I’m new to HiFi and vinyl. Which should I upgrade first?

So I’m newish to vinyl and have been collecting for about a year. I have started to become tired of the way my system sounds though. I want to start slowly upgrading my system, but I have no idea what is the most necessary to upgrade. I’m hoping somebody can tell me which piece of hardware is in the most need of an upgrade. Also keep in mind that my system is a budget system. I plan to upgrade everything at some point. I just don’t know where to start.

My System:
-Kenwood KD-2070 vintage turntable
-Audio Technica AT3600L Cartdridge with matching stylus
-JVC RX-505V stereo receiver with built in phono preamp
-I am using some tower speakers from a karaoke system. Yes, I know they are really cheap, but they are better than nothing. Serial number is STVD-1001

Any advice for what I should upgrade first would be greatly appreciated. I’m assuming either the cartridge or speakers, because those seem to be that cheapest things in my system. I am also pretty happy with the turntable I have now and doubt that it should be the first thing upgraded. Lastly, I also have an external preamp that I got on Amazon for around 15$. Is it worth using the stereo’s built in preamp, or should I use the external one alongside the receiver?

 

I think it's always useful to know where your end point is likely to be in terms of cost for your system, as recommendations for a better component may be OTT if you're determined not to go down the rabbit hole.

Personally I went through a number of upgrades before going 'daft', it would have made more sense to save up and jump in at a higher level for all my components, a system that's not going to cause another itch.

 

I think you should plan to change everything. With that in mind, start with speakers.

 

Depends on what your priorities are. Are you concerned about record preservation for example? Or is best sound for the money more important?
There are other avenues like cleaning and storage methods that you can start to spend money on, they make a difference too.

I usually think cart, pre amp and speakers make the most difference though.
As for the pre amps, here is a very conclusive comparison video of what to buy under 50$:


For around 100$ the Schiit money is a good one.

 

I would upgrade the speakers and then the cartridge. As for the phono preamp, I'd upgrade it to at least an Art DJ Pre II.

Please provide a budget of how much you're willing to spend upgrading your system.

 

Speakers!

Do your research and buy the "best" ones that you can afford.

 

Buy the most exy speakers you can afford that are 6 ohm or higher impeadance and 88db sensitivity or higher... they will work with what you currently have... change and improve your sound drastically and when you are ready to upgrade will work with any amp 40 watts or more... in essence they will be future proof ... buy your new TT and cart next but do it together, then get an integrated amp with a phono input... upgrade to a stand alone phono later if you feel the need... i went TT, amp, cart, speakers and defs went about it the wrong way.

 

The most noticeable improvement will come from speakers. Buy a pair of JBL Stage A170's, about $600. Your turntable, who knows. For starters, align the cartridge as per the operator's instructions. Typically, that's an easy job for a turntable like yours with an s-shaped tonearm. Just set stylus tip to headshell tail distance to Kenwood's recommendation (50.5mm) and square the cartridge to the headshell. That's it, unless the cartridge is not level when tonearm is lowered to a record. If the cartridge is tail high you will need to shim it to be level, and, of course, re-set stylus to headshell tail distance and re-square cartridge to headshell. After this work, compare and contrast LP sound to same music streamed to your phone, listening via earbuds. You will be analyzing any divergence in detail or distortion between mediums. If the LP does not produce detail and/or sounds distorted, easy to recognize on the last tune on a record side, you will want to buy a new cartridge. Buy an Ortofon 2M Blue in an SH-4 Headshell, about $270. Your Receiver's phono preamp will support great results with the 2M Blue. And, BTW, your TT is a really nice unit. One more thing, the A-T cartridge you have on your TT is an entry level cartridge with spherical bonded diamond stylus, it's rated for 500 hours tracking a force of 2 grams. This cartridge may have been included with the TT, and thus, it may already be properly aligned and leveled. While this cartridge might satisfy you, there's no question you will get more from the groove with the Ortofon 2M Blue.

 

Definitely upgrade speakers first. I think of them as the least "sexy" upgrade but they really make a difference.

 

I have an Art DJ Pre II I’m wanting to part with for cheap if the OP is interested.

 

No! Speakers are the sexiest component. I have a very intimate relationship with my B&W's. It's been going on for years!

