Can you run a Phono/Record player into a C2?

[slayer]

I thought the C1/C2 had Phono inputs but I just looked and did not see any. I have been thinking about adding a player to my system but I guess I might not be able to do so. I know the P3 has a selectable input you can use for it. I'm hoping the C2 does as well.

[Glen B]

You just need to add a phono preamp. Plug it into one of the audio inputs and select that input when you want to listen to vinyl. The Needle Doctor has a wide range of phono stages to suit your budget and taste.

http://www.needledoctor.com/Online-Store/Phono-Preamps?sort1desc=F&sort1=Item_ONLINECUSTOMERPRICE&range=

[Peter Nielsen]

Yep. I would go with Parasound's solution, the Zphono

(If you're on a budget, you can find <$50 solutions on eBay...)

Peter

[slayer]

Peter, I've never looked at the ZPhone. How would it hook up to the C2?
And yes, that website has many solutions at every price point.

[Peter Nielsen]

Peter, I've never looked at the ZPhone. How would it hook up to the C2?

You can hook it up with a pair of RCA cables to any of the single ended inputs, for instance Audio1, Audio2, Audio3, or Audio4.

Peter

[slayer]

What could I expect for sound quality if I'm using a quality turntable? I'm trying to see if the sound is better than CD's. I know many say it is but I want to see for myself. In the past, I remember hearing the noise in the background with vinyl.

[Peter Nielsen]

I'm trying to see if the sound is better than CD's.

Vinyl is nostalgia.
Vinyl is a BIG hassle (typically 15-25 minutes of music and you have to turn the LP around).

Static electricity will easily generate noise (static pops), even if the record is free from scratches. In the 80's, I used a spray-on product from Technics, that reduced static electricity with great result. (I think it was called "Technics Disc Protect"). 20 years later, those treated records are still completely dust free...

Don't bother, unless you already own a huge collection of LPs. (I own ~250 LPs, but no way to play them right now :B )

Peter

[Chris D]

Here's a pic of the back of the Zphono, so you can see the connections:





The website for the Zphono is : http://www.parasound.com/zcustom/zphono.php

Official press release for the Zphono is here: http://www.gspr.com/parasound/zphono.html

MSRP $150.

[slayer]

So why do audiophile still praise vinyl as the only way to go?

[Peter Nielsen]

So why do audiophile still praise vinyl as the only way to go?

Maybe because sometimes it's hard to learn an old dog new tricks... :B

Seriously, why do some audiophile still praise tube amps as the only way to go?

Vinyl does have its merits, but it also takes a lot more from the user. CD is hassle free, vinyl is not. I think a comparison between vinyl and tube amps is appropriate; both require a lot of TLC.

Peter

[slayer]

So Peter, you offed all the Halo gear. What did you replace it with? I remember a while back you mentioned some amps you were looking at. What did you go with?

[Peter Nielsen]

So Peter, you offed all the Halo gear. What did you replace it with? I remember a while back you mentioned some amps you were looking at. What did you go with?

First, let me tell you this: NO amp I've ever owned has sound as good as the JC-1. Period. The JC-1 is extremely powerful and sounds really wonderful. That's hard to beat.

However, the heat output by the JC-1 was bugging me (since I had so many of them). Either the AC was running constantly (=NOISE!), or I had to sweat in a 85F+ degree room! Not nice.

I replaced it with a Tact all-digital solution:
Tact TCS
Boz 216 w/ five 2200 modules for a total of 10 channels (or 5 bi-amped channels)

(I had to replace the preprocessor, since the amps require digital inputs. Parasound processors have analog outputs only).

I decided to get rid of my rear surrounds, since I felt they did not offer any additional value in my small room (22'x15'). I am now running 5.2 and bi-amping fronts, center, and surrounds. I use 2 Martin Logan subs, which have built-in amps. (FWIW, what I'm saying about the center is futuristic. The CC3 did not work out at all with the TacT amps. It was a failure, a system mismatch. I recently sold it on Audiogon. The MG CC20.1 (or whatever it will be called) will be out real soon now, and it will hopefully work correctly).

Note that the TacT digital amplifiers are TRUE digital amplifiers with NO analog input. (Not "quasi digial" like other digital offerings out there with analog inputs).

Oh, and my electric bill dropped from ~$220/month to ~$90/month after offing the JC-1s, so that's a very good thing :T

Peter

[nbourbaki]

So why do audiophile still praise vinyl as the only way to go?

One reason is that with the right setup it can sound better than CDs. Yes it's a PITA, yes even with a lot of work you will still get the occasional pop and not all records sound better than their CD counterpart. CDs are far more user friendly but some CDs sound shrill next to their vinyl counterpart. The other advantage of vinyl is that some older titles never made it onto CDs.

[slayer]

I think I may just stick to trying out some outboard DAC's to improve upon my CD collection and play with the vinyl later.

[nicholtl]

I dunno, vinyl sounds pretty good to me. I use a simple Music Hall MMF-5 turntable and a Musical Fidelity X-LPS3 phono stage, feed it into the C2 using RCA's and use the C2's Stereo 96 function. The music in every way, shape and form blows away my CD player (Classe CDP-10) and SACD/DVD-A player (Pioneer Elite 59AVi).

Vinyl is an old nostalgic format, but there's a reason it's still around and thriving when every other format is in decay.

[Chris D]

Oh, and my electric bill dropped from ~$220/month to ~$90/month after offing the JC-1s, so that's a very good thing :T

No kidding! Wow, that's significant.

[RJKuzma]

Vinyl is HD-Audio

I returned to vinyl about six months ago. I only wonder why it took me so long to get back to the highest definition format in existence. I haven't enjoyed listening to music this much for more than twenty years! I purchased a Music Hall MMF-7 turntable, a E.A.R. 834 P phono-pre and a Lyra Argo i cartridge. Yes, vinyl is more work; but in my opinion it is worth it. I tried SACD and DVD-Audio, and have over 100 titles, but those formats are dead or dying. CD has always sounded flat and uninvolving on all but the most expensive (>$7,000) CD players. Vinyl is making a resurgence with audiophiles for good reason. It produces the most musically satisfying sound of any format yet invented. There is something about vinyl on a good system that sounds much more like real music. So, if you are into audio for the musicality and emotionally involving sound, you owe it to yourself to try vinyl. If you just want background music or convenience, stick with the popular CD or the even more convenient and less musical MP3 formats.