why is vinyl so quiet?

[agentsteel]

Hi there

I recently got a turntable and tried playing some older vinyls and they are just so damn quite I have to turn the dial all the way to 11 but with CDs I can do just fine with around 9 oclock...

Newer vinyl presses that I've tried playing were louder though, so I was wondering is there a way to make vinyl louder?

[frenchmon]

Hi there

I recently got a turntable and tried playing some older vinyls and they are just so damn quite I have to turn the dial all the way to 11 but with CDs I can do just fine with around 9 oclock...

Newer vinyl presses that I've tried playing were louder though, so I was wondering is there a way to make vinyl louder?

Are you using a phono amp?

[agentsteel]

yes haha

my amp has a phono stage

[agentsteel]

My amp is an integrated and takes MM cartridge type, the cartridge is a Audio-Technica a120e...

[E-Stat]

Newer vinyl presses that I've tried playing were louder though, so I was wondering is there a way to make vinyl louder?
So long as you are capable of fully driving your amp as is, relative gain is largely irrelevant. Having more would simply clip your amp faster! CD players have an advantage in that most of them put out enough voltage to drive amplifiers directly (which is what I do) and are then typically amplified again by a line stage. Also, so much music today is so radically compressed, that is sounds louder too.

Count your blessings. Real dynamic range is good.
rw

[mlsstl]

The different setting needed with the amp's volume knob is only an issue if it still isn't loud enough when you have the knob cranked all the way.

Your phono preamp apparently doesn't have quite as much gain as the CD player's line output stage. That's not an uncommon problem when source components are mixed and matched in a system.

However, your amp can still put out its full power as long as your volume knob doesn't run out of range.