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Re: It worked, finally.....but
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 6:06 am
by synthfreek
Koz,
Are you honestly suggesting that Radio Shack is the only place to buy a phono preamp?! I wouldn't buy an electronic turd from that mall hell of a store. There are hundreds and hundreds of different phono preamps being made today. Some decent budget ones are from Parasound, Bellari, NAD & Pro-Ject.
Re: It worked, finally.....but
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 6:49 am
by kozikowski
<<<I wouldn't buy an electronic turd from that mall hell of a store. >>>
Don't.
The one in my neighborhood keeps all the little parts and fuses and screws up to date and it's pleasure to shop there. You're mileage may vary. There is actually a slightly closer one in a shopping center that I wouldn't but an electronic.........anyway.
<<Some decent budget ones are from Parasound, Bellari, NAD & Pro-Ject.>>>
And you've used all of these? Is this a personal recommendation? URLs? Part numbers?
I'll give you that the R/S one probably doesn't follow the strict RIAA/IEC curve with that new little bend at the low frequencies since they've been making this thing forever, but I also don't know a lot of people that are going to notice. Do all those fancy ones do that--follow the new curve?
Koz
Re: It worked, finally.....but
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 1:31 pm
by steve
For anyone that has a Cambridge Audio amplifier, they make a phono pre-amp as an optional extra which is good enough for hi-fi
http://www.froogle.richersounds.com/sho ... =CAMB-PM01
I also noticed this on the same web site - I've not used this one, but I don't think the company would sell it if it was rubbish
http://www.froogle.richersounds.com/sho ... PA111-PREA
(If you have a store near you, they will happily demo any of their products, just phone them and make an apointment)
For just a little more money, here's another phono pre-amp:
http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/product_r ... hono+stage
You can also get USB phono pre-amps, though I've not tried one:
http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=Proj ... &scoring=p
Re: It worked, finally.....but
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 6:52 pm
by synthfreek
Re: It worked, finally.....but
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 7:00 pm
by kozikowski
Number one appears to be an add-on to an existing amplifier--or into one. I suspect that the requirement is a stand-alone device, not something that requires screwdrivers, a clear workbench and strong light.
Numbers two through four may be delightful amplifiers, but I can't help noticing that they're all British products--and England uses very different mains voltage than the US. We wouldn't be able to plug them in. Correct me, but I didn't see an "international" version.
[time passes]
I can't see the message I'm replying to. I wonder if the message thread order got corrupted...
Koz
Re: It worked, finally.....but
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:17 pm
by synthfreek
Yes the first link is for a phono "board" for a specific preamp. All the Cambridge Audio and Pro-ject stuff is available with regular US voltage versions. They are extremely well-known and respected.
Re: It worked, finally.....but
Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 4:48 pm
by steve
Yes, the examples I gave are UK, but I'm in the UK so I gave examples that I know about, and as synthfreek said, they are also available with US and European spec.
synthfreek wrote: I wouldn't even consider using a $20 preamp.
The examples I gave start at about $40 US and you might be surprised - the sound quality is way better than you could reasonably expect for something so cheap. Of course it's not going to measure up to a $400 valve amp, but if you're plugging into a $20 sound card I doubt that you would notice much difference.
Re: It worked, finally.....but
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 8:49 pm
by Sally
kozikowski wrote:OK. First we'll do the stand-alone method. Don't do anything until you read the whole posting.
Yes, you will need to buy one or two things. It's not dreadful.
Phono Preamp
http://www.radioshack.com/search/index. ... reamp&sr=1
I think they're the only company left doing this.
3.5mm > Dual RCA Cable
http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/i ... 0/119/6%22
Radio Shack used to make a perfectly workable cable like that for about US$3, but they "upgraded" to the ©Gold Line!! Super!! Monster Cable®!! version and get you for something like US$17 each. You do
not get 8 times the performance. Sometimes, they admit they still have the old ones in the back of the store.
Anyway, you will need access to the cables where the turntable plugs into your amplifier. Plug those cables into your new preamp and don't forget the little thin black ground wire. That's a lot more important than it looks. From the preamp outputs to the new audio cable and then on to the Line-In of your iMac. This will be the Mac connector labeled with the tiny circle and two black arrows pointing inward. Plug the preamp into the wall power.
Open Mac System Preferences > Hardware > Sound > Input and select the Line-In.
Put a record on. You should see the System Panel lights flash in time to the music.
Close everything. Open Audacity and select the Default input and tap once inside the red Record meters. They should jump, too. Press record. Drink coffee.
-------------- - - --------------
Version two.
We may be able to use the phono preamplifier inside your existing amplifier. If you have a comprehensive enough amplifier, it may have a "Tape-Out" connection on the back. The purpose of Tape-Out is to grab the sound in the middle of the amplifier (after the preamp but before the speaker electronics) and feed it out to the outside world. Most circuits provide the audio signal no matter where the volume control is. Your mileage may vary. Consult your local listings. Void where prohibited.
So you still need that extra audio cable, but this time, it goes between your Tape-Out (usually RCA connectors) and the Line-In of your iMac. Play a test record, set preferences, tap meters, etc. etc. etc. Everything else is the same.
If that works, you saved yourself US$35 on the preamp.
Go to town. Your audio system will be as reliable as it always was and Audacity no longer has to worry about bitstream mismatches, dirty USB cables, driver chip failure, and data corruption. Just Glenn Miller.
"Pennsylvania Six Five Thousand!
Koz
I got the above cable and pre-amp, but the pre-amp doesn't have a connection for the ground wire. What should I connect it to?
Sally
Re: It worked, finally.....but
Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 11:41 pm
by kozikowski
<<<I got the above cable and pre-amp, but the pre-amp doesn't have a connection for the ground wire. What should I connect it to?>>>
It's possible that it's going to work without it. The original design was for use in large metal grounded sound systems which haven't worked that way in years. Make a short recording with everything turned on and a record turning but not playing--say five seconds. Then without stopping, touch the thin black wire to the metal case of the little preamp. I assume the case is still metal, right?
Then play back the resulting ten or fifteen second clip at maximum volume. I'm expecting a gentle "rain on a tree " hiss. If you can hear any difference in background hum or buzz before and after, then I need to take my turntable apart and remember how I did it. I'm setting one of these up for my sister, so this is good timing.
Koz
Re: It worked, finally.....but
Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 12:09 am
by kozikowski
<<<if you're plugging into a $20 sound card I doubt that you would notice much difference.>>>
We're not. We're plugging it into the Mac Line-In which in my experience works very well. Please don't confuse a PC Mic-In connection with audio. I've never seen one of those that was any better than trash. Those are designed for internet telephone and voice conferencing, not production audio.
Koz
