Turntable Setup

Horganzie · June 25, 2017

Hello. So I've been looking at buying some audiophile grade speakers for a turntable setup and have some questions. Generally speaking, do passive speakers have better quality sound over powered speakers? Is it OK to spend more on a subwoofer than you do on the speakers? I'm looking at spending $1000 CAD maximum on a full setup (speakers, amp, subwoofer etc.) could anyone recommend and/or make me a speaker setup? I was looking at the Klipsch RP-15M paired with the Klipsch R-10SW. Would that be any good?

Thanks

kokakolia · June 25, 2017

Passive sounds better.

I don't know much about speakers though.

I just have an old Rotel receiver with a set of Q acoustics 1010 bookshelf speakers and a cheap Sony turntable. It sounds really good to me.

And it cost me very little because everything was used haha

Volbet · June 25, 2017

There's no general rule to what sounds better. You can get shifty passive speakers and you can get shitty active speakers.

What you need to consider is convenience, the number of inputs your need and a potential upgrade path.

And what turntable are you using? It you would also have to consider where you want the phono pre-amp setup, and whether you want it to be internal or external.

I also wouldn't recommend spending more on a subwoofer than on the speakers, but that just might be me.

Horganzie · June 25, 2017

14 hours ago, Volbet said:

There's not general rule to what sounds better. You can get shitty and you can get shitty active speakers.

What you need to consider is convenience, the number of inputs your need and a potential upgrade path.

And what turntable are you using? It you would also have to consider where you want the phono pre-amp setup, and whether you want it to be internal or external.

I also wouldn't recommend spending more on a subwoofer than on the speakers, but that just might be me.

I'm using an Audio Technica AT-LP160 turntable which has the phono preamp built in.

Volbet · June 26, 2017

8 hours ago, ClassicMack said:

I'm using an Audio Technica AT-LP160 turntable which has the phono preamp built in.

OK then.

If I'm going on the assumption that you only need to plug in your turntable, tnen powered speakers would probably be the way to go.

The Klipsch RP-15M are a really good choice, but if you want some alternatives, the Vanatoo T1 and the JBL LSR305 could be worth a look.

The Yamaha HS8s could also be an option, but they are somewhat polarizing in terms of their sound.

As for a subwoofer I would recommend that you buy the speakers first and then add a subwoffer later if you're dissatisfied.

kokakolia · June 26, 2017

Small passive speakers (bookshelf) would work as well with the built in amp in the phono. That's the whole point of having a preamp in your phono. You'll actually have to turn off the amp inside the phono if you use active speakers. Because double amped speakers sound awful.

Volbet · June 26, 2017

5 hours ago, kokakolia said:

Small passive speakers (bookshelf) would work as well with the built in amp in the phono. That's the whole point of having a preamp in your phono. You'll actually have to turn off the amp inside the phono if you use active speakers. Because double amped speakers sound awful.

No, that's incorrect.

You need a phone pre-amp with an RIAA equalizer to make a turntable sound as it should. If you don't have a phono pre-amp your records are going to sound very sibilant and quiet.

And you can't just plug passive speakers into a phono pre-amp. First because they don't use the same connector type, and second because a phono pre-amp doesn't supply enough power to power passive speakers.

So you need either active speakers or passive speakers with a separate amplifier.

spwath · June 26, 2017

3 hours ago, kokakolia said:

Small passive speakers (bookshelf) would work as well with the built in amp in the phono. That's the whole point of having a preamp in your phono. You'll actually have to turn off the amp inside the phono if you use active speakers. Because double amped speakers sound awful.

Very very incorrect.

Look at what @Volbet said.

To add more, here is what a pre amp does, other than amp the signal a little.

When music is recorded to vinyl, equalization is applied to it, as the large bass signals in the grooves would be too large, possibly damaging the stylus or the record itself. So, these bass signals are reduced according to a curve, shown below. When played back, a preamp has the reverse equalization in it, as shown below. That's why if you plug a regular device into phono input, it sounds really bassy, and pluging speakers into a turntable without a preamp makes them bass lacking.

This is the RIAA curve used to playback and record records.