Turntable > 1066 hookup?

[paul2102]

Is there any way I can get my turntable (you know, the gadget that plays those old vinyl LPs) to work with the 1066? I have tried going through video4 and tape inputs with no luck ( unless I am doing something wrong).

Anyone else have any success using a turntable?

Thanks,
Paul

[Azeke]

Paul,

Unfortunately, I believe you need a phono pre-amp with the 1066.

Perhaps some forum members can make recommendations.

Hope this helps,

Azeke

[Danbry39]

Azeke's right Paul. The 1066 doesn't have an integrated phono pre-amp. I speculate that, because of the competitiveness of the industry, manufacturers try to keep costs down by eliminating features that might be less used by the buying public. Unfortunately, us vinyl lovers are kind of up a creek sometimes. For a lot of mass market manufacturers, phono preamps are an afterthought and often aren't of the best quality.

So, yes, you'd have to buy a dedicated phono preamp or perhaps a good quality two channal preamp, with phone integrated into it. Now comes the difficult part, and a part I'm struggling with myself. What to do and is it worth it. I have probably a good 400 albums, most of which are in pretty bad shape. My old turntable needs replacing. I have to decide if the costs of adding a phono preamp of one form or another in addition to the purchase of a new turntable justify the move. For me, probably not as my CD setup is pretty nice right now.

Anyway, just my 2 cents. If you want to explore this further, I'd post your query in the audio section of HTGuide as you'd open it up to a wider audience, many quite knowledgeable on vinyl and associated equipment.

Good luck. I really hope it works out for you.

Keith




Keith

[Energeezer]

FYI
I just hooked up my 1055/1075 combo to my turntable using the phono stage in an old Onkyo Integra integrated amp. Very happy with the results although listening to some of my LPs makes me wonder if I need a better turntable/cartridge to reap the benefits of the so called analog superiority touted by so many audiophiles.
My CDs (for the most part) sound much better.
For me there was an added bonus as I am also able to use this Onkyo for the couch shakers so I still have the same amount of equip in my rack but just a little more versatile.




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[paul2102]

Thanks for all the info. (what would we do without these forums?) I posted in the audio section as suggested.
Checked out some pre-amps, price range from $30 to thousands. I may try the Esoteric moving magnet preamp that I found for $70, or try hooking up my old Dennon main pre-amp somehow.

Thanks again for all your help!
Paul

[gd]

Any outboard phono pre-amp should be an improvement over any that is supplied with a receiver, where low-grade phono boards are included mostly for convenience... upscale pre-amps with built-in phono sections are another story, but of course, more $$$... here are a couple budget suggestions:

Creek makes separate MM and MC pre's for US$200 - 350... haven't heard them, but they're considered good buys.

If you want to step up, there's the Lehman Black Box for $700 or the EAR 834P for $1000, both of which routinely get great reviews.

I've got the Parasound PPH-100... output level is a little low, but sonic characteristics are excellent... great performance for $120... I originally got it as a temporary replacement for a failed onboard phono section (see above), until I could justify spending for the Lehman, but it sounds too good to replace.

Of course, getting the Rotel phono pre would keep it 'all in the family'...

[Nicholas Renter]

In the lower-end range of phono pre-amps, I would recommend the Musical Fidelity XLP-S. My first phono pre-amp was the Rotel 970 (which I owned for longer than I should have), and I didn't find it to be a stellar performer. I listened to several lower end phono pre-amps before deciding on the Musical Fidelity.

I would also recommend that you connect the phono pre-amp to the R/L multi inputs. I found the sound to be subtly better.

[paul2102]

I searched the internet for the Musical Fidelity XLP-S without much luck, where do I find a place to purchase this in the USA?

[paul2102]

I searched the internet for the Musical Fidelity XLP-S without much luck, where do I find a place to purchase this in the USA?

[Danbry39]

Best I can do for you is to give the number of their U.S. distributer:


Kevro International
902 Mckay Road
# 4, Pickering
On, L1W 3X8
Canada
001 905 428 2800
001 905 428 0004

Maybe they can help.

Also, try checking over at Audiogon.com. I've seen quite a bit of Musical Fidelity over there. You might also want to check in two channel preamps as many of those will have a phono stage built in and this would offer the possible advantage of improving the two channel performance of your system as well. But, make sure you ask a lot of questions to make sure it would all work with your system and fit your needs. Communication up front can save you from making mistakes down the line. Also, do your due diligence with regard to checking out the seller, etc.




Keith

[Andrew Pratt]

I thought the RQ 970 from Rotel got pretty good reviews didn't it?

[Nicholas Renter]

Yeah, it did get some favorable reviews. Initially, I listened to those reviews instead of listening to what really matters - the piece of hardware.

Not only did I find the Rotel phono pre-amp to lack resolution, but it was noisy and had a slight hum that I could never get rid of. I listened to Creek, Rega, and even considered building my own phono stage before deciding on the Musical Fidelity w/ an upgraded power supply. In my opinion, the difference is night and day. Your mileage may vary.

[paul2102]

OK...
I purchased the Parasound PPH-100 for $120 at Audio Advisor. The sound is very good for the money and for my needs. Besides, after laying out tons of money for my other system components, this is about all I could afford.

Thanks again for all your help,
Paul

[Danbry39]

Paul,

You're not the only one that likes that particular Parasound. I've heard good things about it. $120??? You must have gotten it for a nice discount. Do you know what the list price is?




Keith

[gd]

$120 (US) is the list price, and has been for quite a while...

http://www.parasound.com/products/specialty/pph100.html

I got it strictly for the price and thought of it as a band-aid til I could step up to something better... but it sounds great, and is totally quiet... it's a great match to a Rega Planar 3 / Blue Point Special... I'm not inclined to swap it out at this point.

It's not perfect... output level is kinda low... but it performs well beyond its teeny price tag.

[Nick V]

Here's another phono preamp for the same price as the parasound. It takes up less rack space (you can probably just hide it behind) and the specs are very similar. I'm not sure about the subjective performance.




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