Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

Hey y'all, another friend gear question. Friend looking for an AVR that will connect to tv, has Bluetooth for Spotify etc from phone and also phono input. Anyone have any suggestions? Don't need surround sound. 2 channel amp that has Bluetooth and phono in is fine.

Price range $500-800 CAD
 
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Jonny77 said:
Cheers Joe, I’ve seen you guys singing the praises of the MM6 and have often wondered whether I should invest in one. Thanks for the suggestions
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The Denton 80th anniversary are great for the price/size. I'd keep an eye out for open box ones on Music Direct's site/their reverb account. I got them open box for $400 through MD and they looked untouched.
 
Mather said:
Hey y'all, another friend gear question. Friend looking for an AVR that will connect to tv, has Bluetooth for Spotify etc from phone and also phono input. Anyone have any suggestions? Don't need surround sound. 2 channel amp that has Bluetooth and phono in is fine.

Price range $500-800 CAD
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The phono input makes this one a challenge, huh?
 
Slimwhit33 said:
The phono input makes this one a challenge, huh?
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It totally does. I mean if they HAD to they said they could go external. The thing is I don't think they actually need any video inputs, I'm checking but if not they could just go with a solid 2 channel amp with phono as long as it's Bluetooth capable for streaming audio. Then they can just audio out of the cable box etc into the amp...
 
Mather said:
Hey y'all, another friend gear question. Friend looking for an AVR that will connect to tv, has Bluetooth for Spotify etc from phone and also phono input. Anyone have any suggestions? Don't need surround sound. 2 channel amp that has Bluetooth and phono in is fine.

Price range $500-800 CAD
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Just over your range but has phono Marantz NR1200

Reminded me of a article I saw
www.crutchfield.com

Stereo receivers with HDMI

A high-performance multimedia solution for small spaces
www.crutchfield.com www.crutchfield.com
 
Mather said:
Hey y'all, another friend gear question. Friend looking for an AVR that will connect to tv, has Bluetooth for Spotify etc from phone and also phono input. Anyone have any suggestions? Don't need surround sound. 2 channel amp that has Bluetooth and phono in is fine.

Price range $500-800 CAD
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The Yamaha RN-303 and big brother the RN-803 each have all those requirements I believe.. they have a MM phono stage.. assuming they don't need the video inputs..
 
Okay so it seems like they don't care about HDMI, they're going to plug everything into the tv and just run the audio through the amp. So that makes it a bit easier. What's the forum approved NAD and Onkyo models again? I'm guessing they don't have Bluetooth?
 
Mather said:
Okay so it seems like they don't care about HDMI, they're going to plug everything into the tv and just run the audio through the amp. So that makes it a bit easier. What's the forum approved NAD and Onkyo models again? I'm guessing they don't have Bluetooth?
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I think the newest version of the Onkyo 8020 has Bluetooth standard now?

EDIT: newer model is the 8220 which is what comes with Bluetooth.
 
Mather said:
Okay so it seems like they don't care about HDMI, they're going to plug everything into the tv and just run the audio through the amp. So that makes it a bit easier. What's the forum approved NAD and Onkyo models again? I'm guessing they don't have Bluetooth?
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My onkyo has Bluetooth. I think that's the way to go for that budget range.
 
Mather said:
It totally does. I mean if they HAD to they said they could go external. The thing is I don't think they actually need any video inputs, I'm checking but if not they could just go with a solid 2 channel amp with phono as long as it's Bluetooth capable for streaming audio. Then they can just audio out of the cable box etc into the amp...
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..or run an optical toslink from the tv if the amp has a DAC
 
Mather said:
Hey y'all, another friend gear question. Friend looking for an AVR that will connect to tv, has Bluetooth for Spotify etc from phone and also phono input. Anyone have any suggestions? Don't need surround sound. 2 channel amp that has Bluetooth and phono in is fine.

