bang & olufsen question

[mboon1985]

first post! before you read farther you may want to refer to me to some sort of newb Q&A thread. i couldnt find one and your FAQ is mostly about the forum yourself. I joined looking to learn something because i know absolutely nothing about stereos besides what overlaps with guitar amps.

my dad recently handed me a bang and olufsen rx2 turntable. i have no idea what i need to get it playing records. it apparently functions fine, but i havent an amp or speakers and i dont know what its limitations/requirements are for such. what do i need amp wise? should i look for something from the same manufacturer? i read i'll need a B&O adapter no matter what. I just want to play records with as small a footprint as possible. what units i should hunt for? are speakers, like in guitar amps, more personal taste than objective fact? sorry for the rookie questions. promise im a fast learner.

[rhomanski]

Most amps will sound somewhat similar. Speakers are what is mostly personal taste. Sometimes though, you will get a synergy of sorts between speakers and amps. Manufacturers will tailor their top of the line stuff to each other sometimes. That doesn't mean they always do or that other stuff won't sound better together. I suspect your turntable will sound good with a lot of different gear.

What you get is dependent on your budget and what you want. If you want it loud then you have to go big. That can be expensive. If your listening space is small you don't have to go so big. Do you want a 2 channel setup or integrate it into a surround system? The options are many if you have the money.

Since you say you want a small footprint, "I", being a vintage fan, would look for a small receiver from the seventies. Such as a Pioneer or Sansui or Marantz. You have a phono stage built in and also a radio. Something like a Sansui 6060, or a Pioneer SX-680. For speakers, I would look for something like the Pioneer HPM 40 or 60. For a young person this would be a good starting point. I love the bigger Sansui stuff but for the smaller units I like the Pioneer stuff better.

So to recap, I would recommend the Pioneer SX-680 receiver and the Pioneer HPM 60 speakers. That would get you going very well. I think you will like the quality of this setup.

Regards,

Ron.

[mboon1985]

ron! great answer. i will def. use this as a starting point for some research but would love to hear what other people have to say. cheers!