A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to piece together a budget used system. 

 

I have had many systems over the years but I have to stay this is the best one yet. 

 

The first component I found were the B&W 684 S2 floor standers. Managed to find them on Facebook Market Place for $400 😗 

 

These sounded really good with an entry level Yamaha AVR I had lying around (RX-V385) but I new I had to get a proper amp to get the best out of these speakers. 

 

I was hoping to find something a step around the entry level NAD, Rotel and Cambridge amps I had before. 

 

The SNA classifieds answered with an Arcam A85! This thing is incredible. The difference between the Yamaha and Arcam was unbelievable. The amp came from the original owner complete with remote and it's original box and manuals. Incredibly $400 as well. 

 

Which I was enjoying the system with my Topping E30 DAC from my Head Fi system, I knew I had to find a turntable to complete it. 

 

Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace, eBay and SNA all had nothing local to offer. I was considering driving to Sydney to pick up a used Rega P1 when I thought it wouldn't hurt to give my local shop (Duratone HiFi) a call to see if they had any used turntables for sale. 

 

Was I in luck! I was informed there was both a Rega Plannar 1 (fitted with an Ortofon OM5)  and a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (fitted with an Ortofon OM 10) available. After popping in and taking a look I settled on the Pro-Ject. $395 felt very reasonable for this turntable.  I've only spun a few LP's but to my ears it sounds amazing. 

 

Unfortunately the Arcam wasn't fitted with optional phono stage. A Pro-Ject Phono Box E was found on Gumtree for only $50! (This will probably be the first thing I upgrade but will do for now). 

 

This system is like nothing I've had before and all for a whopping $1250! 

 

I think I will probably be holding onto this for a while. 

Edited January 15, 20224 yr by npw112

great work @npw112. thanks for sharing.   It reckon it'd be great to see a dedicated pinned thread of systems under (say) $3000 with peeps only posting up their actual combinations in action....not "Joe Bloggs" banging on about kit they reckon would sound good.  

 

Btw is that a 'modded' Kallax unit?

 

Cheers

2B

 

 

Thank you for the post which I enjoyed reading. 
 

Over the last few days I have contemplated moving my main system on, which has taken me about 4 years to build and just swapping over to a system that possibly cost $75. 
 

Just goes to show you, you don’t need much to enjoy this hobby and as long as it makes you happy that is all that matters. 

4 minutes ago, 2Brix said:

great work @npw112. thanks for sharing.   It reckon it'd be great to see a dedicated pinned thread of systems under (say) $3000 with peeps only posting up their actual combinations in action....not "Joe Bloggs" banging on about kit they reckon would sound good.  

 

Btw is that a 'modded' Kallax unit?

 

Cheers

2B

 

 

I like this idea. My main system cost under $3k haha. So I should be in this category. 
 

How low can you go?

1 hour ago, npw112 said:

I think I will probably be holding onto this for a while. 

 

Great stuff.

Watch out for rabbit holes. They are everywhere.

Arcam make solid quality amps.

Great stuff  npw.  Getting great sound that punches well above it’s weight in where the real joy in this hobby is. Move slowly, throwing $$$ at this hobby often does not reveal great improvements and can take the joy away. Synergy is the key and results are not always as expected. Keep up the good work and enjoy.

Great post and very good work on piecing together such a system. I have done something similar with my work system. All the equipment has been purchased secondhand from SNA members: Bewitch integrated tube amp ($1,500), JBL 4312M II speakers ($800), Technics SL-1100 turntable with Acos Lustre tonearm ($985), Vincent PHO-800 phonostage  ($320), Rega Planet CD player ($450) - total $4,055.

 

Though I did replace the Denon 110 cartridge with a Garrott Bros K1 and a wood Jelco headshell for aesthetics. All plays reliably and very nicely. 

 

Well done @npw112, synergy is the word, sound is far greater than what you would expect for the money spent. In my system the speakers are the only components which i bought new, other components were between 5 - 30% of new price, system comes in well under 4K

My shed system consists of a pair of Usher S-520 I picked up for $250 and a roadside find Luxman L-1 integrated plus an old Sony CD-390 I was gifted.

Sound is surprisingly good.

Thanks for the kind words everyone! Also enjoyed seeing the other budget systems you guys have put together. 

 

I spent most of Sunday in the study / listening room putting the new system through its paces.

 

Very impressive and enjoyable. 

 

@2Brix you are correct. A Kallax with the middle channel removed from the middle shelf. Works really well for me. 

 

@hazzy You were right, already bought a better phono stage. A Musical Fidelity M1 LPS (thanks to the SNA classifieds) that I am waiting to arrive in the post. A better cartridge (maybe a 2M Blue) might be on the cards later on as well.

 

 

 

 

 

Nice job!

An alternative to a 2M Blue might be to upgrade to an OM20 stylus. Should be cheaper and will use the existing OM cartridge. I did just that with a Project Debut TT and it was a big improvement. Should be able to get the OM20 stylus for around $250 vs $300+ for the 2M Blue.

I've been more or less left unsupervised for the weekend, so decided to set up a budget system in a spare "room". I call it a room, it's about 3m x 3m with solid walls and floor, but one wall is open to all of upstairs.

 

Comprising of Wharfedale 9.1 speakers and stands, a Rotel RCD06SE CD player, and a Pro-ject Stereo Box S2 BT.

