Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

Hello!! I've always been very intimidated by persuing upgrades to my system. I'm hoping someone can steer me in the right direction for small upgrades (probably under $500).

My setup (which is mostly my dad's stereo):

Pro-Ject Debut III (with Ortofon Red 2m, Pro-Ject acrylic platter and Project speed box) which was my upgrade from his cheap 90s turntable
Onkyo TX-8210
Bose 161 speakers (black, I'm trying to remember when he bought them maybe early 00s?)
Pioneer PD-4300 CD player
and Pioneer Tape Deck CT-F6282 (the remaining piece of his stereo system he bought in the 70s)

I do get a hum in the speakers occasionally.
In January, I replaced the original stylus. The stylus was doing really well but recently I'm not getting as dynamic of a sound. I did the protractor and tracking force set up. I had to get the wire pins redone because I messed that up.

So I don't know if my stylus is already worn, my reciever isn't working as well or my speakers are messed up.

I wanted to see if I needed to get the Onkyo serviced however the local electronic repair place doesn't typically work on them because of the difficulty of getting replacement parts and the next closest repair person is (i think last i checked was like 200 miles away).

Any and all feedback will be so appreciated. I would never ask this in any other forum but I know the people here are friendly and really helpful and not judgy at all.

Thank you Thank you Thank you!
 
girlnevergoesout said:
Hello!! I've always been very intimidated by persuing upgrades to my system. I'm hoping someone can steer me in the right direction for small upgrades (probably under $500).

My setup (which is mostly my dad's stereo):

Pro-Ject Debut III (with Ortofon Red 2m, Pro-Ject acrylic platter and Project speed box) which was my upgrade from his cheap 90s turntable
Onkyo TX-8210
Bose 161 speakers (black, I'm trying to remember when he bought them maybe early 00s?)
Pioneer PD-4300 CD player
and Pioneer Tape Deck CT-F6282 (the remaining piece of his stereo system he bought in the 70s)

I do get a hum in the speakers occasionally.
In January, I replaced the original stylus. The stylus was doing really well but recently I'm not getting as dynamic of a sound. I did the protractor and tracking force set up. I had to get the wire pins redone because I messed that up.

So I don't know if my stylus is already worn, my reciever isn't working as well or my speakers are messed up.

I wanted to see if I needed to get the Onkyo serviced however the local electronic repair place doesn't typically work on them because of the difficulty of getting replacement parts and the next closest repair person is (i think last i checked was like 200 miles away).

Any and all feedback will be so appreciated. I would never ask this in any other forum but I know the people here are friendly and really helpful and not judgy at all.

Thank you Thank you Thank you!
Click to expand...

Thanks for your questions. No need to be intimidated here- we don't do snobby or attitude.
I see two areas where you can improve things on your budget.

The good news is that your stylus is likely fine unless it's been damaged due to mishandling of the arm. No way is your issue stylus wear since you replaced the stylus 5 months ago.

The hum and lack of dynamics are likely related. Your receiver is over 25 years old. I'm thinking the capacitors in the power supply are on their way out. This would account for both of your problems. Unless you've got a sentimental reason to hang onto it, I'd look into replacing your Onkyo. Your budget give some really good options. Remember that most of today's amplifiers do not have phono capability, so you'll need a phono stage too.

Down the road when you can do it, I'd recommend a speaker upgrade as well. You'll be shocked how much you aren't hearing with the speakers you currently own.
 
Here are a couple of options. Both are factory refurbished, a good way to save some money.
Both are integrated amplifiers- no built in tuner. Option 1 is well under budget and has a phono stage built in.

NAD 316BEE V2

Option 2 goes a little over budget but may be a better long term choice. This is a killer price on this amp- actually both are.

NAD 326BEE

Schiit Mani Phono Preamplifier
 
HiFi Guy said:
Thanks for your questions. No need to be intimidated here- we don't do snobby or attitude.
I see two areas where you can improve things on your budget.

The good news is that your stylus is likely fine unless it's been damaged due to mishandling of the arm. No way is your issue stylus wear since you replaced the stylus 5 months ago.

The hum and lack of dynamics are likely related. Your receiver is over 25 years old. I'm thinking the capacitors in the power supply are on their way out. This would account for both of your problems. Unless you've got a sentimental reason to hang onto it, I'd look into replacing your Onkyo. Your budget give some really good options. Remember that most of today's amplifiers do not have phono capability, so you'll need a phono stage too.

Down the road when you can do it, I'd recommend a speaker upgrade as well. You'll be shocked how much you aren't hearing with the speakers you currently own.
Click to expand...

Awesome! Thank you so much for the recommendations. I need to think about which option to go with but I'm leaning towards the second one. Hopefully towards the end of the year I can ask for speaker recommendations!

I appreciate this so much @HiFi Guy.
 
girlnevergoesout said:
Awesome! Thank you so much for the recommendations. I need to think about which option to go with but I'm leaning towards the second one. Hopefully towards the end of the year I can ask for speaker recommendations!

I appreciate this so much @HiFi Guy.
Click to expand...

Option 2 is worth the extra cash is you can stretch a few dollars.
 
HiFi Guy said:
Option 2 is worth the extra cash is you can stretch a few dollars.
Click to expand...

If I can bump my budget to $800-$1000 dollars and get option 2, are there any worthwhile speaker upgrades I can afford?

(side note: I won money playing bingo a couple weeks ago and am trying to hold on to as much of it as possible but think this is my best chance to be able to get stereo upgrades with free money.)
 
girlnevergoesout said:
If I can bump my budget to $800-$1000 dollars and get option 2, are there any worthwhile speaker upgrades I can afford?

