[Letitroll98]

Here's a vid by Steve for his Audiophiliac blog.  A few of his recommendations are over our C&C guidelines, but you can mix and match enough to easily come in under our $1,200 slush level, with some combinations coming well under the $1,000 limit.

https://youtu.be/Fdb8wLd73Tg

As I've recently complained about having to watch boring linked videos to understand a post, I'll list all of his recommendations below for further discussion.

SPEAKERS:
JBL Stage A170 $500
Klipsch RP 600M $550
Teckton Mini Lore $575
Emotiva T1plus $699
Elac Debut F5.2 $600
Elac Debut F6.2 $800
KEF Q350 $700
Elac UB5 $500
Klipsch RP 5000F $870
Magnapan LRS $650

AMPS:
Outlaw RR2160 $850
Onkyo TX 8270 $500
NAD C316EEE $450
Vista Spark $349
Cambridge Audio AXA35 $350

TURNTABLE:
Fluance RT80 $170
PHONO PRE:
Schitt Mani $129
DAC:
Schitt Modi $99

Prices Steve quoted are all retail, some he neglected to quote a price or I missed it so I looked it up and posted whatever online price came up.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

You can go even cheaper with the Elac BR6.2's for $300.

Great list.  I would include the PS Audio Sprout 100 with its built in DAC and 100 wpc at 4 ohms for $699.  No need for the Modi.

[Letitroll98]

I agree, for some reason he limited the bottom price for speakers to $500.  I assume to cull the list down to manageable.  I posted on the order he listed them in the video, and he left his highest speaker recommendation last, the LRS Steve proclaimed as the best by far if you have a high current amp and can place them away from walls.  For amps the Outlaw was his fav, albeit the most expensive too.  I'd spend an extra $100 on the Fluance RT 82, much better than the RT 80 which is now $199.  The Sprout is a great sounding unit, have they updated the on board DAC?

[Mag]

   I object to these budget audio recommendations, like it is comparable in sound to higher priced High Resolution gear. Sure there's a level of performance that is quite good. But I have been there and if it's a good as is being promoted. I would have been content rather than seek out better quality sounding gear.

I know I know it is subjective like for example when I Auditioned Bryston Model T speakers. To my ears it was clearly superior to the other speakers in the room. Yet there were those who still preferred one of the other speaker brands. I just shook my head in dis-belief.

One must remember Reviewers like Steve Guttenberg are Salesman first Audiophile second. That is how they have and are still making a living.

And that is when I realized why there is so much BS in Audio. Because people are making a living buying & selling gear. They are not necessarily audiophiles with Golden Ears. So I stop worrying about it, the BS will continue, High Fidelity will take a back seat to people making a living.

[Letitroll98]

   I object to these budget audio recommendations, like it is comparable in sound to higher priced High Resolution gear. Sure there's a level of performance that is quite good. But I have been there and if it's a good as is being promoted. I would have been content rather than seek out better quality sounding gear.

I know I know it is subjective like for example when I Auditioned Bryston Model T speakers. To my ears it was clearly superior to the other speakers in the room. Yet there were those who still preferred one of the other speaker brands. I just shook my head in dis-belief.

One must remember Reviewers like Steve Guttenberg are Salesman first Audiophile second. That is how they have and are still making a living.

And that is when I realized why there is so much BS in Audio. Because people are making a living buying & selling gear. They are not necessarily audiophiles with Golden Ears. So I stop worrying about it, the BS will continue, High Fidelity will take a back seat to people making a living.

Dear sir, may I respectfully remind you that this is the Cheap and Cheerful circle.  The first thing being cheap, we have a total system limit of $1,000, with a slush of $1,200.  The second is Cheerful, which translates to fun, the whole idea of the circle is to have fun with a little bit of money.  The theme is all smiles, no looking for the n'th degree of resolution or fidelity (my spell check changed that to "religion or turkey", appropriate).   Many here have a serious big rig and treat this circle as their basement spare parts bin, a place to tinker, others are looking for the best bargains, a large percentage love diy.  Whatever your reason, it's for fun and enjoyment, I sincerely hope everyone has a ball here and all are welcome.

[Poultrygeist]

I would include the $129 Volt+D on the list. Measures well ( ASR ) and sounds better than it measures.

[dB Cooper]

The Maggies might bend the budget if you intend to give them a truly adequate (read: high current capable) amp

[Mojo Warrior]

SG lives in fantasyland. This list is unrealistic. Someone getting into music and hi fi is going to be younger. That means that they are probably consuming music by streaming.

1) Most young people listen to new releases. Very few will listen to the record collection of their grandparents.

