If you're ever doubting yourself on making these videos, don't. When I first got into vinyl, I instantly flocked to your channel and stayed because of your friendly and welcoming personality. Lots of other Vinyl channels have a sort of elitist aura to them, but yours feels very safe and very real. I appreciate the constant support you bring to the community. Thank you Jarrett!
YOU are awesome - Thank you! I was getting a really annoying hum from my turntable & I watched LOADS of ‘how-to’ videos without an answer but YOUR video cured it! In Step One 2:15 you nailed it! My turntable was set to ‘line’ but I was plugged into the phono input on my amp. I simply plugged into the empty tuner input & the hum went away. So happy, thanks. You get a follow for that 🙂👍🏼 Phil 🇬🇧
Excellent video! A very important issue that was not mentioned is the compatibility in ohms of the speakers and the receiver/amplifier which is a very common problem when installing audio systems.
Am I so glad I worked at Radio Shack back in the early to mid-'80s! I already knew a lot about audio equipment, but I was able to learn a lot more while I worked there!
To make things easy when I got my first record player, I bought one with a built in pre amp, and then bought a soundbar speaker. Not sure if that’s a “normal” solution or even a correct one but it’s worked great for me for 3+ years now!
Question for the Q & A Jarrett. Will you be able to get some Phil Collins albums for your collection if you able to find any in the near future? Song of the day: In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins
The grounding post isn't always needed, some decks connect the ground internally to the cold wires for each channel. I have a Lenco L-3808 turntable (slightly cheaper version of the AT-LP120), upgraded with an AT95E cartridge replacing the AT3600, used on the Phono setting, with an ART-DJ Pre II phono stage, into the AUX input on a Cambridge Audio One (which is a combined Analogue and Digital Amp, with Radio and CD, without a phono stage). As with the LP120, there is no grounding post on the turntable, but it does have phono sockets instead of the wire straight out the back. I found that the mains hum was eliminated by using a good quality phono lead, which I made using Van Damme stereo cable (British brand, wire and plugs cost less than £10). Using a cheaper lead caused a serious hum problem. As an aside, it might have been worth you mentioning that if both the Deck and Amplifier contain a phono stage, you might get different quality of sound depending on which one you use.
Also bear in mind that 'some' turntables with built-in pre-amps have a separate ground wire (Audio Technica AT-LP3), and there are some turntables with no built-in pre-amp, that also have No ground wire (Rega Planar 1/2/3, etc), they are self grounded through the RCA Phono plugs..... It's never as clear as it seems, but your video is pretty much accurate - with exceptions! ;-)
Indeed, I have two of them like that: an Onkyo and a JVC, both from the 80's (the Onkyo might even be early 90's, not sure...), both fully automatic, quartz-locked direct drive, no built-in pre-amp, but both self-grounded through RCA plugs -- no need to ground them separately. :-)
I have a DENON DP-200USB turntable without a ground wire. Based on your video, I would assume it has a built-in preamp. My receiver is a YAMAHA RX-V765 and it does not have a PHONO input. I used the AUDIO 1 input jacks. The sound out of the turntable was very low. So I assumed there was no preamp. I bought a DILVPOETRY PHONO BOX and hooked up the turntable to this phono box the connected that to the receiver. I can use the phono box now to control the volume now but the sound is muffled and scratchy. Is this a cartridge issue? Its a moving magnet type cartridge. I haven't used this turntable in a long time and the cartridge wasn't used very much. I don't know what to do next. RCA cable issue? cartridge replacement, different receiver jacks?
