Vinyl setup help?, [TOS #6: moved from General Audio] Options

[UKben]

Basically im only 16 so i have no knowledge on vinyls and i want to buy a set up. I only want to use it to play tunes im not interested in mixing, the music i want to play is trance, jungle, hip hop and house. My room is 11ft x 10ft, i dont know hom much i need to spend, but i will not be able to spend more than £500. I really know hardly anything but my guess is that i need a turntable, amp and speakers? I want some big, loud speakers as i have a lot of m8s round my house and we share a love for loud, thumping beats Can you give me some tips on what to buy and possibly even a list of what to buy ( make, model ect.). Any help will be greatly appreciated, thanks.

[DVDdoug]

A typical set-up would look like this:

Turntable > Phono Preamp > Receiver > Speakers.

If you get a turntable with a built-in preamp (with line-level outputs), you can skip the phono preamp.

In the old days, every receiver had a phono preamp built-in . But most modern stereos don't have turntables, so it's now a rare feature.

DJ mixers usually have a pair of phono preamps.

Beware that most turntables (especially the expensive ones) are sold without a phono cartridge (AKA pickup... the thing with the stylus/needle). However, many lower-priced are ready-to-go, including the cartridge. Most turntables that have a line-output and/or a USB output are ready-to-go.

The receiver has various inputs so that you can connect your CD player, phono-preamp, TV audio, iPod, computer, etc. It will have a volume control, input selector, a variety of other controls such as bass/treble, etc. It also has a built-in AM/FM tuner, and an power amplifier to drive the speakers.

A "home theater receiver" will have a digital audio input for stereo or surround sound from your video system and a 5-channel power amp for 5 speakers. Plus, there will be a line-level output to connect an active subwoofer. The Dolby Pro Logic decoder has various "soundfield" settings for taking advantage of the surround speakers when you have a 2-channel stereo source. I have mine set-up to generate reverb in the rear channels.

Regular stereo speakers are passive, and these require a power amplifier. Active (powered) speakers (like the Behringers) have a power amplifier built-in so they don't need a separate power amp and you can get-by without the receiver. But, you might want the convenience of the receiver volume control (and remote control).

Computer speakers are active, so you don't need a separate power amp. But you won't get the "thump" you're looking for with most computer speakers.


P.S.
It wouldn't hurt to go to an audio/video shop to check-out some equipment, see how it's hooked-up, and especially to listen to a variety of speakers. Every speaker system sounds different and listening to a variety of speakers should be helpful, even if you don't buy from that shop.

You'll see lots of high-priced equipment,... The salesman will probably try to talk you into spending more money... But, I'd stay on the cheaper-side with your 1st turntable. You can spend thousands on a turntable/cartridge/preamp, and yeah... It will sound better than a cheap setup, but you are still listening to "scratchy" analog vinyl. After you live with vinyl for awhile, you might want to upgrade to some mid-priced equipment, or you might want to just go all-digital.

The vinyl issue is really a separate issue from good-loud "thumping" sound... If you want to get the most sound for your money, skip the vinyl (use a CD player, iPod, or computer as your music source) and spend the extra money on speakers!


This post has been edited by DVDdoug: Jan 17 2013, 20:11