2) New releases on vinyl are as rare as hen's teeth. Not to mention prohibitively expensive for those on low income.

3) Turntables belong to the generation that grew up with vinyl (baby boomers) and they can spin their favorite albums from the 1970s. Not appropriate for younger listener starting their journey into hi fi.

4) Instead of turntables, he should have focused on streamers to provide the music. It is the most cost-effective and convenient way to explore new music in 2021.

5) Even $1200 USD is beyond the reach of many during the pandemic due to unemployment. A stimulus check might buy you a nice stereo system which is useless if you can't put food on the table.

6) Yes, there is a hipster in the family with an extensive collection vinyl but he doesn't even own a turntable!

[WGH]

SG lives in fantasyland. This list is unrealistic. Someone getting into music and hi fi is going to be younger. That means that they are probably consuming music by streaming.

1) Most young people listen to new releases. Very few will listen to the record collection of their grandparents.

3) Turntables belong to the generation that grew up with vinyl (baby boomers) and they can spin their favorite albums from the 1970s. Not appropriate for younger listener starting their journey into hi fi.

Au contraire MW, the annual Tucson Record Show is filled with young record collectors, both guys and gals. It is not unusual to see a 20 something with a milk crate filled with vinyl at checkout.

Not a bald head in the house.

6) Yes, there is a hipster in the family with an extensive collection vinyl but he doesn't even own a turntable!

That would be me 
Actually my turntable is sitting on my bedroom dresser because I ran out of room in the media room when I moved. No room for a turntable or phono preamp until I build a new rack.

[Tom Bombadil]

Is the Outlaw RR2160 for $850 still available?

Their website shows only the RR2160 MkII for $999.

Difficult to build a $1000-$1250 system around a thousand dollar receiver. 

If I were trying to stay in this price range, I'd be looking at receivers or integrated amps which have built-in streamers, like a Marantz NR1200, Denon DRA-800H or something of this ilk. 

[charmerci]

I don't earn a lot of money and music is vital for me. I deeply appreciate the C&C circle - though my wallet doesn't!   I've obtained a number of very nice sounding deals for my sensitive ears because of this, as well as other sections of AC.

[SET Man]

SG lives in fantasyland. This list is unrealistic. Someone getting into music and hi fi is going to be younger. That means that they are probably consuming music by streaming.

1) Most young people listen to new releases. Very few will listen to the record collection of their grandparents.

2) New releases on vinyl are as rare as hen's teeth. Not to mention prohibitively expensive for those on low income.

3) Turntables belong to the generation that grew up with vinyl (baby boomers) and they can spin their favorite albums from the 1970s. Not appropriate for younger listener starting their journey into hi fi.

4) Instead of turntables, he should have focused on streamers to provide the music. It is the most cost-effective and convenient way to explore new music in 2021.

5) Even $1200 USD is beyond the reach of many during the pandemic due to unemployment. A stimulus check might buy you a nice stereo system which is useless if you can't put food on the table.

6) Yes, there is a hipster in the family with an extensive collection vinyl but he doesn't even own a turntable!

Hey!
     Man! Not sure where you have been living?

1) Yes, young people are listening to new releases. But every time I go to flea markets around here in NYC. I always see young people I would say 30 and below going through boxes of used vinyls and they aren't cheap like back in the '90s! And if you go to record stores in NYC, you'll see more youngsters than boomers for sure. Sometime I'd go to the Urban Outfitter stores to check out some limited edition vinyl there and I feel so old when I go in there and I'm 43! 

2) New music on vinyl are as rare as hen's teeth? No! Far from it. I noticed the past 5 years, especially now all the new releases are on vinyl. You can check what's the hot new artists right now and I can bet you that you can get their albums on vinyl. And not to mention that some new albums are pressed on different colors vinyl. And if you are in the US and watch the late TV talk show like Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and etc you'll see they are showing the musical guest's album on vinyl!

3) I think they are many boomers streaming music today. And why turntable is not appropriate for young people? Well, maybe not for 5 years old. But the young people is the main reason and mostly responsible for the vinyl revival. They might start with cheap turntable but I'm sure some of them will stumble into and discover "Hi End" audio because of that.

6) Yes, I do find this funny. I guess for some young people buying vinyl is like collecting sneakers or Pokemon card or something.
 
   Anyway, as for Steve Guttenberg's list to make $1250... I wouldn't take it too seriously. And if I were starting in audio today, I would look for used stuffs first. Newer doesn't always mean better. With so many audio reviewers on YouTube now coming out with video reviews of so many "the next best thing" and "favor of the month" some people will take it too seriously and get caught on the upgrade spin around, it won't be long to see many of those on used market soon.
   
