Hifi system for playing vinyl

[PragueBlue]

I am looking into getting a hifi system with turntable so that I can play vinyl records.

I am not remotely technically minded and would prefer to keep wires/cables to a minimum. Ultimately I'm looking for a very simple set-up but of reasonable quality. It would mainly be for classical/opera.

Any suggestions?

 

[RadcliffeRick]

 

[blue aura]

Can't beat Rega . British made and reasonably priced.

 

[manchester blue]

Do you have a bluetooth speaker? If so get a bluetooth enabled turntable. Only wire is to the plug. The Bose 500 home speaker is great value at £299.

Pro-Ject T1 BT Turntable - Premium Sound | Hi-Fi & Home Cinema Retailer in London UK

New Generation Audiophile Entry Level Turntable with Phono Preamp and Bluetooth Streaming.

premiumsound.co.uk

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

Make sure the amp you buy has a built-in preamp. You need it to ‘boost’ the signal from the turntable. Not all do, so worth checking.

Look in Richer Sounds. Their in house brand ‘Cambridge Audio’ make some good value well made stuff.

As someone else said, Rega make solid turntables.

I’ve got the Pro-ject Debut which is very similar to the Rega ones. Bought it second hand a decade ago and had zero issues.

 

[PragueBlue]

Make sure the amp you buy has a built-in preamp. You need it to ‘boost’ the signal from the turntable. Not all do, so worth checking.

Look in Richer Sounds. Their in house brand ‘Cambridge Audio’ make some good value well made stuff.

As someone else said, Rega make solid turntables.

I’ve got the Pro-ject Debut which is very similar to the Rega ones. Bought it second hand a decade ago and had zero issues.

Thanks for that.

Is there any real difference between a Bluetooth speaker and wired speaker in terms of performance? Somebody mentioned the Bose Bluetooth above and I also heard that the Sonos 5 was good but not sure if it's Bluetooth or not.

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

Thanks for that.

Is there any real difference between a Bluetooth speaker and wired speaker in terms of performance? Somebody mentioned the Bose Bluetooth above and I also heard that the Sonos 5 was good but not sure if it's Bluetooth or not.

I’ve no experience in Bluetooth turntables I’m afraid.

I’ve got a traditional separate amp, turntable and passive speakers, and we’ve got an Amazon Echo that connects to the aux input on the amp if we want to listen to Spotify.

A Bluetooth turntable will have a built in analogue to digital converter to send the signal to the speaker. Your eventual sound quality will depend on how good that is.

 

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

Thanks for that.

Is there any real difference between a Bluetooth speaker and wired speaker in terms of performance? Somebody mentioned the Bose Bluetooth above and I also heard that the Sonos 5 was good but not sure if it's Bluetooth or not.

If you are building an audiophile system around a good turntable like the rega you will probably want a specific amp and speakers to get the most from it. Nothing against bluetooth / sonos btw, but if you are doing that you might as well stream from your phone.

 

[Pedestrian]

I’ve a rp2 (rega turntable) and a rega IO amp with some Dali speakers. It’s a stand alone set up only for vinyl though. It was around £1200 all in but arguably in its price range there’s not much better. I use two Sonos 1’s for streaming music, they’re wired but definitely worth the inconvenience.

 

[Saddleworth2]

It is really a choice between a dedicated hifi system or the convenience of wireless. Sound wise the first will almost always win and if you are wanting to base your system around a turntable then I would go the first route and invest in a good amp and speakers to go with it. You should get reasonable quality for £1,000 to £2,000.

As others have mentioned, Rega do make good turntables.

Have a look at some of the specialist magazines but remember they sometimes have reasons for pushing certain kit. If you can get your local hifi dealer to set up a demo of different components play together and let your ears ultimately judge. You could always use that as a comparison against a wireless system. Remember to spend an appropriate amount on descent connecting leads. They do make a difference without you having to spend a fortune.

Good luck mate.

a WhatHiFi article to get you started:

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Why building a system based around vinyl makes strong audio sense rather than simply being a gesture towards fashion...

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