So, the wife got me this kick ass vestax turntable recently. My setup is currently a denon amp powering two Theil CS 22 speakers that are old as shit and were hand me downs but are in great condition. My question is what is the best set up I can look into? What is a powerful enough amp for the speakers and what is the best way to wire them up for optimal sound? Right now I'm using regular radio shack thicker gauge speaker wire.
Audiophile question
- Thread starter BigFoot
- Start date
What price range are you looking for and also what size is the room that the system will be going in? As for wiring the best and cheapest way to wire speakers from an amp is household romex 12awg wire, far better than that monster cable crap that you only pay for the name.
Don't really have any money whatsoever to spend on a reciever/amp at this moment. Kinda just getting a feeler out there so that I can get the optimum sound out of my system. I would like to upgrade at some point, just wanted to see what my options are. Low/mid/high end. That way I can see what's out there.
Right now the speakers are about 5 ft away from my reciever.
Right now the speakers are about 5 ft away from my reciever.
I would always recommend a higher gauge cable if your amp was 20' away from your speakers, but since its only 5' you should be okay with a decent set of Monster or entry level Audioquest cables. They are quality cables that are well shielded that won't break the bank. There is a website that will allow you to try out a number of cables in your system (see below) so you can decide if you hear a difference or not. You should also check out Audiogon, which is a website for used audio gear. I bought my speakers and cable there a few years ago for a fraction of the retail price. Most high-end folks baby their equipment so you are usually getting pristine stuff from someone who is on the upgrade path.
Denon makes decent equipment, but you are asking a lot of a 55 watt amp to drive 4 ohm speakers. If you want to stay the receiver route I would recommend Anthem, I have one of their pre/pros that I bought used on Audiogon in my system and it has worked flawlessly. Marantz & NAD are also solid choices for receivers, but you should look to at least double your power and preferably triple it to 150 watts.
http://thecableco.com/content.aspx?iid=5777
Denon makes decent equipment, but you are asking a lot of a 55 watt amp to drive 4 ohm speakers. If you want to stay the receiver route I would recommend Anthem, I have one of their pre/pros that I bought used on Audiogon in my system and it has worked flawlessly. Marantz & NAD are also solid choices for receivers, but you should look to at least double your power and preferably triple it to 150 watts.
http://thecableco.com/content.aspx?iid=5777
What are my other options besides a reciever? I should also state that the only thing it will be used for is the turntable. I don't have anything else to power, just the vestax.
Thanks for the answers and help so far. I'll check out audiobook for sure!
Thanks for the answers and help so far. I'll check out audiobook for sure!
You could go a couple other routes. First you could do a separate amp & pre-amp or you go to an integrated amp. If you are going to just run the TT as the only source the integrated amp is the way to go. It will allow you to get more bang for your buck because you can offset the increased costs for more power by eliminating all the bells and whistles the receiver has. Just make sure the integrated amp has a phono module.