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What do you use as your preamp in this case? (Stereo preamp, not phono preamp) I don't see preamp kits on either site. I am fairly ignorant about electronics but my understanding is that you take regular inputs, "preamp" them to line level, and then amplify them to speakers - these kits just provide the last step (regular "amplifiers" you buy are integrated and have both)
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Mar 8, 2011 20:22
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You can probably find simple low gain DIY linestage preamps all over the net. The inputs, outputs, switching and volume control complicate things if you want all the bells and whistles. I've been reading Douglas Self's books off and on for months now. They put me right off to sleep but they are chock full of audio goodness. This site is in the UK but they offer kits based on his designs. http://www.signaltransfer.freeuk.com/index.htm I haven't spent enough time looking at linestage preamps to find more links. I'll post if I find anything interesting. That may be my next project. Right now I'm fascinated that a simple opamp can provide 40dB of gain to create a phono stage that sounds fantastic. Look at the guts of a Graham Slee Era Gold V. They sell those things for $1000 bucks when you can make them for $100. In fact, he has a DIY kit much like it at a very reasonable cost. The shipping to the US kind of kills it. I may end up copying it on a breadboard or a perfboard. http://www.diy-audio-kits.com/ On the forums it shows all the calculations and testing that went into creating the phono stage. Fascinating stuff. http://www.gspaudio-community.activeboards.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=745 VVVV Edit: That will work fine bacon!. Just use the volume control on your PC. The first amp I built was run off the headphone jack of a portable CD player. VVVV http://stores.ebay.com/Antek-inc This company makes reasonably priced chassis, heatsinks and toroidial transformers. Based out of New Jersey so you know they got to be good. I built a microphone preamp using one of their 2U chassis. They are shipped flat so you have to put them together. It's easy to strip the screws if you don't have the panels all lined up just right. Paperweight fucked around with this message at 00:07 on Mar 10, 2011 |
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Mar 9, 2011 00:36
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So I'm running a Sony PS-LX250H through an old Aiwa bookshelf system (CX-NHAM86, in case anyone is THAT good). I am enjoying the sound, particularly through headphones, but the whole thing sounds -- muffled. I'm not sure if it's the bass built into the system or the sound reproduction of the turntable. I've heard people say that different turntables/needles/etc. highlight different aspects of audio. I'm thinking of upgrading to the Rega P1 (though I think that's been superseded in the line) or the new TDK (depending on the ultimate ratings). Can anyone suggest "entry-level" models that might carry a (ugh) "brighter" sound? The Modern Leper fucked around with this message at 05:59 on Mar 9, 2011 |
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Mar 9, 2011 05:14
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The RP1 has replaced the P1, and has gotten good reviews. If you aren't looking to spend $400+ then you'd be better off with something vintage. Stick with something from the 70s. Anything heavy and with the least amount of plastic will sound much, much better. You could replace the cartridge for around $80-100 and end up happy as hell.
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Mar 9, 2011 17:37
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I have talked to some electrical engineering buddies and I think I'm going to build one of these bad boys for my office : http://www.chipamp.com/lm3886.shtml. It will only be from a single source, the LINE OUT on my PC, so I don't believe a preamp will be necessary. Just gotta find a sexy pair of bookshelf speakers to go with it.
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Mar 9, 2011 17:54
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Paperweight posted:http://www.chipamp.com/ Offers the lower powered chip amp kits. Mine is based on the Audiosector LM3875 SE kit, which is just components to stuff two amp and rectifier boards and four PCBs - The rest I scraped together from local parts suppliers. I'll have to dig up the reciepts, but it's cost me around AUD$450 so far...
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Mar 9, 2011 21:51
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iamthejeff posted:The RP1 has replaced the P1, and has gotten good reviews. If you aren't looking to spend $400+ then you'd be better off with something vintage. Stick with something from the 70s. Anything heavy and with the least amount of plastic will sound much, much better. You could replace the cartridge for around $80-100 and end up happy as hell. I bought an RP1 a month or two ago and I've been quite happy with it. It's my first turntable in this echelon... very minimalist. The motor is impressively stable. My only complaint is that the Ortofon cart that comes with it is very unforgiving of my vintage records. With pristinely kept and cleaned new records it sounds very musical. I listen to rock, indie, prog, and metal and I find the mids and bright tones crisp and clean. Deeper tones seem somewhat underrepresented compared to my more contemporary Sony and Onkyo turntables I'd owned in the past but there was no side-by-side comparison but instead a 2-year separation in listening sessions. Memories are most certainly unreliable. That said, listening to Yes' Roundabout right now through some headphones is really enjoyable FWIW.