 

The Pro-ject is a riot. Tiny little thing but weighty for its size, and doesn't sound half bad.

 

A bit surprisingly, to me, was way too much bass. I called on my tweaking experience and tried moving the speakers around a bit, although the options were limited due to space, but ended up plugging one of the ports on each speaker with foam. That turned out to be the best compromise. Both ports blocked sounded too muddy.

 

I put some spare Isoacoustic feet under the CD player too just for fun. I think I heard a difference!

 

I seconded a carpet mat from another room, closed the blinds for maximum acoustic benefit, and spent a couple of hours enjoying what a budget system can deliver.

 

I'm going to leave this system set up there. My niece uses it as her workout room. Hopefully she will appreciate the increased hifiness compared to her little bluetooth speaker she has been using. And I'll be listening to more music

Thought the weights might have been for you since you get less time lifting the guitars these days.

Nice tidy little system Darryl.

Day two of no supervision and I've moved my little Linn system into the workout room.

 

One benefit is I can turn the bass down with this amp, because even with sealed box speakers it's way too boomy.

 

I probably won't end up leaving a system here after all, the boomy bass spoils the listening experience somewhat.

 

Oh well, it's fun to experiment and learn new things

So my turntable and phono stage have gotten a fairly big upgrade almost by accident (the turntable at least)!

 

The Pro-Ject Phono Box E that I bought for $50 was always meant to be a temporary solution. Although it sounded pretty good to my ears, I was after something a bit more upmarket. Something that I could find find used for a fraction of original RRP (this is always my aim with used gear). 

 

A  Musical Fidelity M1 LPS was found on the SNA classifieds for $200 including express postage. It sounds so much more substantial than the Pro-Ject and looks awesome. I have always wanted a to try a Musical Fidelity component and this certainly hasn't disappointed.

 

The Pro-Ject Debut Carbon turntable I had purchased used from a local shop unfortunately started to develop a problem where there was an intermitent hum on the right chanel. This was not a a normal small amount of buzz. The hum was all that is audible on the right channel when it occurs and it was very loud.

 

I undertook some troubleshooting and ended up taking it back to the shop. They suggested that it appeared to need the tone arm re-wired. They said that this would probably take them a while to get around too and that I could either use the $395 to go towards a brand new turntable or get a refund. I considered a Pro-Ject Essential 3 which they offered to me for $480. I considered this for a while but in keeping with the used theme of this system I decided to go for the refund (and I thought I could probably do a bit better!)  

 

A week or two prior I had contacted a seller on Gumtree who had a few components (amp, CD player, speakers and turntable) which he was trying to sell as a complete system. He had the turntable listed as a Rega Planar 2 and a Garrott cartridge. I contacted him and asked if he would be interested in selling the turntable separately. He agreed but before the arranged meet up time message me again and said that the stylus was damaged and that he would get it replaced and contact me once he had done so. 

 

I thought I wouldn't hear from him again but the day I took the Pro-Ject back to the shop he messaged me to say he had taken it to a shop who informed him that is was in fact a Rega Planar 3 and the cartridge was a Garrott P66. Apart from the stylus (which had completely snapped off) they thought it should probably have the drive and motor suspension belts replaced and the 240v motor upgraded to a 24v unit (a nice to have more than anything I thought). He said he wasn't interested in investing any money into it and if I wanted to, he was happy to give it for me for free as long as I would get it back up and running (I was VERY interested). 

 

I went and collected it as soon as I could. Turns out it is a very tidy early 90's model. I removed the Garrott P66 (does anyone know if this this is worth anything / of use to anyone with a completely snapped off cartridge? The stylus is user replaceable) and went out and bought a Ortofon 2M Red for $170 (I was going to get the 2M Blue for $330 but decided to save a bit of cash at the beginning and upgrade the stylus to the Blue later on) A bit of time with my Dad's old Mo-Fi Geodisc (he tells me he knew it would come in handy one day despite him not owning a turntable for 30 years 🤣) and a Project "Measure it E" stylus balance I got for around $50 and the deck was up and running perfectly! Compared to the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon this is  much more dynamic with a much bigger soundstage and deeper bass. I will replace both belts one I get a moment to go to the shop as are they are starting to perish a bit.

 

Now to go find some more used records and really enjoy this system! 

 

Edited January 24, 20224 yr by npw112

Some say used - i say vintage

 

Bang & Olufsen MC120.2 loudspeakers - regarded as o e of if not the best passive loudspeakers B&O ever made - these were mint aside from woofer foam rot  - $100 fix so all up exactly $1k for the B&Os

 

Marantz 2238b - fully recapped and serviced - $900 hifi engine states 42w per channel but everywhere else rates it at 38w as the name implies - either way it's exceptionally understated because this thing has plenty of power 

 

Pathe Wings reproduction walnut veneer case from Germany

 

$450 including postage

 

Fully refurbished Thorens TD150 Mk1 with TP13A kugelarm $1300

 

Garrott Bros P77i cart and stylus- $450

 

Dento BLTHD bluetooth receiver - excellent little b*stard for when i occasionally hit up Tidal $120

 

Voll sub - dialled in just a smidge - perfect crossover $195

 

This system will knock your socks off - clarity is exceptional and it looks great too 

 

A great setup for well under $4k - nothing to change- more money for vinyl 

 

 

Edited February 6, 20224 yr by Kristian Kristiansen