Turntables--preamps (1 Viewer)

[MichaelM]

My reciever (Onkyo) doesn't have a dedicated Phono input. So does this mean I have to buy a preamp to hook my turntable into first? I saw a Sony Turntable that said it had a preamp built in. I have an old Pioneer turntable. Is there a way to tell if it has a preamp builtin? It's very old (over 15 years) so I'm assuming it doesn't.

Thanks!

 

[Danny Tse]

Yes, turntables require their own dedicated pre-amps. As for why, I am sure someone can explain it much better than I can.

While I haven't listened to any of those turntables that come with build-in phono pre-amps, I don't think they can be any good. The turntables in question are generally at the very bottom of the turntable ladder. The often-mentioned Radio Shack "little rat" photo pre-amp can be had for about $30.00 or less when it was available; you may want to check your local RS. I have read that the RS phono pre-amp is as good as, if not better than, the NAD PP-1 phono pre-amp ($120.00).

 

[Saurav]

So does this mean I have to buy a preamp to hook my turntable into first?

You need a "phono preamp" or a "phono stage", not a regular preamp. The output of a phono cartridge is about 1000 times weaker than the output of a normal CD player, so it needs extra amplification. The signal also needs to be equalized because it's put onto the vinyl with a specific EQ applied to it (for various reasons).

I would assume that your turntable doesn't have a phono stage built it. You can find out by connecting it to a regular (Aux) input on your receiver. If you have to turn the volume way up and the sound is thin and shrill, you don't have a phono stage in the turntable.

I can second Danny's recommendation for the $25 Radio Shack phono stage, if you can find it anywhere. Other than that, your options are in the $100 range, unless you can DIY and then you can build a simple one for say $50 or so.