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Mar 10, 2011 05:02
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Does anyone have an opinion about wall mounts for turntables? I don't need it for isolation so much as just maximizing my space; my apartment isn't huge and if I wall-mount my TT I can bring my tower fan back into my living room (no small concern since it's starting to warm up here in LA). I'd be down for DIYing one since TT shelves start at like $160 on Needledoctor; I found this on Audiokarma and it seemed like a decent option (especially since I'm not certain that the section of the wall I'll be mounting it on has two studs - unless of course I'm just being an artard and I can fasten two screws to one stud without affecting the sound). Of course if for some reason it's worth saving up for a proper shelf I'll just save up.
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Mar 10, 2011 23:40
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What's the general thread opinion on used NAD 2 channel receivers/integrated amps? Any particular models to look for? I've always thought of NAD as a good brand, but the reviews I've seen lately of their A/V receivers have been pretty negative.
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Mar 13, 2011 05:23
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Seventyfour posted:What's the general thread opinion on used NAD 2 channel receivers/integrated amps? Any particular models to look for? I've always thought of NAD as a good brand, but the reviews I've seen lately of their A/V receivers have been pretty negative. I have a NAD C355BEE powering my B&W 602.5 towers and it's great. Nice construction, nice controls, sounds great. Not very expensive either. People on internet forums talk about the "NAD Sound" and you either liking or disliking it, but I have no idea what they mean.
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Mar 13, 2011 15:27
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Got quite the score today. "Faulty" from eBay. (click for more images) 1986 built Bang & Olufsen Beogram CD50. Wait for it... $22.05 Picked it up, realigned the jammed loading mechanism, cleaned it inside and out, and it works perfectly and looks absolutely immaculate. Not a mark or scratch on it. It also sounds fantastic - Solid, yet fast and detailed. This is my 17th CD player (what obsession?  ) and is now the new crown jewel of my collection...bacon! posted:What do you use as your preamp in this case? (Stereo preamp, not phono preamp) I don't see preamp kits on either site. It's got a 10k logarithmic pot as a "preamp" of sorts... The line level signal is fed into it and the output goes to the amp. All it does is attenuate the signal from full line level (1-2V peak to peak, maximum volume) to zero, which is silence.
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Mar 14, 2011 11:09
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metaxus posted:It's got a 10k logarithmic pot as a "preamp" of sorts... The line level signal is fed into it and the output goes to the amp. All it does is attenuate the signal from full line level (1-2V peak to peak, maximum volume) to zero, which is silence. I noticed "BrianGT" of audiosector does that as well, so I may check that out. I'm up to ~$320USD in parts so far, and I don't think I'm missing anything. After reading a little more, I'm gonna go with the LM3875 Dual Mono Premium Kit from audiosector instead of the 3886 from chipamp. An Avel 330VA transformer, cardas binding post & rca plug, and a hammond aluminium chassis w/ walnut sides. Should be pretty.
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Mar 14, 2011 16:49
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I found a Hitachi HT-20S with an Audio Technica cartridge (dunno what model) for $60 on craigslist. I can't seem to find any info on Hitachi turntables. Is this thing worth the money?
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Mar 18, 2011 17:47
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Going to pickup a Technics SL1400 today. Ordered an Audio Technica 440MLA cart that should be here Tuesday for this bad boy. Can't wait!
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Mar 19, 2011 13:14
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I purchased an aftermarket needle from turntableneedles.com to replace the OEM needle for my PS-LX250H. The needle fits into the cartridge properly, but the stylus appears to rest too high in the part, so the plastic is scratching against the record. Has anyone bought this needle (211-de-copy) or no any way to deal with this problem in general?
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Mar 19, 2011 18:20
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How many grams do you have the tracking force set for? If it's too much, it will do just what you described. Some stylus will drag on slightly warped records no matter what you do.
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Mar 19, 2011 21:40
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Paperweight posted:How many grams do you have the tracking force set for? If it's too much, it will do just what you described. Some stylus will drag on slightly warped records no matter what you do. Fresh records (one test single, one test album). I'm not crate-digging: I'm basically buying all my new music on vinyl. The Sony PS-LX250H doesn't have an adjustable tonearm, so I can't tell you what the tracking force is. Besides the cost, I'm irritated because the website makes a huge deal about their proprietary turntable/needle matching system to make sure that you buy the correct needle for your turntable.
