Turntable Spec Me full setup for my dad please!!

[9designs2]

It's the speakers and the room that are most important.

Read this article here

http://www.blacklistedmastering.co.uk/heres-a-grand-whatcha-gonna-do.php

Largely irrelevant long winded story.... it's about an existing studio setup and the importance of where/how to upgrade it. Now I have a fully treated listening room for my HiFi, so I do know it's importance, but that doesn't change the importance of the source when putting together a system.
Some rooms are better than others, a small bookshelf speaker will work much better than a large floor stander before "treatment" is added.
It is about balance, the days of 95% on a source or anyone part is not a good plan these days. But you got to have some decent sound coming from the speakers in the In the first place for the oom to react to.... like I said it's a chicken and egg argument you got to start somewhere.

Sorry been there done it and got the T shirt for many decades....

 

[JasonM]

Largely irrelevant long winded story.... it's about an existing studio setup and the importance of where/how to upgrade it. Now I have a fully treated listening room for my HiFi, so I do know it's importance, but that doesn't change the importance of the source when putting together a system.
Some rooms are better than others, a small bookshelf speaker will work much better than a large floor stander before "treatment" is added.
It is about balance, the days of 95% on a source or anyone part is not a good plan these days. But you got to have some decent sound coming from the speakers in the In the first place for the oom to react to.... like I said it's a chicken and egg argument you got to start somewhere.

Sorry been there done it and got the T shirt for many decades....

I never said the source was not important, it's only yourself inferring I said this.

I did however say the speakers, room then amplifier are more important than the source.

 

[hornetstinger]

crap in, crap out though. your speakers amp and room may be perfect but if you have 129ks mp3 it'' sound dreadful

 

[TALON1973]

I always try and get the best source I can afford and build around that. If my source is way better than other parts then I can upgrade them in time. In regards vinyl, it's hiw the record is made that's important as well. Some will sound pants no matter how good your equipment is.

 

[9designs2]

I never said the source was not important, it's only yourself inferring I said this.

I did however say the speakers, room then amplifier are more important than the source.

I know what your saying, I'm saying your wrong.
In the context of the OP question they not going to do room treatment for example.... (good bass traps and diffusers would cost more than then system )

I would suggest they find specialist dealers, not discount stores like Richer sounds, a proper dealer, where they also should have some used stock. Then get the best Rega or Project TT they can afford, used intergrated amp and some decent bookshelf speakers, perhaps those wharfedale Dimonds 220? Some stands, and good room placement.
Dealer should be able to set this up in the demo room to demonstrate how it's performing and tweak the choice to the customers taste.

 

[JasonM]

Quality of DAC’s, amps, vinyl, cables even quality of mains all effects the sound and in a perfect world you want this as good as it can be. Providing these are of reasonable quality the difference will always be between good and great.

When you listen to music it should be as honest to how it left the studio as possible and speakers have a greater effect than all the above mentioned combined. The difference between £150 and £300 speakers is far more than similar cost difference on a turntable or DAC.

Worse speakers have the ability to destroy sound quality especially if poorly placed in a room.

Given the above I told the OP to buy a quality second hand turntable and amplifier, then spend more budget on speakers that’s still the correct advice.

 

[a1ex2001]

Speakers do seem to be about the only hi-fi component left with a personality, go back 20 years and all the big hi-fi brands had 'a sound' hence at the time I paired a Marantz CD (overly bright with a matched Marantz amp) player with an Arcam (overly dark with a matched Arcam CD player) amp. These days everything in a price band seems to sound very very similar until you mix up the speakers which definitely impart a big personality.

I've always spent more on speakers but not to the total detriment of the source so the 128kbps mp3 example would be going way to low on the source but I'd never put the majority of my budget into the source. End of the day the OP needs to go out and listen to stuff as it's him and his dads ears that need to choose, everyone likes a different sound and look (never say that looks of hi-fi are irrelevant!) find what you like and buy it ignore what anyone else says!