need Turn table advise

mrbofus

I had this posted in another area but thought I would try it here.
During my Receiver upgrade to an Onkyo SR-507 (it an "upgrade" from what I had) I dont have a phono hook up so I need a pre-amp so the question below goes as such.....my next "project"

Ok guys, I got on a different project for a while. Now the wife wants to listen to LPs so I need to get this going. I looked at the NADpp2 for $129 and I need a new cartridge $49+ (P-mount) to make the 20yr old turntable work.
Once again is a better way to go just get a new TT with built in pre amp?
I could spend $200-$250 maybe on new.
By the way my current TT is a Technics DC Servo automatic turntable model # SLBD27 if that help at all. ---late 80's model----
Thanks
Greg

I seen phone pre amp like on ebay "new" for $15-50. Are they worth a darn? I know you get what you pay for................

ozzy21236

mrbofus,
I'd like to recommend keeping your technics if what you want to do is play Lps and not mess with aligning carts (not that its hard to do)etc. I have read about people on forums I frequent that are happy with the offerings from phonopreamps .com . I believe the tc750lc would suit your needs well.

What cart is currently on your table ? If you like the house sound of the cart manufacturer, than perhaps a replacement or upgraded stylus would be all you need.

However, should you just want to get something new , the Grado black p-mount for $60 from lpgear should do you well and your playing records for about $120. The beauty of pmounts is that you screw them into the tonearm and get to it.
Good luck in your choice and keep em spinnin'.

Russ

jimmydep

I also use the TC-750LC with good results......it's a decent entry level amp for the price..

mrbofus

ozzy21236 wrote: »

mrbofus,
I'd like to recommend keeping your technics if what you want to do is play Lps and not mess with aligning carts (not that its hard to do)etc. I have read about people on forums I frequent that are happy with the offerings from phonopreamps .com . I believe the tc750lc would suit your needs well.

What cart is currently on your table ? If you like the house sound of the cart manufacturer, than perhaps a replacement or upgraded stylus would be all you need.

However, should you just want to get something new , the Grado black p-mount for $60 from lpgear should do you well and your playing records for about $120. The beauty of pmounts is that you screw them into the tonearm and get to it.
Good luck in your choice and keep em spinnin'.

Russ

Russ,
I just ordered the TCC750LC, one problem solved. The cartridge is the original one and the needle-stylus? is missing so I guess if I can find just that I would be ready to go. I,ve checked out lp gear and for $27 I can get a new stylus. ebay some for $16.
Would a "upgraded" cartridge produce better sound on a older TT like I have?
---Greg

hearingimpared

mrbofus wrote: »

Russ,
I just ordered the TCC750LC, one problem solved. The cartridge is the original one and the needle-stylus? is missing so I guess if I can find just that I would be ready to go. I,ve checked out lp gear and for $27 I can get a new stylus. ebay some for $16.
Would a "upgraded" cartridge produce better sound on a older TT like I have?
---Greg

Absolutely! Make sure whoever you purchase the new cartridge from you tell them what your tonearm is so they can determine the compatibility.

ozzy21236

mrbofus wrote: »

Russ,
I just ordered the TCC750LC, one problem solved. The cartridge is the original one and the needle-stylus? is missing so I guess if I can find just that I would be ready to go. I,ve checked out lp gear and for $27 I can get a new stylus. ebay some for $16.
Would a "upgraded" cartridge produce better sound on a older TT like I have?
---Greg

Yes an upgraded cartridge OR an upgraded stylus would improve sound quality. If I'm not mistaken , the original stylus in your cartridge had a conical stylus shape. An elliptical , hyper elliptical or fine line stylus will ride lower in the groove than a conical , thus extracting more detail . Most important is to keep those records clean and clean the stylus every few sides.
Russ

hearingimpared

ozzy21236 wrote: »

Yes an upgraded cartridge OR an upgraded stylus would improve sound quality. If I'm not mistaken , the original stylus in your cartridge had a conical stylus shape. An elliptical , hyper elliptical or fine line stylus will ride lower in the groove than a conical , thus extracting more detail . Most important is to keep those records clean and clean the stylus every few sides.
Russ

Excellent advice. Just for the record I clean my stylus after each side. A lot of crap flies around and lands on a spinning, static charged piece of vinyl.

Fine line styli tracks better also.

mrbofus

Thanks for the input guys.
We will see what develops.
Greg

mrbofus

hearingimpared wrote: »

Absolutely! Make sure whoever you purchase the new cartridge from you tell them what your tonearm is so they can determine the compatibility.

Any Budget friendly suggestions? I know right now I am just putting perfume on a pig. But if it goes round and round and makes noise the little woman can enjoy "her" music.
In the future I would like to upgrade the TT but not in the budget right now.
-Greg

hearingimpared

Here ya go;

http://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/rcleaner.htm

http://www.needledoctor.com/Online-Store/Phono-Cartridges

http://www.adelcom.net/cartridge.htm

They should keep you busy for a while.

garypen

mrbofus wrote: »

Any Budget friendly suggestions? I know right now I am just putting perfume on a pig. But if it goes round and round and makes noise the little woman can enjoy "her" music.
In the future I would like to upgrade the TT but not in the budget right now.
-Greg

Audio-Technica makes some nice cartridges:
http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/site/b535f9ffd4a85477/index.html
(They also make a nice USB-enabled turntable with phono preamp built-in for less than $100. But, you already ordered a pre-amp, so that's moot.)