@@MrWaldorfian : After a quick google search to check my facts, having seen the model number of the turntable, I can confirm that your t-table does indeed have a built-in pre-amp - though Denon calls it a 'phono EQ' (which is quite correct too! The fact that the model number contains 'USB' in the title is a dead-giveaway; it won't have USB without a pre-amp... ;-) There will be a little slider switch on the back panel which just needs flicking across to engage the pre-amp...it may be labelled as "phono/line' or 'EQ on/off' - something like that! Switch it to 'Line' or 'On' and then you should have decent volume through your Yamaha receiver if you want to at least see how it compares to the pre-amp you bought. Just remember to put the switch back to 'Phono' or 'Off' if you want to connect back-up to your DILVPOETRY (never heard of it!) phono box. The muffled muddy sound may be an issue with that box, or may be a capacitance miss-match with that AT cartridge used....it requires between 100-200mf (a very common magnetic cartridge range) to get the best sound from it... your phono box may be fixed at a higher setting? Also, check to make sure the stylus (needle) is clean, and in good shape - if the diamond tip is damaged or even missing that 'can' dull the sound, but normally skips straight across the record! Just give the turntable's internal pre/EQ a try first, and see how it goes... :-)
Just installed an Audio-Technica turntable and have been having a popping sound in my bookshelf speakers (which are nice ones) while on 'phono' mode, but not when listening to cd's, tuner, etc. I think you've just nailed it for me...that I have it set to "phono" and "line" instead of 'phono-phono' or 'line'line'. Thanks for this video!
Regarding the GROUND question. 1- Some turntables are grounded through the RCA connectors, usually the R connector.) 2- If there is no hum don't worry about it. 3- Vintage TTs many from the 70's did not have polarized plugs. If you have hum rotate the AC cord 180 degrees. This will quite often eliminate the hum by realigning the Hot and neutral lines. 4- All components should ground to the same point.
This video woulda helped me alot 3 months ago. I did sooo much research & still ended up with passive speakers (so no volume knob) & preamp had no spot 4 ground cable. Ended up returning both 4 Active Speakers w/built in preamp. Def worth extra 100$ to have pre amp built in.
Excellent video! You explained, very clearly what and what NOT to do, regarding Turntable (phonograph) to receiver connection, phono/line switch, grounding, "pre-amp", no "pre-amp", speaker wire gage, incompatible gear, etc.... scenario. Bravo! What exactly happened to me, with the purchase of first turntable, receiver, since the 70s! Great job. I didn't understand some basics. You cleared up confusion. For an "audiophile", you might be redundant. For a total novice, you video was awesome.
Thank you thank you thank you I was really frustrated as my turntable was giving howls and mega feedback until you told me to change the switch on the back and bingo , plays perfectly Thank you
Question for the Q&A What is the best set up to go along with my Audio Technica LP-60. Something that can be used both for the turntable and for the TV.
Good advice. Also if the volume is low it may be due to a low output cartridge. Changing to a cartridge that pushes out 12M Volts or more will provide more volume.
My current set-up has both active speakers and a receiver, and what I did was connect the active speakers to an audio pre-out jack from the back of my receiver so I could utilize both at the same time without harming my active speakers built-in amplifier :)
It should be noted that the signal level is only part of the difference. The phono-level output still requires an RIAA equalization step built into the line output from a turntable or phono-in on a preamp or receiver. The inverse is applied in mastering vinyl. This step was standardized to keep grooves narrow enough for bass sounds and squeeze more music on the disc.
3:10 bro I had this exact problem and figured it out eventually on my own, than 2-3 days later I get this. I lowkey fell in love with vynly my uncles x girlfriend bought me a audio technica lpx60 bt wich is basically a Bluetooth/ regulare speaker audio technica and I love it so much
🌬️ Thank you very much my friend, I appreciate your help on the humming situation because that really was a major problem for me. Now the sound is definitely loud and great! It's amazing how vinyl sounds when you have a great system to play it on.once again thanks 👍🏽💯
When I bought my audio Technica lp60x I had the line output on and because my stereo receiver (the Kenwood KR 595) had a built-in phono preamp I nearly blew out my speakers it was so loud, let's just say whenever I buy a turntable with a built-in preamp I will never make that mistake again.
Thanks again for steering me in the right direction. I am getting closer to making my decision on a turntable. Off to my Amp/Tuner and see what I have going on.
Q&A: How can I connect my Technics 1200mk7R (doesn't have a built-in preamp) to powered loudspeakers? What type of phono preamp do I need? Not for DJ, I want my setup to listen to music in my garage/studio. Thank you for all your videos, very helpful!
