Entertainment For Lively Minds
RCA Cable Enquiry
Wonder if the massive could help me with a small problem?
I have just purchased a very cheap turntable from John Lewis' new year sale, its their own brand and appears to be ok for the price. Looking at the instructions it mentions that the rca cables are 'line level' and to only connect to line level inputs. I have connected the turntable to my elderly Cambridge Audio A1 amp, which has a seperate phono/audio input, and unless I crank the amp to max volume I can't hear anything, when theamp is at full volume the level coming from the speakers is minimal.
This does not appear to be right, so my question is do I need some kind of adaptor? I've seen one that only costs a few pounds that looks as though it might do the job, or will I need to get a phono pre amp, which to be honest I thought was in the Cambridge?. Hope you can help, yours confusingly.
Mint
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some record players have a
some record players have a built in amp stage and some dont - some amps (your cambridge) have a built in phono stage and some dont
the record player needs an amp/phono stage as its a very quiet source.
I have an old turntable with a switch on the bottom (to turn the amp on/off) and when i updated my seperate amp with a phono stage i got a new turntable also, this doesnt have a built in amp but the amp seperate sorts it out
Check for a switch on the turntable (or send a web link to it here?)
Im surprised if your cambridge has an input specifically for a record player that it doesnt also have an amp stage
If you dont have either then the two choices are, take the record player bacvk and get one with a built in amp stage, or if you want to continue using the cambridge then get a small pre amp that goes between the record player and the cambridge.... im sure you can get a cheap one
Volume
As far as I know, with Cambridge Audio amps - at least today - the internal phono stage is only an option on purchase, but often the staff don't ask if you want the option, because no-one buys vinyl anymore. So even when there's a "phono" button on the amp, it doesn't necessarily mean you won't need an external phono stage to hear anything.
I have a fairly recent Camridge Audio amp, and needed to hook up an external phono stage unit to get my turntable working.
Me too, mine's a recent Cambridge,
and I had to fork out for their phono pre-amp in order to continue using my turntable. Worth it, mind!
Preamp
I went down this road a while ago and my tip would be if you do go down the preamp route make sure if at all poss that you try the preamp with your system - the one I had hummed like a bastard. I tried every combination of earthing but couldn't sort it.
line to line
If the info says line level then I would plug them into a line input! Try the tape in or aux in.
i would guess that the phono
i would guess that the phono in that he has it plugged into is line level.... if it was amped it would be very loud, especially if the record player was also giving out a preamped line signal
still.... may be worth a try
If you have a Richer Sounds near you
They fitted an internal amp for the phono stage when I bought my Cambridge amp, took them about 10 minutes and cost £15.
john lewis turntable
Hi
I bought the exact same turntable in the sale a few weeks ago.
Despite saying it has line level output, it doesn't. I bought a separate Pre-amp off Ebay for £20 and I have to say it sounds far better than my previous turntable which had a (poor quality) pre-amp stage built in.
The instruction booklet is wrong!
S
Orbit turntable
I would appreciate a review of this turntable as I'm tempted to pick one up on the way home tonight. my old turntable is on the blink and I'm looking to replace it but don't have the cash for anything fancy. I'm no audiophile - just looking for something half decent that will let me enjoy my old vinyl. At £25 this seems a bargain - would you recommend it?
Cheers
When i get it working
i'll tell you. Sinj would be better placed than me to advise. On the face of it for 25 pound, it looks a bargain,and i'd say it's well worth takin a punt.
Thanks all for your help, looks like a pre amp it will have to be, any decent ones out there for minimal outlay, bearing in mind the the turntable only cost 25 quid?
Thanks again, always appreciated.
Mint
A twenty five quid turntable?
I know these are tough times chaps - but don't hold your breath. I'd be more concerned about the damage it would do to your vinyl. How much of that £25 do you think was invested in the stylus?
To be fair it's half price (
To be fair it's half price ( ish - reduced from £50 ). Still cheap I know and I'm not expecting a wonderful sonic experience. My old turntable is knackered though ( makes a 'thunk!' noise on every rotation which is really, really irritating )and don't have the money for a quality upgrade.