I am totally confused, help please !!

[brummy10]

Hi
I am trying to help an elderly gentleman who has a beloved pioneer pl-12d turntable and wishes to play his vast collection of vinyl (Big Band, Ballroom, Sinatra, etc) he has a 12 x 12 foot room, he has a megre budget of around £400-£450 to purchase both an amp and speakers, although he is quite insistent of having a good sound, and a new amp (i may be able to convincing him otherwise), i have scoured for days now and have got totally confused, i see the Onkyo A9010 had some good reviews for around £200 but seem in very short supply, i also considered the Yamaha As range up to around the same price, he is happy to buy used speakers (he wants floorstanders or stand mount) can anyone offer some suggestions please to some best combinations i should be looking for

[walpurgis]

A good second hand Denon PMA-350SE with the optional phono stage for under £100 and a pair of Mordaunt Short Pageant II or original Mission 780SE speakers for about the same money all from eBay. It'll sound just fine. The Pageant II speakers can be upgraded easily too.

[Macca]

£450 will buy a lot on the used market these days, should easily be able to get what he wants for that amount.

[fatmarley]

If you but online from Richer Sounds and let them know before the 14 days are up, you can return anything you buy for up to 28 days IIRC.

The amps you've suggested look good for the money (Cambridge Audio are also very good IMO) Q Acoustics speakers seem very popular at the moment. Maybe go to one of their branches for a listen?

[SLS]

When my son went to Uni last year I went to the local Richer Sounds and got a complete system - TEAC integrated with phono and separate TEAC CD unit, turntable with cart, speakers and cables for £600. The TEAC was a display item and half price. Think the speakers were Q Acoustics.

So I would pop into a store and see if there are any deals going.

+1 for Yamaha and Pioneer integrated amps.

[Virtual-Symmetry]

A+R Cambs A60 amp. You can pick one up less than a ton, in my honest opinion probably the best Intergrated ever made, utterly reliable.Never had an ounce of trouble in 35 years of use. Only downfall for people that find looks more important is its plain jane british minimalist look, No flashing lights & facilities any normal human being would never use. :D

£450.00 is ample to be able to build a great sounding system..

[hifinutt]

fabulous pair of mission 783 for 150 quid

http://www.hifi-forsale.co.uk/moreinfo.php?prod_title=Mission_753&p=speaker&prod_id=35168&
offset=

denon amp 69 quid

http://2ndhandhifi.co.uk/product/denon-pam-255uk-integrated-amplifier/

[brummy10]

Thanks so much for all the advice, will look into all the options you have suggested

[sumday]

just over two weeks back I purchased a Yamaha A-S501 from richer sounds.....the price is currently 190 quid
at this price it is a steal with a basic dac, lots of inputs including phono, bags of power (80wpc) and great build quality.
being a yammy it has a slightly polite balance which allows long listening sessions without fatigue.

I strongly recommend a audition.

NIGE.

[Floyddroid]

If you but online from Richer Sounds and let them know before the 14 days are up, you can return anything you buy for up to 28 days IIRC.

The amps you've suggested look good for the money (Cambridge Audio are also very good IMO) Q Acoustics speakers seem very popular at the moment. Maybe go to one of their branches for a listen?

What Mr Morley said. Bang on.

[Reffc]

A good second hand Denon PMA-350SE with the optional phono stage for under £100 and a pair of Mordaunt Short Pageant II or original Mission 780SE speakers for about the same money all from eBay. It'll sound just fine. The Pageant II speakers can be upgraded easily too.

^^^
This, good shout Geoff.

Speakers wise, the new Tannoy Mercury 7.2 or Eclipse speakers create a big bold sound making them sound much bigger than they are and they're the best yet in the budget bookshelf veriety from Tannoy. £229 I think is the retail for thr 7.2

[brummy10]

Following advice i have just found a Denon PMA-350SE, problem is i believe this model had a optional phono card, the current owner has said it does have a phono input but has never used it for a turntable, is there a way of being sure before i purchase

[Firebottle]

Select the phono input then turn the volume up to full.

There will more likely be a bit of hiss or hum, compare to another line level input if unsure, you should hear a difference.

Turn the volume control down between selecting inputs in case there is any click or pop from the switch.

Cheers :)

[Jason P]

You could do a lot lot worse than getting the Brio-R in the classifieds here. Cracking amp and a very very good MM phono stage. And the knowledge that Rega's warranty and after sales is very good - even if you're not the original owner.

Couple that with any mid-range speakers and you'll be laughing. A pair of RS1's would do nicely, but it's a pretty neutral amp and will suit most.

[brummy10]

Well , i finally settled on a Denon PMA 250 Se amp, Monitor Audio Broze 1 (On stands) and even managed a HiFi rack, all looks and sounds great, he loves it, thanks for all the advice

[Macca]

Good selection. Glad we could all help :)

[sumday]

IF the pioneer turntable is going to kept in use, you may need to get the motor re lubricated as the original grease will have hardened allowing it to induce noise into the platter.
not as hard a job as you might think....there are lots of vids on youtube and the wider net showing you how.

you should also clean out the platter bearing and spindle.....add a couple of drops of machine oil and she should carry on playing for years.

NIGE.