Direct drive usually gives more speed stability and of course no belt to replace. Also direct drive TT's normally have switched speed controls to change from 45 to 33. Belt drive usually offers less vibration from the motor and are simpler in design, therefore you can buy a really good belt drive TT for less than a drive drive model. But belts don't last forever and when old can stretch but are cheap to replace. however some belt drive TT's are fully manual and to change speed you have to lift the belt onto the larger spindle of the motor and in some cases remove the plater to achieve this. its swings and roundabouts really. Many direct drive TT's are superbly built and will last a lifetime. I have both a direct drive and a belt drive turntable and enjoy them both for their individual merits.
@lazycalm41 , Hi, I wanted to ask if belt driven TT's like my pro-ject are ''weak'' to play the 78 rpm records? I know I have to get the pulley kit and the new cartridge etc. but is the 78 rpm pulley kit is bad for the 78 rpm designed pro-ject turntables? It might have a little pressure on the motor but I’d love to hear your answer
Just a response to the question about 78s. Broadly it should be ok. I've not tried the pulley kit on a Pro-ject turntable but once rotating, it won't need all that much more power than any other speed (the key difference will be the greater friction from the higher tracking weight 78s usually demand) One word of caution though. Playing acoustic discs (typically pre war) through a modern phono stage might sound weird. That's because modern phono stages apply the RIAA eq curve which won't have been applied to acoustic recordings. If you have a graphic equalizer you can fix it. Also, a lot of pre war 78s may not have been recorded at 78 rpm so that will be fun for you. If you're really serious about 78s, take a look at the Audio Technica lp120 as I believe it can do 78 but has pitch control (looking at this as a second turntable myself)
Quick question, at around 6:56 I see there's no specific "phono" area to plug in a turntable as the Red and white plugs are in one of the "CD" terminals. Does this work with every receiver as long as the ground wire is attached? Keep up the awesome content!
Hi there. I have a very old BRC turntable with speakers. It does also have a 5 pin female plug and outputs for the speakers with some very strange plugs but no RCA outputs. Do you think I can use the 5 pin to conect to vintage receiver with phono input? The 5 pin is output with a sign like stereo tape.
If you don't have a headphone amp, but have a USB soundcard with line in and headphone out with volume control it might have a pass through mode and work as a headphone amp pretty well when connected to a power-only USB socket, like a phone charger. Creative SoundblasterX G6 and Behringer U-PHONO do that. U-PHONO even has a phono preamp in it as well. I was considering getting the Behringer as a phono preamp (and maybe get a better one later) when I was considering either buying an old Technics without a preamp, or a new Audio Technica AT-LP120x with a preamp. The latter won because of easier shipping and it having a fresh cartridge with an elliptical stylus. Now I either listen to it through my speakers-only amplifier or through the SoundblasterX G6. It's a really nice soundcard, and I got it mostly to digitize records and cassettes so I can listen to them away from home. And it even works with Android if you have a Neutron music player app.
A receiver can work with active speakers IF you use something to reduce the signal from speaker level to line level. personally I'm using a 16 channel DI which has a -30 DB pad option. that way i can use my receiver to up-mix audio while using my HS8 monitors. my setup has the phono preamp going into an active DI which then send the balanced audio down ~100ft of cat5e to the A/V closet which then goes into computers audio interface to play/record.
This question prob sounds ridiculous but how do I add passive speakers to my set up? I have a fluance rt85 & kanto active speaker with built in phono pre amp. I have some nice passive speakers but don't know how to hook em up? Do I need a ground cable connection for em?
Song of the day: Cochise - Audioslave Now question: I have a vintage setup received by my father, that include a Pioneer turntable with a new Sumiko Pearl Cartridge, Yamaha CA 710 Amplifier and 2 JBL. All the stuff is directly from the 70s and sounds amazing. But I would like to improve it and I was wondering to buy a pair of Yamaha HS8 and I don't understand if it is possible to plug in the new monitor speakers to my vintage setup. Thanks in advice, best channel for vinyl lovers
Thanks so much for this video but I am having issues with my audio technical Bluetooth player I did go ahead and just purchase the speakers that already have the amp inside of it with the volume and all the controls it does come with a remote control the Bluetooth speakers that I did buy and when I pair it with my audio technical vinyl record player the music keeps playing from the actual player while at the same time playing through the speakers so it’s like I’m hearing two voices at the same time I’m hearing it through the speakers and also from the actual record player and I just wanted to know did I do anything wrong is that normal or not do I have things plugged into the vinyl player that is notSupposed to be plugged in please let me know ASAP and thank you so much for this video I love your videos by the way
I had recently bought Polk audio s20 with a Sony strdh190 receiver and thought I had it all wrong because I plugged my audio technica 120 into the phono and the sound was very staticky and awful so I got really disappointed but I screwed around and plugged it into line 1 and it worked perfectly. Huge upgrade from the little plug in speakers I had my turntable plugged into for years. The sound is amazing
Due to your recommendations, I purchased a custom Uturn wood with the Grado head. Also got YOUR klipsch active speakers. Amazing combo thank you! Also just got the klipsch 12' sub to complete the set
Question: I replace all my paper sleeves with poly but... do I need to use poly inner sleeves with newer albums that come with combination poly inside/paper outside type sleeves?
