Yamaha AX-570 amp

[blackraven]

I think my question has changed from "which phono preamp" to "which turntable?". The TT I have seems to be very low end. So I think I'm going to begin looking for a better one. What are the main things I need to consider? Thanks.

First off, what is your budget? Is vinyl going to be your first choice of listening? You will need a decent phono preamp regardless of which TT you buy. Also, many budget TT's come with an Ortofon 2M Red Cartridge. It is way over hyped and it is a $100 cartridge. It is a little grainy and bright sounding. I prefer the 2M blue which is more refined. If you prefer a warmer sound like I do, then you will want to upgrade to another cartridge as the 2M Red and Blue are anything but warm.

Here are some medium priced TT's to consider.


Pro-ject Carbon Debut Esprit-great TT for a budget.

Pro-ject 1Xpression Carbon

Music Hall 5.3

Music Hall Ikura

Rega RP-3

Music Hall MMF7.1

And my favorite, the Clear Audio Concept. Read up on this TT.

The Music Hall 7.1 and the CAC are the most expensive and both are very good TT's. The Rega RP-3 and MH Ikura are also good TT's.

I have heard many of these TT's at the Needle Dr here in town. They sell on line as well and are very helpful it you need advice on TT's and related gear as well as which phono preamp to pair with a TT and cartridge. They are always willing to talk on the phone.

Needle Doctor

[Mr Peabody]

The Concept with the more expensive cart option is a great package if budget permits and Musical Surroundings phono stages have good synergy. The one to get I believe is just under $1k. Another option would be the Marantz Reference table which is a Clearaudio, this table has all good reviews and described as a great bang for your buck, comes with cart.

The Rega P3 also is a good performer with a Dynavector dv10x5 cart. There is also other good cart options depending on the type of sound you like in the $300.00 to $500.00 range.

The turntable, cart & phono stage work together as the analog source. You have to have them as a comparable package, meaning you can't really cheap out on either. However, it's pretty much agreed amongst those who know that a better table with a lesser cart is better than a cheap table with expensive cart.

Remind me what you are using now. Also, Blakkraven's other suggestions are good. I heard my friend's Music Hall 7.1 with 2m Black and it sounded good. I need to hear it again now that he has a better phono stage.

The budget is the main thing, then you can shop the options in that range.

[Yamahog12]

The TT my wife bought for me is an "ION" something or other. She bought it because I had mentioned I wanted to get one that will digitize my vinyls. So maybe I could keep it if just for that purpose. Some of the albums I have are relatively obscure and finding them on CD is very challenging sometimes, so I wanted to burn them to CD so I can play some of it on my garage stereo which I use a lot during the summer. The lack of super high quality equipment out there is overlooked when I have a few beers!

I think I'm gonna set the limit to about $1,000 total for a TT, preamp and cartridge.

[blackraven]

With a $1K budget, I would consider the Pro-ject Carbon Debut Esprit with the Ortofon 2M Blue and get a Vincent phono preamp-

Project Debut Carbon Esprit in Black with upgraded Ortofon 2M Blue stylus.

Vincent Audio PHO-8 Phono Preamp

Reviews on this phono preamp are positive and it seems to have good synergy with Ortofon 2M cartridges

This would come in just over $1K and would be a very nice system.

You could also go with the regular Carbon Debut DC which comes with the 2M Red cartridge and ask the Needle Doctor if they would give you credit on the 2M Red for an upgrade to the 2M Blue which is a better sounding cartridge, smoother, less bright, better tracking and less background noise. It will save you a little coin. But the Esprit is a better TT with a speed controller and a better platter


You will also need some Interconnects. Blue Jeans Cable makes very low capacitance RCA IC's (which is what you want for a phono IC) for about $30pr

If you really want to go budget, you can get a Denon DP-300F TT, Emotiva phono preamp and a Nagaoka MP-110 cartridge. Nagaoka Cartridges perform way above their price points. They tend to lean to the warmer side which is great for poorly recorded LP's.

DENON DP-300F Belt Drive Fully Automatic Analog Turntable | Accessories4less

https://emotiva.com/products/pres-and-pros/xps-1

Nagaoka MP-110 phono cartridge,Nagaoka MP 110 phono cartridge,Nagaoka MP110 phono cartridge,Nagaoka MP-110 phonograph cartridge,Nagaoka MP 110 phonograph cartridge,Nagaoka MP110 phonograph cartridge,Nagaoka MP-110 phonograph cartridge,Nagaoka MP 110

This will get the job done but you get what you pay for. All 3 pieces have pretty good reviews. I guess it depends upon how much vinyl you will listen to and the quality of the recordings. Poor recordings sound bad even on good gear.

[Yamahog12]

I think I have run into a snag regarding the inputs of my Peachtree amp. There is just one set of AUX inputs into which a phono preamp would be connected. But I also want to connect my TV/DVD player to the amp so as to use the system for audio when watching a movie DVD.

I thought I could do it by splitting the red and white AUX inputs and connecting the TT to one split and the TV to the other. The TT I have has a built-in preamp so I don't currently have a separate one and the amp doesn't have one. When I first hooked everything up this way, the TV was off and the TT played fine (although with less power than the CD player). Yesterday I had the TV on and muted the volume while I went to play a record on the TT. The sound was terrible and weak.

To play the TV through the external system you must select that option on the TV menu. Since I had not opted to do that, I didn't think the TV would interfere with the TT signal. Turning the TV off initially provided no benefit, however at some point the TT signal "came back" but obviously something isn't right. When I pulled out the "Y" splitters and plugged the TT directly into the AUX inputs, it was fine. So I almost certain the problem happens when the TV and TT are sharing the AUX inputs.

Is there a way to run the TV sound and a TT through the Peachtree nova220 amp? I can live without the TV audio going through the system if I must, but I'd prefer to have the ability to do it, and still connect the TT (which I plan to upgrade) to the amp.

I know I'm very ignorant about these systems and I appreciate all the help you guys are able to convey.

[JoeE SP9]

A switch box like the one in the link below is what you need. It accommodates up to six stereo inputs with one stereo output.

http://www.amazon.com/TC-716-Stereo-...elector+switch

[Yamahog12]

Thank you.

[Yamahog12]

I haven't actually decided what my budget is yet, because I don't know what good TTs and cartridges cost. Vinyl will not be my main medium to listen to but I have quite a few records from my younger days, and I always took good care of them so they're still in great shape.

Knowing very little about the costs, I'd say my limit is $1000 total for the TT, cartridge and preamp. I played a couple albums on the TT I currently have and now I have the itch to get something nicer. I played some stuff I hadn't listened to in 30 years or more, and it got me all sentimental!

Since I now have a nicer amp and speakers than in the past, the vinyl sounded good even with the cheap TT my wife bought for me. Once I get a new TT, I hope I can switch it out without her noticing although she has admitted it wasn't very expensive and I don't think she'd mind.

I'll check out your suggestions and thanks for your help.