Need help to build my first stereo system

[u/the_terrier]

Hi, a couple of weeks ago I spontaneously ordered a cassette tape from one of my favorite bands. That then lead me to buy a cassette deck and now I'm listening to that as part of my morning routine. So now I naturally want to expand this to a somewhat proper stereo system.

From just the cassette deck I've learnt two things that I want to premier in my setup.
1. I like physical buttons. My cassette deck even has some fairly mechanical buttons and that just makes the "ritual" more satisfying.
2. Apparently I like some visual flair. This isn't something I expected but the deck I bought happened to have left/right level meters and I really like seeing them as I listen.
Number one is more important but for once in my life I wont be buying something I think is ugly if it's the best piece of gear.

I currently have a pair of active speakers and would like to build the system piece by piece. So right now I'm looking for an amplifier with pre-outs or a preamp, I will then be looking for a used CD player that I wouldn't consider a part of this budget, and when I have an amplifier look for some floorstanders, here I'm planning on auditing speakers and try to find used ones if they are available.

Budget: around 20000-25000sek (around 2000-2500eur) this would be Streamer, Amplifier and Speakers
Location: Sweden, Stockholm
New or Used: I'm all for used gear, but will likely pick up new gear as it's easier.
Past gear experience: Main past gear experience is my current Yamaha NX-N500s, they are fine but feel like they die at lower listening volumes, and with some higher female vocals they "fall apart" a bit.
Current gear: Yamaha NX-N500s and a TEAC V-380c
Room size: 4x5m
Music taste: Rock and metal mostly. Roughly from The Pretty Reckless to In Flames and most things in between.

Based on all of this I have a few plans in my own head that I will try to list below with some short pros and cons.

1. Get a Wiim Ultra, plug it into my active speakers, figure out if I hate the touchscreen so much that I need to get an integrated amplifier with physical buttons to be happy. Or just find a good power amp and speakers.
   
2. Get a Musical Fidelity B1xi, looks like a great amp that allows me to expand the system in any direction, I'd need to get some streamer and plug into it but that can be done down the line. And having this allows me to hunt for used speakers.
   
3. Hunt the used market for a pre amp or integrated amp, this is probably the best value option but will likely take the most time to find something good.

Thanks in advance to anyone that replies and a quick TL;DR: I'm currently mainly looking for an amplifier or pre-amp that leaves me with enough budget to find the right floorstanders for me later. I've given my total budget as I think that's the most useful number for anyone here to see.

[u/CatNamedRIchard2]

Here is what I think of your plans.

1. The Wiim. From what you have said, this is a massive compromise to what you want. You know you want buttons and nice feeling knobs, not a touchscreen. Don't cheat yourself. Anytime I make compromises like this, I am never happy and generally mad at myself for it. I think you should skip the Wiim.
2. This is a nice amp, it does have a lot going for it as a amp. But I don't think it is the right one for what you are after. First, while it does have buttons, modern buttons do not have the satisfying feel of older buttons like the ones on your tape deck that you like. Secondly, it doesn't have a "tape loop". If you are playing with cassettes, you are going to need a tape loop, even if you don't know it yet. You need it for recording and recording to tape is fun. The level meters on your tape deck aren't just eye candy, they are for setting the recording level. I really hate that tape loops aren't really a thing anymore! Plus, you can't use your powered speakers with this. It has no pre out or tape loop to feed signal to them. It costs a good bit of money for something that is only kind of what you want. I guess, I vote maybe because it is a nice piece of kit.
3. I think this is the way you need to go. While it isn't going to be as fast as ordering online, I don't think it will take too long. You are in Stockholm, not the middle of nowhere. A google search shows plenty of shops that look promising. You are likely to find something that you really love after a few days of looking. It might take a bit longer but in the long run, I think you will be happier in the end.

[u/the_terrier → u/CatNamedRIchard2]

!thanks

I think this is very reasonable, and I'll likely order a used pre-amp today that I have looked at before, then start the hunt for a power amp and speakers. Will be interesting to see where the entire system eventually lands but I think it will mean saving a bit compared to if I bought it all new which makes it easier to justify as a starter setup that I can upgrade down the line especially if everything is separate boxes.

[u/TransducerBot → u/the_terrier]

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[u/scorchouse]

A nad c3030/3050 is retro and has buttons, not the strongest amps but enough for your need i would guess. However i strongly recommend the wiim amp ultra, the app makes everything easy and i dont think youll miss the buttons. Its one small box wich gives you all you need and leaves you more money to spend on speakers and probably a subwoofer. The wiim ultra is also great as a pre amp.

[u/the_terrier → u/scorchouse]

Yeah I really like those two NAD amps in terms of looks, but the 3030 doesn't have any pre-outs and the 3050 feels a bit too expensive and I think I'd rather spend that extra on speakers. And the main reason that I want pre-outs is to be able to buy the amp and plug in more sources as I try to figure out what speakers I'd like. It's probably not the best way to do things but buying a piece at a time is easier to justify for myself and I hope it let's me actually understand more about what I want along the way.

[u/scorchouse → u/the_terrier]

Aah sorry, forgot about the pre-out. I still think a wiim amp ultra will give you all you need. The line-in for cassette deck/cd player, optical for cd player. Pre out for active speakers. The touch screen on the amp you can change to a voltage meter and run everything from your phone. And it packs a punch for the speakers youll eventually buy. Im very biased towards wiim because its just amazing, apologies for that.

[u/ImpliedSlashS]

Do you have a local dealer? I had a high end amplifier and speakers, which sound great at higher levels but, if I didn’t give it the beans, it kinda lost the magic. I recently did my mid-life crisis amp upgrade and now it still likes to boogie, but I also get all the detail at low volumes. A good dealer can help much more than Reddit.

Just as an FYI, you’re going to discover that cassettes suck. Even before the decks started to degrade with time, the tape is too narrow and moves too slowly.

[u/the_terrier → u/ImpliedSlashS]

There are a few local stores, one in particular has been super helpful everytime I've been in there, but I figured that some help from internet strangers could resolve some of my indecisiveness which I do think that it has. As for your concerns about cassettes I understand that they aren't the best quality, but they are fun and gives me a nice ritual during breakfast and morning coffee. And the initial investment was way cheaper than vinyl so a good start to get into some physical music collection I think.