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Mar 19, 2011 23:14
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The Modern Leper posted:
In the past, I have very, very carefully, bent the stylus tube slightly down to alleviate the drag issue. I have also seen a stylus snapped off doing this. iirc your table uses a spring in the tonearm for tracking force? I am wondering if you might be able to slightly lengthen or alter that spring in some way to yield slightly less force? Maybe just a little careful stretch or something?
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Mar 20, 2011 23:11
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Doc Spratley posted:In the past, I have very, very carefully, bent the stylus tube slightly down to alleviate the drag issue. I have also seen a stylus snapped off doing this. With a pair of tweezers, I bent down the stylus tube (it actually moved faster than I anticipated, which was unsettling). The needle will now play, but there's still some drag from the plastic (I don't think it's affecting sound). Is this a long term concern? Can I sand down the plastic housing a little? EDIT: Bent up the edge of the plastic housing using a pair of needle-nose pliers. Now I just need a record clamp or weight to avoid the peaks and valleys that bring the record in contact with the plastic on occasion. Thanks, Doc Spratley, for getting me over my fear of touching the drat thing. EDIT: In general, do you guys prefer elliptical or conical sylii? I purchased this fancy after-market elliptical variation and, while it does sound good when it works, it's such a sensitive little bitch that it seems that anything less than a perfectly pressed virgin platter will skip all over the place. The Modern Leper fucked around with this message at 02:10 on Mar 21, 2011 |
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Mar 20, 2011 23:38
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So, my lovely needle adventures aside (also, turntableneedles.com never got back to me, so gently caress them right in the rear end), TDK's thrown up the specs for their sexy (to some) new turntable:quote:Dimensions ......................................4.5 (H) x 15 (W) x 17.9 (L) inches I don't know what most of this means, but I know that a lot of people were concerned about the missing specification details.
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Mar 22, 2011 01:56
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Just ordered all the parts to put together a Graham Slee Genera phono stage on perfboard. I stuck with almost all the original parts he used or as close as you can get in the US. Some of the Evox capacitors he uses are hard to find and production is so far behind the backorders won't be filled for a year. Mouser quotes the lead time as 52 weeks and Graham himself said he was having to wait just as long in the UK. I just joined his forum to ask questions about his linear power supply. Apparently, it's a very worthwhile upgrade. He mentioned being a fan of benchtop lab supplies that offer up several amps of current. I'm going to start out with a LM317 regulated 200mA 24 volt DIY supply. I have the main guts to make my own 5-7 amp 24 volt supply eventually. That will be a while before I have enough for parts. I'm still in a pinch from purchasing the Rega P5 for now. Not that I'm complaining. I've enjoyed every minute of playing records on the P5 in the last 2 weeks. Edit: Parts are here, I need a nap first. Yesterday, I put most of the power supply together. Now for the case work that I'm not so great at. Got a little bubble level in the mail from eBay today. Apparently, I don't have my turntable completly level. Have all the parts fitted on the perfboard. Spacing might need to be tweeked for a shorter signal path but it looks good so far. Now I just have to solder it up and finish the power supply. I'll post pictures when I get it working. Paperweight fucked around with this message at 22:17 on Mar 27, 2011 |
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Mar 22, 2011 05:14
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Dankness posted:Going to pickup a Technics SL1400 today. Ordered an Audio Technica 440MLA cart that should be here Tuesday for this bad boy. Can't wait! Turntable picked up. Pretty good condition and sounded great. New cart came yesterday and after alignment initial tests are fantastic sounding! Pretty impressed with a modest upgrade in TT and cartridge. Blew me away how different the AT440 was compared to my two previous carts.
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Mar 23, 2011 17:52
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Just picked up a used Technics SL1200-Mk2. Came with a Numark CC-1 headshell cartridge, which looks likes it more geared to scratching than home listening but is still a step up from my Sony PS-LX250H. I'm still running it through a bookshelf stereo system, which seems to have some type of amp built in. I have to turn the stereo up to almost max, but the actual sound is audible at a completely reasonable volume. I'm sure that I would be better off with a solid pre-amp or dedicated receiver, but the turntable itself was a pretty sizable investment so I'll just put that on the backburner for now. I have to go back to the OP to see if anything's mentioned, but can anyone recommend me a replacement cartridge to look into for pure home listening? Also, I followed this guy's directions for setting the height of my tonearm, but I think that 0mm gets me as close to level as I can get. From the video, it seems that going too low isn't a big deal unless you plan to pull your records back (e.g., scratching). Am I setting myself up for trouble if I don't go for perfection here?
