A very important role in obtaining high-quality sound is the phono preamp. Now on the market, there are many offers from eminent manufacturers and users have a rational question: how to choose the best phono preamp and how to connect it.
A phono amplifier is a sound transformer from vinyl, because, on vinyl, the sound is recorded by the other technology as on a CD or other media. If you connect a turntable without a phono amp directly to an amplifier or a music center, then the sound will be barely audible even at the extreme position of the sound control and almost without bass. Turning on the phono amplifier immediately solves this problem.
The phono preamplifier is connected to the input of the AV receiver or power amplifier and responds by raising the signal level from the pickup head to the standard linear level (about 1 V). The high-level phono preamplifier is usually implemented on high-quality circuit elements and provides the correct tonal balance so that you can fully enjoy all the subtle nuances of recording.
Types of phono amplifiers
Many budget players have a built-in phono stage, but they lose in sound to their stationary counterparts. But often you can pick up an external phono stage, the sound of which is most suitable. And they all differ in sound – like the heads. As you know, all phono stages can be divided into tubes and transistors. At the same time, lamp devices cannot receive the signal of the MC head without the participation of a step-up transformer.
The problem of choosing a phono stage is closely related to another problem: the problem of cartridges and pickup needles to them. The fact is that two types of heads are suitable for modern advanced players – MM and MS. Accordingly, it is necessary to select a phono stage. The phono stage is only MM, only MS, or even with switches MM \ MS.
Connecting to a receiver
Connecting an external phono stage begins by connecting the cable of the vinyl player to the input signal of the phono stage. Be sure to connect the player’s ground wire (if necessary) to the ground terminal on the phono stage. Then you just need to connect the “Phono Preamp” audio output to one of the analog audio inputs of your AV receiver, connect the phono stage to its power supply, and everything is set up.
The phono stage is an absolutely necessary thing in the audio system build of a true fan of “vinyl”. By replacing it with a more advanced model, it is possible to modernize the audio system. By choosing a specific phono stage model, you can give the sound of the system personality.