Buddy

[lazydays]

SG lives in fantasyland. This list is unrealistic. Someone getting into music and hi fi is going to be younger. That means that they are probably consuming music by streaming.

1) Most young people listen to new releases. Very few will listen to the record collection of their grandparents.

***kinda wrong here if you look around. Young people are dead hooked on 60's and 70's music just as much as they listen to the latest releases. You go to a ysed record place, and two thirds of the people looking will be well under 25 years of age

2) New releases on vinyl are as rare as hen's teeth. Not to mention prohibitively expensive for those on low income.


3) Turntables belong to the generation that grew up with vinyl (baby boomers) and they can spin their favorite albums from the 1970s. Not appropriate for younger listener starting their journey into hi fi.

4) Instead of turntables, he should have focused on streamers to provide the music. It is the most cost-effective and convenient way to explore new music in 2021.

*** even Walmart sells records these days, and guess who's buying them? Teenagers!

5) Even $1200 USD is beyond the reach of many during the pandemic due to unemployment. A stimulus check might buy you a nice stereo system which is useless if you can't put food on the table.

I agree that a streamer may well have been a better investment than a turntable, but a good one is north of $1000, or you can simply buy a Blue whatever it is for around $430. Yet your gonna need a way to load the data into it with an external hard drive to get your ever growing collection stored.

6) Yes, there is a hipster in the family with an extensive collection vinyl but he doesn't even own a turntable!

I have a few people ask me weekly about buying a turntable. I tell them to shop the flea markets for a good used JVC Q series turntable and forget that Technics even exists. Unlike us old folks, kids have great hearing and have digital figured out as a scam.
gary

[lazydays]

As many know, I'm somewhat cheap. Actually very cheap at times.

Here's a system I could put together tonight for a little less than the $1250 bundle posted

*Amp would be an inter grated (you pick your medicine here. (I'd probably hunt up a good used Onkyo for well under three hundred)

*a tuner is something I want and you can find nice ones in the fifty to seventy five dollar range all day long

*Speakers are a mixed bag here. I'd rather have a nice little fifty watt amp and some good speakers that some two hundred watt monster with
  cheap speakers. Actually $300 will put you into some nice speakers in great shape. I'd buy good monitors and build
  a pair of stands (not real hard to do). Right now you should be a tick under the $800 mark if you put your nose to the ground.

* Ah! a second source! A turntable and cartridge will put you at the $1000 dollar mark if you shop around (Grado cartridge and that JVC turntable
   Or you can buy a nice CD player (entry level maybe). Best Buys has a Sony blue ray player that will do SACD and come in at around a hundred
   bucks. Not the best for sure, but it's a start


I'm doing a small upstairs system right now, and it's three quarters there right now

Amps are probably going to be a pair of ASL Wave Eights unless I find a serious deal on a small amp/preamp combo. I also have the ASL matching tube preamp laying on the same shelf. (all told I have about five hundred in them). Yet that's not fair! I can buy a Pioneer Elite receiver for dirt cheap at the flea markets (almost always well under fifty dollars). Speakers will be a pair of Tannoy monitors on a used pair of Skyline stands filled with cat litter. (about $85 including shipping and they are mint condition). Tuner is going to be an Onkyo T9 that I have sixty dollars in (bought it with a blown fuse). Turntable is going to be a JVC Q series that will come in well under a hundred and will smoke the SL1200 seven days a week. Cartridge will probably be a Grado or Ortofon (less that two hundred for sure). I'll have enough money left over to buy a new CD player or a streamer to boot. If I buy a streamer, I can look for a good used CD player to rip CD's. Actually, I still have a CAL Delta but the remote is shot.
gary

P.S. why buy speaker stands? Go to the scrap yard and buy five feet of three or even four inch inch diameter round tubing. Then buy two pieces of 1020 CRS steel that are about 8" x  11" x 1/2" thick plus two more pieces that are 3/8th" x 8" x 10". Cut the tube to whatever length you desire (they will usually do it for you). Then go and buy a file and clean the edges up.  Same thing for the top plates (3/8th's thick), but they'll only need a hole in the center (to pour in the cat littler). Now go out and buy a case of beer for your buddy to weld all this up. Next thing you want is four pieces of good 3/4" plywood to attach to the bottom plates and a tube of Liquid Nails to glue the plywood together. Attach the plywood to the base, and go visit Lowes for some metal screw inserts for the plywood. Now you are ready for the leveling screws (how ever you want to do them). While at Lowes or Walmart; buy a couple cans of whatever color you want them in (don't do pink please). You'll now have a similar stand to the old Sollioquy speaker stands (I have a pair). Maybe be out a hundred bucks total and some dirty finger nails. Wish build a rack was this easy!
gary

[Doublej]

I don't think the Sony player is going to have analog audio outputs. However you can get a $35 Sony DVD player from BB that does have  analog audio outputs.