 

Thanks for the great advice. I decided the best thing would probably be to buy some new speakers first. My budget is pretty tight though. Anyone know of some decent speakers in the 150-200$ range, or will I have save up for some better ones?

 

My view , don't spend too much on speakers, a good speakers can really sing with a very good turntable, speakers are just the obvious and of course sound comes out of them.

When I upgraded my vinyl fronted system, I had a maximum amount of money to spend,after a dem buying the deck and keeping my speakers was obviously the way to go. However those more expensive alternative speakers finally became mine after I'd further upgraded by vinyl front end and they've been with me since 1987.

 

Yeah, how about the most expensive and awesome speakers and cartridge you can justify buying, then all Schitt to go with it?

I am just editing this response now, because I realize the brand I sell is a reasonable suggestion. A pair of the least expensive Audio Note AN/E speakers (about $4500) and cartridge (about $600) are forever keepers. Then Schitt is all very inexpensive, but good sounding. For the speakers, 20 wpc is more than plenty of power, so that keeps the investment necessary for the speakers really cheap. If you don't lust for deep bass (which I do) then smaller AN speakers are less expensive.

 

SPEAKERS.

The best amp in the world will not make a crappy speaker sound good.

 

The weak link in your system is definitely the speakers. Get a nice pair of name brand satellites (e.g. Polk audio) with woofers at least 5.5" and get an entry level subwoofer. It will change your life.
Amazon has a Polk sub for $99 that is perfect for such a system.

BTW, I sold Hi-Fi between 1976 and 1982. I've always believed the speakers were the most critical part of a system when starting from scratch (without going overboard). A lot of Karaoke speakers use a piezo tweeter. Those are beyond terrible for hi-fi. I have a couple of floor monitors with piezo tweeters. My main PA speakers with an aluminum horn also used $3 Piezo tweeters with a 15" woofer. Sounded terrible. I swapped them out with titanium (and a matching crossover) and it LITERALLY made these speakers hi-fi. I'm not suggesting titanium driven horns in your case. In fact, for home use I'm still crazy about dome tweeters for home systems though, in the lower to mid-ranged price ranges.

 

how are your local thrift stores? I am constantly finding good speakers for cheap prices.

 

Buy the best speakers you can afford. You can't build a good stereo without being able to actually HEAR the differences as you upgrade. My 2 cents...

 

Your credit card.

 

I see a a lot of people say speakers outright. And I get it, its a really weak link here and will make the most difference likely.
But we still dont know the budget or priorities of the OP.
I for example really dont enjoy distortions and want my records to last. Better speakers would only amplify the clarity of the problem which might be a bigger drawback than gain, and better carts and Styli have been highest on my list early on which has helped a lot.

 

Speakers 1st, and IF Budget is order of the day maybe look at pre-owned(and if FleaBay check Sellers Feedback.. Obviously) some good IMO Speakers from back in the day..and can still be found for a fair price -

JPW ML310
KEF CODA 7
WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 9
TANNOY MERCURY ME

Gale and Mission feature among the list.. Here's a What HiFi list..

The best 30 hi-fi speakers of What Hi-Fi?'s lifetime | What Hi-Fi?

**Which I think you might have to Copy and Paste into your Browser.

 

Don't upgrade anything. Go listen to speakers and systems. Get to know the limitations and compromises. Wait until you find a set of speakers you can afford and live with, then build in the rest as best you can. If you listen to 20 or 30 different systems in the next two years, you'll probably have some good opinions.

 

My local thrift store is usually paced with speakers. I just don’t usually bother to look at them, because I figured they weren’t any good. That’s a thing to keep in mind though the next time I go there.

 

Without knowing the budget, we cannot begin to suggest specific items.
Yes speakers would be important in this case, but a $50.00 set of Monoprice bookshelf speakers would likely sound better than what he/she has... (Not recommending, just an example)
Craigslist / ebay… I just purchased an adcom amp and pre-amp on ebay without breaking the bank which sound better than the Onkyo HT receiver that I have with vinyl...
Good equipment can be had for reasonable prices if you plan out what you want to accomplish.
Then and only then can you prioritize what to replace.

 

The answer to that is how may you look to upgrade other components?

The ELAC Debut 2 is $225https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B4Q5587/ref=psdc_3236451011_t1_B002LPTH92 they would be worth the extra if your future deck and amp would justify the outlay.
ELAC Debut B6.2 review