(side note: I won money playing bingo a couple weeks ago and am trying to hold on to as much of it as possible but think this is my best chance to be able to get stereo upgrades with free money.)
Click to expand...

How much space do you have for speakers? Do you want floorstanding speakers or something smaller?
 
HiFi Guy said:
How much space do you have for speakers? Do you want floorstanding speakers or something smaller?
Click to expand...

I don't have room in our apartment for standing speakers. I think that will have to come later when we move back to our house, which is at least 2 years away I think.
 
Similar to @girlnevergoesout I’ve been somewhat intimidated to upgrade my setup due to my rudimentary knowledge in this field, but this forum is so nonjudgmental and enlightened it seems silly to not pursue some advice.

I got my current system about 5 years ago to give my daughters a more active environment to experience music, and now my oldest (6 years old) is getting more and more into it, so I figured she can participate in the upgrades and hear the difference with me. Right now we have a very simple combination of a U-Turn Orbit w/ Preamp built-in, acrylic platter and a Grado Black1 cartridge that is ready to replace. At the time I was keeping things as simple as possible, so our only speakers are Powered Audioengine A2+ 2-ways.

Space constraints (and visual) are probably limiting us to stick with bookshelf speakers (was looking at the Klipsch The Sixes pair, and love the look of them, and the reviews of their sound are nearly all positive), with the possible addition of a soundbar or sub-woofer. I’d be open to adding a receiver and switching to passive speakers, if that would upgrade the sound quality. I was also looking at going to the Grado Prestige Gold2 as a cartridge replacement, but again, that’s an idea born from the thought “this cost more, thus, must be better” so I’m open to any alternative upgrades.

Those are the simple ideas I’d been looking at, but I’d be open to any other options that fit our set-up and improve the sound quality (even replacing the TT if that’s a smart next step). Preferable budget would be somewhere between 1-2k.

Any information is MUCH appreciated. Thanks!

Edit - I am also raising dancers, so any ideas on vibration control would be welcomed.
 
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MikeyP said:
Similar to @girlnevergoesout I’ve been somewhat intimidated to upgrade my setup due to my rudimentary knowledge in this field, but this forum is so nonjudgmental and enlightened it seems silly to not pursue some advice.

I got my current system about 5 years ago to give my daughters a more active environment to experience music, and now my oldest (6 years old) is getting more and more into it, so I figured she can participate in the upgrades and hear the difference with me. Right now we have a very simple combination of a U-Turn Orbit w/ Preamp built-in, acrylic platter and a Grado Black1 cartridge that is ready to replace. At the time I was keeping things as simple as possible, so our only speakers are Powered Audioengine A2+ 2-ways.

Space constraints (and visual) are probably limiting us to stick with bookshelf speakers (was looking at the Klipsch The Sixes pair, and love the look of them, and the reviews of their sound are nearly all positive), with the possible addition of a soundbar or sub-woofer. I’d be open to adding a receiver and switching to passive speakers, if that would upgrade the sound quality. I was also looking at going to the Grado Prestige Gold2 as a cartridge replacement, but again, that’s an idea born from the thought “this cost more, thus, must be better” so I’m open to any alternative upgrades.

Those are the simple ideas I’d been looking at, but I’d be open to any other options that fit our set-up and improve the sound quality (even replacing the TT if that’s a smart next step). Preferable budget would be somewhere between 1-2k.

Any information is MUCH appreciated. Thanks!

Edit - I am also raising dancers, so any ideas on vibration control would be welcomed.
Click to expand...
I had an Orbit custom with the Grado Black on an acrylic platter, also with a built in pluto and powered speakers. The first "positive" switch was going to an integrated amp with a phono pre. The second was going from the Black to the Gold Grado. All these steps will bring more than an average jump in your listening enjoyment. Just depends on the budget and time ;)
 
AnthonyI said:
I had an Orbit custom with the Grado Black on an acrylic platter, also with a built in pluto and powered speakers. The first "positive" switch was going to an integrated amp with a phono pre. The second was going from the Black to the Gold Grado. All these steps will bring more than an average jump in your listening enjoyment. Just depends on the budget and time ;)
Click to expand...
Thanks for the input! Did you do all this while continuing to use your existing powered speakers? Which amp did you end up getting?

My worry is that one of my components will be the ceiling for my system (I'm assuming the speakers, since I can only do bookshelf), and I'll spend a fortune on other components that can greatly outperform that ceiling, but are capped by it.
 
MikeyP said:
Thanks for the input! Did you do all this while continuing to use your existing powered speakers? Which amp did you end up getting?

My worry is that one of my components will be the ceiling for my system (I'm assuming the speakers, since I can only do bookshelf), and I'll spend a fortune on other components that can greatly outperform that ceiling, but are capped by it.
Click to expand...
I had an old Yamaha AV receiver I used with the powered speakers set to passive and it sounded awful. I picked up the ELAC B6's, which I would recommend. The amp was next, and I found a really nice spot where I paused for a good while and the system sounded amazing. The Orbit with the Gold, NAD integrated amp, Vincent Pho8 pre and the ELACS.....all of which I would recommend and should make you very happy for a good long time or until you get the itch, lol
 
Previously, I was experiencing a hum when connecting the power cord on my turntable to a power strip/extension chord. And then I plugged it directly to the wall outlet and the hum sound was eliminated. However, the power cord for my turntable is a bit short and was wondering if there was a longer power cord or maybe a better power strip out there that would also help in eliminating the hum? My family room is small and I don’t have a lot of space to work with in terms of moving my set up around.
 
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