This joint is good for preamps and cartridges:
http://www.phonopreamps.com/index.html#Cartridges

mrbofus

OK Guys,
I purchased the TCC TC750LC-listed above-- and hooked it up this weekend. The level dial is turned all the way up and it seems that I have the AVR volume turned up considerabley more than say CD or radio to get the same volume level out of the speakers.
This is a pretty simple hook up. How could i screw it up?
Any suggestions or is that just the way it is?
It works, I just have to turn the AVR up more.....

NJPOLKER

Buy a real nice CDP and forget about all the head aches associated with TT's & albums.

Hey Joey How do you like them apples?

Polkersince85

What is the volt output of the cartridge? The TC750LC has a input sensitivity of 3.0 mv for the max 1.8 v output into your pre. If the cart output is less then you will have to turn the volume up. Double check your alignment making sure you have equal volume on R & L channels.


.

hearingimpared

mrbofus wrote: »

OK Guys,
I purchased the TCC TC750LC-listed above-- and hooked it up this weekend. The level dial is turned all the way up and it seems that I have the AVR volume turned up considerabley more than say CD or radio to get the same volume level out of the speakers.
This is a pretty simple hook up. How could i screw it up?
Any suggestions or is that just the way it is?
It works, I just have to turn the AVR up more.....

I have the same situation with my turntable vs my CD volume. Not as extreme as yours but I have to turn the volume up to almost 3:00. It is probably because of the low output of the cartridge and a mismatch of gain in your preamp.

hearingimpared

NJPOLKER wrote: »

Buy a real nice CDP and forget about all the head aches associated with TT's & albums.

Hey Joey How do you like them apples?

:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p

PSOVLSK

I have the same TT. I got a new cartridge from needledoctor.com. I just got the stock replacement, nothing fancy. I don't have the volume problem you describe.

I just ordered a Pro-ject Debut III, so I'll let you know if it will be worth it to you to upgrade in the future...at least the small upgrade I made.

mrbofus

hearingimpared wrote: »

I have the same situation with my turntable vs my CD volume. Not as extreme as yours but I have to turn the volume up to almost 3:00. It is probably because of the low output of the cartridge and a mismatch of gain in your preamp.

Sounds reasonable if I knew what you were talking about. What should i be looking for?
I just hooked up my new onkyo CD changer and it is the same situation. Volume on CD about 40 vs radio volume 24
Any furthe advise appreciated
Greg

jimmydep

I have the same situation, I need to increase the volume setting 25% more than with my other inputs to achieve the same level of volume. I have the gain set to max on the TC-750LC. I hope this is normal......


Jimmy

hearingimpared

mrbofus wrote: »

Sounds reasonable if I knew what you were talking about. What should i be looking for?
I just hooked up my new onkyo CD changer and it is the same situation. Volume on CD about 40 vs radio volume 24
Any furthe advise appreciated
Greg

Does the AVR you are using have a phono stage input? If it does have a phono stage input then you should be able to look up adjusting the gain in the phono stage in your AVR manual and it should explain any phono stage gain adjustments if any. I would think if it does have a phono stage they would have a series of adjustments, maybe just some pots or straps that would allow you to raise the gain to a higher db level. There may also be a an MM/MC cartridge switch that you could check to see if it is set to the proper cartridge type. Although these switches up the gain from the MC to MM cartridge it may not be enough for your cartridge so if that is not the case then you'd still have to check the manual for internal gain stage adjustment.

If not, and you have it plugged into an AUX port or the such, there is your problem right there. You will need to buy a phono preamp.

EDIT I just read your original post in this thread. I'm not sure if you are plugged into an AVR or a new phono pre but the above still applies as far as increasing the gain in your phono pre.

mrbofus

hearingimpared wrote: »

Does the AVR you are using have a phono stage input? If it does have a phono stage input then you should be able to look up adjusting the gain in the phono stage in your AVR manual and it should explain any phono stage gain adjustments if any. I would think if it does have a phono stage they would have a series of adjustments, maybe just some pots or straps that would allow you to raise the gain to a higher db level. There may also be a an MM/MC cartridge switch that you could check to see if it is set to the proper cartridge type. Although these switches up the gain from the MC to MM cartridge it may not be enough for your cartridge so if that is not the case then you'd still have to check the manual for internal gain stage adjustment.

If not, and you have it plugged into an AUX port or the such, there is your problem right there. You will need to buy a phono preamp.

EDIT I just read your original post in this thread. I'm not sure if you are plugged into an AVR or a new phono pre but the above still applies as far as increasing the gain in your phono pre.

My AVR does not have a phono out.
I am using a phono pre-amp like the one pictured in the above post.
The cartridge is the original and the new stylus is the replacement for the TT. So Im not sure what s going on, I can play the TT just have to turn up the volume more.

hearingimpared

mrbofus wrote: »

My AVR does not have a phono out.
I am using a phono pre-amp like the one pictured in the above post.
The cartridge is the original and the new stylus is the replacement for the TT. So Im not sure what s going on, I can play the TT just have to turn up the volume more.

Have you checked your phono pre for gain adjustment? The information should be in your manual if they provide for gain adjustment. Even though a pre is for MM carts it still may have some gain adjustment ability.

inspiredsports

The best "budget" solid state RIAA phono preamp I have found is the Thorens MM001, generally trading at $50 - $60 on eBay.

If you like NAD and are going to spend $130, you can get a whole NAD 1600 preamp on eBay for about that and it is one of the best preamps with a great phono stage ever built.

doctor r

Not uncommon. Phono pre lists a 1.8 volt output with a 3 mv cartridge. If your cartridge output is less then the phono pre will be reduced. Many CDP outputs run about 2 to3 volt outputs. You will always have to turn up the volume with the phono to "hear" similar volumes compared to the higher output CDP.