lawrence001]

I definitely prioritise speakers but the amp needs to match. I'd rarely if ever buy an amp and then choose the speakers to match. (Unless it was DHT or low power class A or something.)

 

[StingRay]

What this has taught me is that my TT/Cart needs attention and most people prioritise amp over speakers. I was thinking the opposite.

I don't think that is the case at all, maybe you misunderstood.

You have quite expensive speakers already.

 

[bullinachinashop]

I don't think that is the case at all, maybe you misunderstood.

You have quite expensive speakers already.

Typo, corrected!!

Meant to say "most people prioritise speakers over amp!!"

Sorry