what do you play your VINYL on...?

Rotel is miles better than Akai! Your friend's system has a big problem!

Try Nad also, i can't tell you better in the price range.

Nad and Rotel inegrated should features the required connectics (however i'm not sure cause their products are minimalist as all musical devices).

Why do you need these connectics?

My father had a big Akai integrated, i can tell that's very bad, not musical.

    You should replace your Akaï amp by a Nad or a Rotel. That's very poor. Keep the Mission on another hand and cable your system with QED cables!

Yes, all is available at half price on second hand.
You can buy through ebay, but that's better to meet the seller before to check that the device is fine.
    

Edited by oliverstoned - April 25 2006 at 15:59

You can have much pleasure, that's very useful investment, worth some work!

As you live in USA, the best country for hifi, as a amp, i would advice you what i have: Jolida 302, which is quite as good as a Conrad Johnson (american reference tube brand) for less than third of the price. That's the real deal. (It's an integrated, so you don't need preamp):


    


You aLso have the best cables brands with Transparent cables, Nordost, Cardas , Kimber cables, Tara labs (rather for entry level products), etc...



As cheap loudspeakers, i advice you a pair of
good bookshelf Boston on good feet.



    

Edited by oliverstoned - April 26 2006 at 02:29

You are right!

This is a little wonder...







    
    

Edited by oliverstoned - April 25 2006 at 15:03

In UK, its' available for the ridiculous price of £274 new (the last version moreover).
The original RB300 arm is very good, and the original
"super Elyss" cartrige provided with it, is a nice musical little one.

Rega 3 is an extremely musical source which beats many CD It can even be used on big system with a big moving coil cartridge. Fantastic source for the price, it also has the advantage to be a very simple design, easy to fit.

You can also get it on second hand for about half of the price.

A FANTASTIC SOURCE FOR THE PRICE

http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk

"A grown-up version of the Planar 2, this classic deck has sold in vast quantities since its inception way back in 1978. Although it gets an improved plinth, platter and bearing, its most distinguishing feature is the RB300 arm - a budget classic if ever there was one. Given a good cartridge and proper siting on a vibration-free support, the Planar 3 will embarrass many far more expensive CD players. Its civilised yet musical performance is soft and subtle yet detailed and engaging.

Although bettered by slightly more expensive separate turntable/arm combinations, as a 'plug in and play' solution it's superb. And it's also the only turntable available in purple - an extra £15 buys you a choice of seven pretty colours!"




    
    
Rega website:

"For over twenty years the P3 has been the favourite high performance turntable for the music loving public, having a beguiling blend of classically clean looks, high performance and amazing value for money.

This latest version carries some new innovative changes in design, which make it without doubt the highest performance and musical P3 to date. Just some of the features include an ultra low mass micro-fibre plinth laminated with highly rigid phenolic resin laminate.

The Motor

The P3 motor assembly uses the very highest quality synchronous motor found in turntables five times the price of the P3! The motor is itself controlled by Rega's innovative new electronic circuitry, which results in this already low vibration motor running almost totally vibration free.

The Platter

The platter is hand crafted from floated plate glass 12mm in thickness. This makes for a superb platter material as it has few resonance problems, is extremely flat and has good mass.

The Tonearm

The P3 carries arguably the most famous tonearm ever produced, the legendary RB300. This tonearm will never be found wanting for performance and will make cartridges work very hard to provide you with astonishing quantities of musical detail."

Edited by oliverstoned - April 25 2006 at 14:37

Rega Planar 3 is what you need.

Don't point at me and laugh! Im no audiophile :)  I have a Technics SL-bd22. It's sitting in an unlevel position but not so bad it causes skipping.  I let the needle wear down so badly even I could hear the difference when I put a new one in. I put in a audio technica dc20.

  I've been thinking of a serious upgrade. When you guys say "budget" turntable what do ya mean. I know to an audiophile a budget thing can be 2000 dollars worth of budget :) I can't afford that much. Thanks.

And what about tubes amps, cables, vib'cancelling and power optimization?