So... Disclaimer. First of all, I'm very new to the audio world (although I am trying to learn) so I apologize for any ignorance that may be revealed in this post...
I grew up listening to my parents vinyl probably like a lot of people. In college I got a vintage Garrard turntable and some terrible goodwill receiver and speakers and listened to lots of records for a long time and really loved it. For some reason I decided to sell off all my records and donated the gear to a thrift store thinking I would never regret it. Of course I did regret it and after years and years of feeling bad about it I've started to rebuild my collection. This time though, I'm an adult (at least this is what I tell myself) and I want to do it right. I would like to build up a nice system that I can enjoy for a long time. I could probably spend a few thousand dollars but realistically I'd like not to.
As of now I have a direct drive JVC that was rebuilt by a local audio store which is now out of business. It has a micro audio cartridge (282e). I'm reasonably happy with it and it seems to do what it needs to for me.
Currently it is running through some crappy receiver that's probably 30 or 40 years old. I have a newer and much nicer pioneer receiver but I can't use it because I don't have a phono preamp so I'm stuck with the old receiver because it has a "phono" input. My speakers are some not great pioneer bookshelf models which sound muddy and uninspiring like the cheap used speakers they are.
I'm thinking about getting a preamp and some speakers. I'd like to keep the cost down to around $600ish. My thinking was to get a preamp for maybe $200 and then some speakers for around $400. Is this reasonable?
I've been doing some reading today and have heard lots of praises sung about pretty much every brand make and model of every piece of equipment made. It's pretty confusing to know what to do for someone who doesn't know much about this sort of thing. I was tentatively thinking about getting a Hagerman Bugle or a Cambridge audio azur 551p for a preamp although that's really only based on some pretty limited research on my part. For speakers I'm pretty lost. I've seen lots of recommendations and am not sure about what I should be looking for as far as specs go.
I realize this is a long rambling post expressing some broad confusion and short on specific questions, but if anyone has any kind of tips on what to look for I'd be very grateful. I'd like to take my vinyl listening to the next level. I want also to avoid buyer's regret later when I know more than I do now! Thanks!
So... Disclaimer. First of all, I'm very new to the audio world (although I am trying to learn) so I apologize for any ignorance that may be revealed in this post...
I grew up listening to my parents vinyl probably like a lot of people. In college I got a vintage Garrard turntable and some terrible goodwill receiver and speakers and listened to lots of records for a long time and really loved it. For some reason I decided to sell off all my records and donated the gear to a thrift store thinking I would never regret it. Of course I did regret it and after years and years of feeling bad about it I've started to rebuild my collection. This time though, I'm an adult (at least this is what I tell myself) and I want to do it right. I would like to build up a nice system that I can enjoy for a long time. I could probably spend a few thousand dollars but realistically I'd like not to.
As of now I have a direct drive JVC that was rebuilt by a local audio store which is now out of business. It has a micro audio cartridge (282e). I'm reasonably happy with it and it seems to do what it needs to for me.
Currently it is running through some crappy receiver that's probably 30 or 40 years old. I have a newer and much nicer pioneer receiver but I can't use it because I don't have a phono preamp so I'm stuck with the old receiver because it has a "phono" input. My speakers are some not great pioneer bookshelf models which sound muddy and uninspiring like the cheap used speakers they are.
I'm thinking about getting a preamp and some speakers. I'd like to keep the cost down to around $600ish. My thinking was to get a preamp for maybe $200 and then some speakers for around $400. Is this reasonable?
I've been doing some reading today and have heard lots of praises sung about pretty much every brand make and model of every piece of equipment made. It's pretty confusing to know what to do for someone who doesn't know much about this sort of thing. I was tentatively thinking about getting a Hagerman Bugle or a Cambridge audio azur 551p for a preamp although that's really only based on some pretty limited research on my part. For speakers I'm pretty lost. I've seen lots of recommendations and am not sure about what I should be looking for as far as specs go.
I realize this is a long rambling post expressing some broad confusion and short on specific questions, but if anyone has any kind of tips on what to look for I'd be very grateful. I'd like to take my vinyl listening to the next level. I want also to avoid buyer's regret later when I know more than I do now! Thanks!