Want a cheap streamer? Get an Echo Dot.

Want an even cheaper setup? Use a laptop with built in DVD drive and streamer and connect using a 3.5mm cable or get a USB DAC for as little as $25 and connect it to the laptop.

Want wireless from the laptop to your stereo? The Echo Dot supports Bluetooth so you can wirelessly stream from the laptop.

Another option for C&C speakers is the Klipsch RP-500M. Danny Richie has a YouTube on them. He says they measure well. They were on sale recently for $250/pair.

Want a super low cost setup. Pick up a pair of active loudspeakers such as the JBL L305P or Kali LP-6 for under $250 and use your laptop as above.

Rock on...

[lazydays]

I don't think the Sony player is going to have analog audio outputs. However you can get a $35 Sony DVD player from BB that does have  analog audio outputs.

Want a cheap streamer? Get an Echo Dot.

Want an even cheaper setup? Use a laptop with built in DVD drive and streamer and connect using a 3.5mm cable or get a USB DAC for as little as $25 and connect it to the laptop.

Want wireless from the laptop to your stereo? The Echo Dot supports Bluetooth so you can wirelessly stream from the laptop.

Another option for C&C speakers is the Klipsch RP-500M. Danny Richie has a YouTube on them. He says they measure well. They were on sale recently for $250/pair.

Want a super low cost setup. Pick up a pair of active loudspeakers such as the JBL L305P or Kali LP-6 for under $250 and use your laptop as above.

Rock on...

I have one Sony I use as a blue ray player, and it has the RCA's and HDMI connections. How it sounds musically is unknown as I only use it with the TV. ($59 at HH Greggs)  I picked up a DVP=NS775P at a flea market for about fifteen dollars (works fine) it doesn't have the HDMI connections, but a full set of RCA's, and coax and optical outputs. Wish I had the remote sold with it! I also have a Samsung, and it does SACD as well. It doesn't have the coax out put, but does have the optical (also works well). I have ten bucks in that one. All I wanted it for was to use as a transport feeding a DAC and hard drive. Plus I really like SACD music.
gary

[Letitroll98]

I have one Sony I use as a blue ray player, and it has the RCA's and HDMI connections. How it sounds musically is unknown as I only use it with the TV. ($59 at HH Greggs)  I picked up a DVP=NS775P at a flea market for about fifteen dollars (works fine) it doesn't have the HDMI connections, but a full set of RCA's, and coax and optical outputs. Wish I had the remote sold with it! I also have a Samsung, and it does SACD as well. It doesn't have the coax out put, but does have the optical (also works well). I have ten bucks in that one. All I wanted it for was to use as a transport feeding a DAC and hard drive. Plus I really like SACD music.
gary

Remotes for just about anything are available online for $10-15.  Sometimes the actual remote for that specific model are available for higher prices, but the Chinese clones work fine.

[Craig B]

For the couple of posters who object to the very concept of this list, I offer these thoughts:

1. No one, including SG, is suggesting this system betters expensive high end systems. These are simply components that SG found worth hearing, within a given price range. In one way or another he found them satisfying. He never said they're the best out there. There are many, many levels of "better," all up and down the $ scale, so objecting to the list for those reasons is missing the entire point.

2. While it may be primarily younger people who are looking for music playback on a budget, they're far from the only ones. Many audiophiles I "grew up" with are at or reaching retirement age now, and being older has never enjoyed a causal relationship with having large amounts of discretionary income. And  income isn't the only thing that becomes limited as we age. Many of us are forced to downsize physically at some point as well, a process that is often aided by, or at least related to, limited budgets.

3. I will grant that streaming may be the more economical model for obtaining music, but as others have stated here, LP collecting is far from an old person's game. New releases aren't available on LP as often as they are on digital formats, but they're far from scarce.  And while I, too, was shocked at the price of LPs after being out of the market for some decades, I shouldn't have been. If you check the US Labor Department's inflation calculator, you'll find that the LP prices I/we enjoyed in the early '70s translate to about $35 a disc when adjusted for inflation. I've found most non-audiophile releases in retail outlets tend to go from $28-$32 a disc or less. Audiophile records are more expensive than that, but that's always been true. So should he have included other source components? Maybe, but he didn't.

So take Guttenberg's list for what it is - one person's pass at identifying equipment that can be musically satisfying on a budget. Nothing more than that is claimed for it. Cheap and cheerful.