Can I use Denon DRA-37 with a turntable?

wcap07 · 07-25-2007, 03:05 AM

This is sort of a silly, newbie question I suppose but....

Is it possible to use the Denon DRA-37 tuner with a turntable? If so, how?

The context for my question:

Our 20 year old Denon tuner has started developing some problems, and we decided to replace it. We don't need surround sound, and the best choices of the less expensive models at the store I was at seemed to be either this Denon or an identically-priced Onkyo (don't recall model, but it was one that was set up to connect to two tape decks). The Denon seemed to have more different imput and output options, so I chose the Denon.

When I got this home, I first realized that there was no ground connection for my turntable (a 20 year old Denon turntable), and then I realized there was no place designated to connect a turntable otherwise either (something I totally missed in the store). I tried connecting the turntable to one of the spare sets of connections (though there was no way to connect the ground), but I found that the signal was very very weak, and the only way to get sound from a record was to turn the volume way up (and even then the sound is sort of strange and lacking in fullness and sort of high-pitched and weak.

After doing some Google searching I found mention of pre-amps being necessary with turntables. Presumably this was built into our old tuner, but not this new one.

So, should I just return this tuner? Or is there a work around for this that is not very expensive? (I do recall that the Onkyo did have connections for "Phono", or something along those lines, so maybe that one would work?).

(This is probably a good reason why I should have gone shopping at a decent audio store rather than Circuit City....the sales staff at Circuit City were totally useless, and unable to answer any of my questions.)

Thanks in advance for any advice any of you can give me!

Ed Moxley · 07-25-2007, 06:45 AM

You can go to Radio Shack, and get a phono pre-amp, like this one:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=search
and attach your ground wire to the receiver case, where a case screw is.

It might be easier in the long run, to take it back and get the Onkyo, if it has a phono input.

Just curious.........why don't you need surround sound? Already have it, or not interested?

EDIT:
Here are some on eBay, ranging from cheap to expensive. I've never used one, so I don't know if the more expensive ones will enhance the experience or not.
http://search.ebay.com/search/search...amp&category0=

wcap07 · 07-25-2007, 11:06 AM

Thanks so much for your very fast response to my question.

I guess it is going to come down to whether or not the features of the Denon warrant the extra hassle and slightly higher expense of getting the pre-amp. The Denon seems to have more input and output options, and I wonder whether it might take us into the next decade slightly better than the Onkyo.

On the other hand, mostly what we want is to be able to listen to the radio and to music (CD's and old records mostly, and a few tapes), so probably either will be fine. Both the Denon and Onkyo cost about $200.

Regarding surround sound...

This might be sort of a crazy thing to say in a home theater forum, but I guess we simply don't feel a huge need to spend the extra money. I was tempted yesterday by complete surround sound sysetems that did not cost all that much more than what I bought, but the sound was not impressing me that much, and it was seeming clear that a surround sound sytem worth setting up (with worthy speakers) would cost a lot more than we wanted to spend on this sort of thing right now. If we are not going to do it right, it seems like it is probably not worth doing.

And then there is the matter of where to put all those speakers in our already crowded, cramped living room, and the hassle of running the wires to all of them.

And we don't actually watch that many DVD's.

Mostly we just want our stereo system to be functional again.

I think what really put me off the surround sound thing yesterday though was listening to the two-speaker Bose system that was running demo programs in the store. WOW, what a sound! Cheaper systems did not seem worth bothering with after hearing that. It cost about $1000.

Ed Moxley · 07-25-2007, 11:18 AM

Oh no! Not Bose! Stay far, far away..............
You can buy so much better, for the same money!

wcap07 · 07-25-2007, 11:54 AM

Well, I had always wondered whether Bose was more hype than substance (based on its ever present ads in magazines). If there there are other brands that are much better, that is really impressive (based on what I heard yesterday). As you can see, I'm pretty naive about high end audio.

Regarding the Denon I bought...

I guess the main feature it has that the Onkyo lacked is the ability to pass both the audio AND the video from a DVD player (and several other video sources) through it to a monitor. This seems like it might be useful at some point (as TV's change, and we eventually end up with a different TV than the old one we have today), but on the other hand, why would a person want or need to do this (rather than just passing the video directly to the monitor from the source of the video)?

