Hey guys and gals, My girlfriend gave a record player for Christmas. It's a nice little record player and I'm excited to use it. I has little speakers built in but I want to get a decent set of speakers for it. I don't know anything about speakers though. I was looking around on the BestBuy website and got overwhelmed. So if anyone knows about speakers hit me with some knowledge. How many would I need? Would a pair of bookshelf speakers be enough? Do I need a sub woofer? I'm young and don't have a ton of money to throw around. If it is possible to get a decent setup for under $200, point me in the right direction. Thanks!
Hey JRod, I'm not sure how much separate speakers will help your record player, since it seems to be a self-contained unit. I or someone else might better be able to make a recommendation if we had some more info, maybe a brand and model number of your player. I'm not into hi-fi nearly as much as I used to be. But better speakers will be no better than the receiver/amplifier driving them, not just in your case but in any case. I'm sure you've got a nice record player, but typically self contained units won't have the requisite power to drive a lot of external speakers. The speakers may work, but may not produce the quality of sound you may be looking for. The end result you hear is a combination of the record player/turn table, receiver/amplifier, speakers, and even the cables connecting the components. Again, I'm sure you got a nice player, but be careful not to buy speakers that are above the ability of the record player to properly drive them. Tell us some more about your unit.
Ahh I see man. I appreciate your kindness not to offend me. : ) I don't think it's anything spectacular. My gf said it was a "starter". I think it's this model here: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/tech-be...05256895&st=turntable&cp=1&lp=11#tab=overview. Looking at it there it didn't get great reviews. But would love to be able to hook up some better quality speakers to it. Thanks for the help.
Jrod, there are MANY makers in the $200/pr range of speakers. I've been sort of an 'audiophile' since the early 80's and yet I'm also one of those 'biggest bang for the buck' kind of shoppers. Most of the many $200 or less speakers are junk. Cheaply made with some serious compromises, especially in the sonic accuracy dept. For that kind of money in speakers, I look for accurate reproduction, transparency, low distortion and decent drivers. One brand I can recommend in your price range is NHT. One model they make, SuperZero 2.1 Mini-Monitor ($198/pr) is a great value & exceptional performer in a small package (9x5x5). I've heard them in demos with other bookshelf-sized speakers and they were pretty amazing. Dynamic & surprisingly loud with a tight, clear bass—not boomy. If I were building a system on a budget, I'd seriously consider the NHT products. And remember, if a speaker says "BOSE" on it anywhere, back away immediately and continue on your quest. Good luck! http://www.nhthifi.com/Bookshelf-speaker-SuperZero-2-1?sc=12&category=3772#image-5
As BamaT stated this unit is designed with a small amp to serve the speakers inside as a small self contained unit. Now the ad does say that it has an Auxiliary (AUX) output so you can hook it to a larger stereo system that will have a stronger amp and with it better speakers can be used. If you have a larger stereo system with and AUX input, you would simply get patch cables (usually with RCA style ends) and hook it up to that system.
Another thing to keep in mind when shopping - the way a speaker sounds in the store's sound room will probably not sound the same in your home.
The main reason I will only purchase speakers that can be returned if I don't like they way they sound in my living space. It happens.
Lots of good info here. Thanks guys. I guess I might get a pair of speakers and see if they work. If they don't work I'll figure out the next step. Whether it be returning the speakers for now, or having to get some type of stronger amp.
Swarden is right about how a system will sound at home versus the store. In consideration of this and how speakers might work with your player, check the return policy of where you shop, and take some for a test spin at home. Another option would be to build your own speakers. I put my first system together in the mid-70's with a store demo model Harmon Kardon 330b receiver and a couple speakers a friend built with 4" full range JBL drivers in bookshelf sized pressed wood acoustical suspension cabinets, ie not ported. Friends were continually amazed at the sound coming from those little bookshelf speakers. That was a great system for a college student on a tight budget. Later on I added an inexpensive manual turntable. I'm sure you could find some drivers somewhere, and there's probably plenty of directions on the net on how to build a speaker. Probably be a fun project if you've got the time and some tools, and would (could) be less expensive. You could go crazy with this and spend more than you could buy some for. edit: my friend that built my speakers got the drivers for next to nothing from some speakers with damaged cabinets at a local hi-fi store (not many of those around anymore). I must respectively disagree on Bose equipment. I don't have any, and never have. It may not be the best you can get, but you can do a lot worse. I'll look shortly for some speakers I might recommend you look at. Hi-fi is somewhat like shaving, YMMV. You need to find a setup you like and enjoy.
Ok guys. So I just went to Best Buy's website and picked up a pair of book shelf speakers based off of price and reviews (I know, I didn't test anything). This is the pair i ended up with: Pioneer 4" Book Shelf Speakers. They turned out to be bigger than expected which is fine actually. The issues started here: The speaker have positive/negative connectors for splayed wires and no power supply. The output wholes from my turntable are one Right RCA and one Left RCA. So I bought 2 RCA splitters, and split the right and left output from the turntable. From there I bought 2 Y RCA cables that plugged in to the 2 splitter fittings and splayed the far end of each to fit into my speakers. Got it all set up and it didn't work. I think that my little all-in-one turntable does not put out enough voltage to power the moderately sized speakers. I'll take pictures of all of this and put them up here tomorrow. Hopefully with pictures it will all make more sense.You guys will probably get a kick out of what I did. So now this is where I stand. I came up with 3 options, not sure if they are all viable. Let me know what you guys think. What to do from here: Option 1. Get some type of amplifier to go in between the turntable and the speakers so that they will work. Option 2: Just get a nice set of computer speakers that would probably be compatible with my turntable. Option 3: Save the speakers for an upgrade somewhere down the road. Maybe in 6 months or so I can invest in a better turntable and a nice amplifier then put these speakers to use. What should I do?
The RCA outputs on your turntable are probably preamp outputs; if so, you will definitely need an amp. I used to really be into high end car and home stereo setups, but I don't know much about today's products. It looks like you have a nice set of speakers so I would suggest you consider option 1, and check your local Craigslist; you may be able to find a nice used amp that will do exactly what you want.
A buddy of mine recently gave me his vintage Yamaha turntable and a Sony receiver with a phono input. He caught the home theatre bug, and bought newer equipment. My old vinyl albums sound as great as they did years ago. I have the receiver and turntable installed right above my computer desk. I also run the audio from my computer through the CD input on the receiver. I was using my old faithful Mission speakers, but they kicked the bucket. I replaced them with a set of Sony 10" floor standing speakers sitting on cinder blocks behind my computer desk. This placed the "sweet spot" at about ear level. This setup blows my old computer speakers out of the water. It's nice to have that combination of old and new, analog and digital, in the same rig.
