Customer - “Hiyah! I need a decent vinyl system, but I'm on a tight budget.”

Us - “Don’t worry, we’re here to help and this is not our first rodeo.”

Customers who are unfamiliar with Audio T, perhaps acting on a friend’s recommendation, often feel as if they need to empty their bank account to own a system that will give them joy. This is especially true if they happen to be a hi-fi novice who has friends who have been cultivating and upgrading their systems over a number of years. A mature vinyl replay setup which to the untrained eye, may look complicated and expensive. We’ll let you into a secret; it doesn’t have to be…

“this is what i’d have, if it was my money miss”

Record Player

If we’re talking record players, few manufacturers can boast such a pedigree as Rega. Now well into their 51st year, Rega of Southend-on-Sea is known for producing quality hi-fi entirely in Essex, and for those on a modest budget, squeezing every last drop of performance from every penny spent. The phrase “Sweat your assets” might have been coined for them.

For this enquiry we shall choose the entry-level Rega Planar 1 turntable. Starting at £299* (although the walnut finish photographed is £329*) it displays the core design philosophy of Rega turntables (and Colin Chapman of Lotus Cars) ‘Add lightness.’ Rega hold that mass in a turntable will absorb energy, we need all the energy that is generated in a pick-up cartridge to be transferred to the amplifier, so we make the supporting system as light as possible. We also want the fewest losses in the system of cantilevers, beams and bearings as we can, so the system has to be as rigid and as closely-toleranced as possible. Simple, light and stiff; rather like a good martini.

the rega planar 1 playing a record. unsurprising, given its brief.

Lively and always up for a good time, this deck can only be characterised as F.U.N.

Amplifiers

On the subject of amplifiers for vinyl playback - Some suggest that it makes sense to choose a manufacturer of turntables to produce an amplifier that will ensure the best quality replay from a vinyl source. Now, let’s not forget that we working with a budget conscious customer… Enter the Rega iO at £420*. Developed especially to partner the Rega Planar 1 and Planar 2 turntables, the iO is a simplified version of Rega’s venerable and hugely popular Brio amplifier (currently on sale at £549) It has just three inputs – Moving Magnet for vinyl and two line-level, (maybe for the value-for-money music streamer, the Wiim Pro, which I reviewed a few months ago.) Do not be deceived by modest dimensions of the iO, with the correct partnering speakers, this amplifier has horsepower enough to rock your room.

the rega io amplifier, playing through its turtable input, very, very, quietly.

Cables

black rhodium intro loudspeaker cable. note the ferite ring under the white heatshrink. unusual at this price point.

The connection between amplifier and speaker can be marred by the wrong choice of cable. We could be tempted to use something like QED 79 Strand to keep costs down, but in this case we are vastly better-served by choosing something that has been designed to sound much better. A personal favourite of ours is the Black Rhodium Intro loudspeaker cable at £70 for a 3m pair. These are factory-terminated, directional cables with ferrite cores at their terminus and they absolutely sing. With a sparkling treble, decent weight and surprising scale, our system suddenly sounds much more expensive.

Speakers

Finally, we come to my favourite inexpensive loudspeakers, the Acoustic Energy AE100² at £279*. Available in black, walnut or white, music pours out of them in such a hearty, good-natured fashion, you simply cannot help but raise a smile. Are they the last word in loudspeaker transparency? Absolutely not. Are they enjoyable and fun to listen to? Unequivocally, yes. Do they want you to have a good time? Without a doubt! And, so do we. So, if you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to contact us