I guess I'm thinking that this might just be a matter of convenience...the Denon receiver could act as sort of a central distribution hub not just for audio signals, but also for video signals from multiple sources (with the convenience of its remote to control this all).

Am I on the right track here? Does this seem to be a valid reason to go with the Denon rather than the Onkyo, despite the need for a preamp to get the Denon to work with my turntable?

**HTF Ads**

Ed Moxley · 07-25-2007, 12:50 PM

If you're talking about HDMI passthrough, to receiver, and then the monitor, and the Onkyo doesn't have the HDMI, then the Denon has a little advantage, in that respect. But, if it's just a passthrough, instead of processing the audio, you'll still need to use a digital coax or optical from the dvd player to the receiver, for 5.1 surround audio. In that case, I'd probably use the component outputs, instead of HDMI, for video (unless it's an upconverting dvd player), and coax or optical for audio. If you do that, then the Onkyo will have the advantage, since it has a phono input that the Denon doesn't. Hope this isn't too confusing?

wcap07 · 07-25-2007, 01:17 PM

Well, I guess I am not at all knowledgeable about what HDMI is, but a quick Google search tells me that it is a different kind of connector.

I don't think that is what I'm dealing with here. The back of the Denon has the standard red and white connections for audio, plus some standard looking yellow connections for video.

I didn't follow all of your explanation, but I'm increasingly thinking that an exchange is the way to go.

Thanks so much for your patient explanations of what must be pretty basic questions in a forum like this.

I have little to contribute in this forum I fear other than silly questions (though if we move over to a photography or guitar forum, it would be a different story).

Ed Moxley · 07-25-2007, 02:41 PM

Don't worry about questions. We were all beginners at one time. It comes with reading to learn and experience. Once you get equipment, and go through the setups, and try different things, you'll have some experience, and be able to help someone else, with less experience.

I took several courses in photography. It started out as my major, but I graduated with a commercial art degree. We used 35mm cameras. There was no such thing as a digital camera, back then. I had a Nikon F2 body, and three Nikkor lenses, Honeywell Strobenar, with attache type carrying case for body and lenses. I was really stupid for selling that whole setup. I sure wish I still had them. I'd also love to have a digital SLR with lenses, but I really enjoyed the darkroom work. Now, you need to learn Photoshop, to do what we used to do in a darkroom. It's been so long ago, I've forgotten about everything I learned.

I worked for about a year, doing portrait photography, using a 70mm camera. I didn't care much for that. Too specialized! There's only so many ways to pose somebody...............

I also played guitar some (acoustic). Can't any more. My hand has a muscle or tendon pulling my little finger in towards my palm, on my left hand. I can't chord anymore. I try sometimes, but get extremely frustrated, after about five minutes. I have a Fender DG-7 acoustic. Want a Martin D-35 or D-28, real bad!

Maybe one day I can have my hand operated on, and can get back to playing again.

Anyway........stick around and read the forums regularly. You'll learn a lot doing that. Then with what you learn, you can get in on some of the discussions. Good luck!

wcap07 · 07-27-2007, 10:32 PM

Well, I took back the DRA-37. The one compliment I can give Circuit City is that they took it back without batting an eye.

I then went to a dedicated stereo/home theater store that I had talked to on the phone. After driving through lots of traffic to get there, it turned out they had no Denons in stock (they could have indicated this on the phone....I also could have asked...). They seem to sell mostly NAD, which appear to be very nice, but are more money than I wanted to spend.

I decided though to get a Denon DRA-397. Not only does it have the phono input, but it seems like a better unit overall (I hope so anyway...costs twice as much).

On a lark, I decided to stop into a Best Buy on the way home from my disappointingly unfulfilled trip to the stereo place. I found they actually had some employees who knew something about the items on the shelves, and they had the Denon I wanted in stock.

It really is easy to get sucked in to wanting better and better equipment though, and it is interesting all the rationalizing that can go on in your head as you try to convince yourself that spending lots more money would not only be OK, but that you would be foolish to not do so.

I'm trying to curb my urges in this area though....

I really want a powerful telephoto lens. Heck, I don't just want it, I actually need it, and I'm foolish for not having bought one 6 months ago.............