Price range $500-800 CAD
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This goes for £500 so might be at the top end of budget but could be an interesting option, bluetooth & phono stage included. The last KI signature.

www.trustedreviews.com

Rotel A11 Tribute

For the final time, Ken Ishiwata takes a perfectly capable piece of mainstream electronics and turns it into something considerably better.
www.trustedreviews.com www.trustedreviews.com
 
Jonny77 said:
Hello all, I was hoping for some advice regarding a system upgrade. I’ve just sold off a bunch of records and have around $1,000 to spend. Currently I have;
Teac TN 300
Onkyo A-9010
Gale speakers (super old bookshelf speakers)

And suggestions much appreciated, wasn’t sure whether to split between speakers and a phono preamp. Or just speakers with a view to get a preamp in the future.
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I have an A-9010 and I saw a big jump when I moved to an external phono stage. I’m using a Musical Fidelity LX2-LPS.

I’d agree with Joe though, the Darlington seems like the best bet for anyone US based, and then throw the rest into new speakers. Only other thing to maybe consider is a cheap streaming option for Spotify/Tidal etc? Can be something added later on and probably super-cheaply. I’m using an old school Chromecast Audio puck and it works for me.
 
Thackeraye said:
I have an A-9010 and I saw a big jump when I moved to an external phono stage. I’m using a Musical Fidelity LX2-LPS.

I’d agree with Joe though, the Darlington seems like the best bet for anyone US based, and then throw the rest into new speakers. Only other thing to maybe consider is a cheap streaming option for Spotify/Tidal etc? Can be something added later on and probably super-cheaply. I’m using an old school Chromecast Audio puck and it works for me.
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Cheers for the advice! I’m currently using Tidal and have Teac CD P650 which has a USB port that I hook my iPhone into. Probably a better way of doing that but that’s what I’ve been using
 
Jonny77 said:
Cheers for the advice! I’m currently using Tidal and have Teac CD P650 which has a USB port that I hook my iPhone into. Probably a better way of doing that but that’s what I’ve been using
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It’s a free solution that works! If you’re comfortable with it then it feels like something that could be in a second run of updates.

Best of luck!
 
wmeugene said:
The Fluance just isn't a huge upgrade on the uTurn. Everything I've read about the PLX is that it is a step above both and gets you into the realm of the next level of table. Turntables can be a big outlay and I think bang for the buck is important on upgrades.

If I was looking at both new, I'd do the Fluance over the uTurn, but they're in the same space. Bang for the buck would be better to upgrade the cart (the 2m Red isn't that great in my opinion), add an amp/preamp, and upgrade the speakers. Then I'd come around to the turntable if the system is still wanting for something.
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I'm not trying to fuss I just don't see a major difference. I'm asking what that is. I don't have direct experience with the Fluance. Don't they both have all the necessary adjustments? Are the Wow/Flutters much different? Genuinely trying to see what would separate them significantly. Obviously the motors are different, I'm just not seeing what make one a big step up. That's why I'm asking.
 
VMPKJ said:
I'm not trying to fuss I just don't see a major difference. I'm asking what that is. I don't have direct experience with the Fluance. Don't they both have all the necessary adjustments? Are the Wow/Flutters much different? Genuinely trying to see what would separate them significantly. Obviously the motors are different, I'm just not seeing what make one a big step up. That's why I'm asking.
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at a quick glance, the wow and flutter seems to be 0.07 for the Fluance and 0.01 for PLX. Belt vs direct drive is probably the biggest difference. PLX also has the swappable headshell and I don’t believe the Fluance does. PLX seems to allow you to swap the power cable too. I’m sure there are other differences with the tone arms too—does the Fluance allow you to adjust VTA for example?

Whether or not all of this is worth the extra cost is probably a personal preference. Depends on how far the rabbit hole you want to go with cables + ease to swap carts. From nearly everything I’ve read, the PLX is ranked higher across the board.
 
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