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Mar 27, 2011 22:20
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The Modern Leper posted:Just picked up a used Technics SL1200-Mk2. Does your bookshelf system have an actual phono input? It sounds like perhaps you are plugged into a regular rca input, lacking the RIAA equalization needed for phono, and hearing a greatly reduced level?
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Mar 27, 2011 23:21
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Doc Spratley posted:Does your bookshelf system have an actual phono input? It sounds like perhaps you are plugged into a regular rca input, lacking the RIAA equalization needed for phono, and hearing a greatly reduced level? Yes, exactly. There's a "Video/AUX" input and an input for use with a Minidisc (oh, Sony  ). The Video input will amplify a turntable's signal, but the MD input won't (I use it for my computer's audio). My Sony turntable had a built-in preamp, which came through loud and clear at standard volume settings; the Technics gets plenty loud through the speakers, but the system's volume is pretty close to max.I'm guessing that the lack of RIAA equalization explains why I'm getting almost nothing in bass response with this setup, while the old turntable (with the built-in pre-amp) had a "fuller" sound... EDIT: A quick Wikipedia search confirms that this is the case. Any pre-amp recommendations? \/\/\/Any point... I suppose. Not in the near future though. The stereo's gotta be 9 years old, but it's just so versatile and "good enough" for my little 1 bedroom. I'm moving pretty soon though: if I end up with enough space for a real entertainment center, I may step up to something better once I have some money again. The Modern Leper fucked around with this message at 01:16 on Mar 28, 2011 |
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Mar 27, 2011 23:40
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The Modern Leper posted:EDIT: A quick Wikipedia search confirms that this is the case. Any pre-amp recommendations? Will you be planning to update your receiver at any point? Many will still come with a phono input and ground connection. I've got an outboard phono pre from Cambridge Audio that works nicely, but honestly a cheap unit such as this Behringer PP400 would sound just fine, and costs way less.
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Mar 28, 2011 00:29
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The phono input on my old (late 1970's I think) NAD amplifier broke down and I bought the very cheapest phono pre-amp sold in a certain popular German web store as a temporary solution but since I can't really discern any loss of quality in the sound, I haven't bothered to 'upgrade'. So yeah, I'd say get the cheapest one you can find and if it doesn't work out, only then consider more expensive alternatives. EDIT: Personally, I'd steer clear of anything with the name Behringer on it but maybe I'm just prejudiced. (I'm prejudiced because every piece of Behringer kit I've personally used has broken down sooner rather than later.)
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Mar 28, 2011 01:07
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My "new" receiver that replaced the one that got fried by lightning doesn't have a preamp so I went with http://www.phonopreamps.com/tc750pp.html Not too expensive, and an improvement over the built in on my old one Edit: \/\/\/ oh yeah!!! Forgot to mention mine has been going strong for a year now The Bandit fucked around with this message at 01:27 on Mar 28, 2011 |
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Mar 28, 2011 01:13
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Here's what I got, love it. http://www.phonopreamps.com/tc750pp.html Edit: beaten
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Mar 28, 2011 01:15
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bought an 8 track player because I'm an idiot: It's going to be used for radio mostly, but if I find some 8 tracks that I want, I may buy a few. The unit works, but is scratchy when you turn the knobs (likely just needs a spray or two of contact cleaner on the pots). I have a Pyle amp that I'm going to use instead of the built-in amp, so I won't need to replace the caps. It's a Realistic Modulaire 8, and is pretty light when you pick it up. The radio works great, the 8 track had a lot of wow when I tried it out, but I'm not sure if that's from the heads or the tape being old. I'm going to crack it open in a few and look for any popped caps or dead bugs, hopefully all is well!
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Mar 28, 2011 03:29
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Started building my LM3875 this weekend. Pics here: http://yfrog.com/user/jsomara/photos. Forgot to buy a fuse and I'm short a little copper wire. After speaker / audio cables, I'm gonna be looking at around $500.
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Mar 28, 2011 14:14
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Picked up a Pro Pyle. I don't want to link it up, because I know I paid much more than I would've on Amazon (oh, the cost of instant gratification). All hooked up and good to go. EDIT: More than double  . The guy, at least, threw in an additional RCA cable, but still.
The Modern Leper fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Mar 28, 2011 |
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Mar 28, 2011 18:41
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Just for the hell of it, I bought a year long digital subscription to Stereophile for $10. I haven't read it in a decade so I decided to see what's new. They have a regular column that covers reasonably priced stuff. On this month's cover they have entry level speakers from Warfdale and PSB. They still cater to the digustingly rich with their reviews of $25,000-100,000 amplifiers and speakers. I guess you could say at that price point you are paying for more or less a piece of art or a status symbol more than anything. April and October are their recommended components issues. I was skimming through and saw the Infinity Primus P162 bookshelf speakers (retail $318) in the class C restricted low frequency. I looked up the review and how much they retail for online. Come to find out they are no longer made but they have been replaced by the P163 model. You can get them direct from the factory for $208 a pair plus tax. OneCall sells them on their site and eBay for the same price with free shipping and no tax. I think I'll buy a pair in the next couple of months just to see how they sound. Other reviews seem to be pretty positive as well. Edit: Found a pair of really good speaker stands for a decent price. The Sanus UF30 looks like they will be about the right height with the Monitor 40s and the P163s. VVV Have a look at the Rega RP-1. I like the way they do their anti-skating with an internal magnet versus the dangling weight on the Pro-Ject. My neighbor's Pro-ject doesn't like mildly warped records. I believe the weight bounces up and down yanking on the tonearm and making it sound really off. My old Rega P2 and current P5 ride warps like a champ. Either way you'll probably want to upgrade the stylus when you can afford it. Buy a used or reissued copy of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours. I have a clean original copy and can't stop listening to it. Just got Sonic Youth's Goo box set on vinyl for my birthday. Woot. VVV Rega grounds their turntables through the negative terminal on the left channel if I remember correctly. It's probably not the proper way to do things but it works. Do that if nothing else is working. If you get an outboard phono preamp, it should have a place to ground it. Ordered some dubstep records cause I'm a huge electronic music loving human being. drat it's hard to get English 12" singles in the US. Finished the wiring on the phono preamp. Took longer than it should have. I redrew the schematic into a new and simpler layout so everything could be connected together with just the part leads and as few jumpers as possible. All that's left now is a few connections and case work for the power supply. Paperweight fucked around with this message at 03:11 on Apr 11, 2011 |
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Apr 2, 2011 07:55
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Just getting back into vinyl. I was pre ordering the new Warren Haynes album and realised I was just going to rip the CD and throw it in the cupboard so instead I chose the vinyl + download. Though it'd be something nice to have. I told my dad about it and he gave me his old crate of LPs that were gathering dust in his shed. Original Zeppelin (II & III), Cream, Johnny Winter, Jethro Tull, Santana, Credence, Iron Butterfly, Dylan, Lennon. Covers were a little dusty but the vinyl is in good shape. gently caress me, I'm in. Add my meagre teen collection and I'm off to a good start. This week I've already bought a few new reissues and have written a shopping list of must haves. Looking for a nice turntable to replace the old TEAC one I found in the garage, maybe a Pro-ject Debut III.
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Apr 2, 2011 23:26
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Not to make this my personal turntable thread, but: Do I have to attach my ground wire to my receiver, or can I attach it any "grounded" piece of electronics?
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Apr 5, 2011 14:29
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A buddy knows a guy that's getting rid of his BeoMaster 1900 so I'm getting it for the low price of nothing!!  Now what am I gonna do with it?
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Apr 7, 2011 20:29
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A friend of mine is looking at selling his Technics SL-1200. I'm only interested in using it as part of my home theater system. Would it be considered a good turntable just for listening? Is it just overkill? I've been hunting for direct drive turntables that haven't been used as DJ turntables, and I know this one has to some extent. I don't care at all about DJing, I just want to listen to my records. I do want to get the best that I can get, though.
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Apr 12, 2011 17:29
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MichiganCubbie posted:A friend of mine is looking at selling his Technics SL-1200. I'm only interested in using it as part of my home theater system. Would it be considered a good turntable just for listening? Is it just overkill? I've been hunting for direct drive turntables that haven't been used as DJ turntables, and I know this one has to some extent. The SL-1200 was originally manufactured as a audiophile turntable. Stick a new, non-dj cart on it and you'll have a great record player.
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Apr 12, 2011 17:44
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HKR posted:The SL-1200 was originally manufactured as a audiophile turntable. Stick a new, non-dj cart on it and you'll have a great record player. Totally agree. I recently got a SL-1400 that has made me very happy. Is this 1200 a newer mk2 or a vintage 1200?
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Apr 12, 2011 20:37
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Dankness posted:Totally agree. I recently got a SL-1400 that has made me very happy. Is this 1200 a newer mk2 or a vintage 1200? I believe it's a newer mk2. He offered to let me try it for a week to see if I thought that it was too beat up. He's looking for around 200 for it, and it has a Shure cart on it. I'll check it out and see. Thanks a lot, guys
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Apr 13, 2011 03:26
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