Homebrew58 That’s up to personal choice. I will say that you definitely need to replace your inner sleeves if they are just paper alone. Paper sleeves have the tendency to scuff your records. They also rip and tear easily, not to mention that they turn yellow over time. So why do many records, particularly older ones, still have paper sleeves? Simple: because they’re cheap, that’s why. Considering how many a record label would buy, they probably don’t even pay a penny a piece for them. But then what about poly lined paper sleeves? This is definitely a step in the right direction. I haven’t heard anyone really complaining about them. But do remember that paper yellows over time. For this reason alone (and there are others), I would recommend purchasing rice paper sleeves that don’t yellow (certainly not as quickly) like plain paper sleeves. So which ones? Many people like the MoFi sleeves. While these are good sleeves, you can get the Diskeeper standard sleeves from Sleeve City that are identical to the MoFi sleeves (but more sturdy IMHO) for about $2 less a package than the MoFi sleeves. I personally use the Diskeeper Ultimate sleeves. These are a little more expensive, but in my book they’re worth it if you’re serious about your vinyl collection. So the choice is up to you! You can certainly keep your poly lined sleeves for now and then upgrade them when you’re ready.
So happy I clicked on this video right now, I've got a Technics SL-1500C that comes with a preamp built in, and I've got Klipsch The Fives coming in soon to use with my TV and the turntable. If I understood correctly, I can then set the turntable to line, and then turn the switch on the speakers to phono? That way I use the preamp in the turntable and not the speakers?
The bad Crosley people mention are the Portable Suitcase ones. The C10 is $400. You could say that ALL turntables are bad, because the $29.99 that you bought sounds terrible on stage at Carnegie Hall(making Carnegie a terrible venue, too!)
Question: I bought a used, vintage folding record player. It has its own speakers but I wanted to add some better speakers to it. I looked in the back of the unit and noticed that it has no RCA connectors. No way to add any additional speakers. Is there a way to modify the unit so as to accommodate additional speakers? I don't know anything about electrical anything. lol. Thank you.
Qna: I bought an audio technica at lp120x turntable that comes with the at95e cartridge, should I upgrade the cartridge? Song Of The Day : Bohemian Rhapsody : Queen
I am still using a Bang and Olufsen RLX, WOM in a drawing, in 1983-4. I still have my 700+ records(vinyl) as well. I see many disc cleaning systems reviewed, but I used a DISC KIT (zero stat gun, record pad, stylus brush, fluids etc. I got very good results... Somewhere along the life line, it disappeared. Even my separate carbon fiber duster shortcut is now missing. (I see you had one on the counter behind you in this vid) I never see the DISC KIT come up for sale complete... So am considering a new cleaning system for my over 50 old collection.
This is something that's confused me for some time since I got the record player I have, it doesn't have a ground wire, at all. Just the RCA cables, not even colored like usual, is there something that could be done still? It's a JVC L-A11. Has no preamp either, so I use a AV Receiver which has Phono in of course.
If the RCA cable isn't colour coded it will probably have L and R stamped on the plugs. Regarding the ground wire, do you get a background hum? If not, don't worry. If so, it could be a lot more complicated to fix
@@TomGough Very slight, turning either cable sometimes negates it to pretty much nothing unless the volume knob is cranked all the way, then of course wouldn't hear it if one is playing. To be honest, no I'm not worried but, I've been thinking about it for so long and finally here, I found a chance to maybe find out, I didn't expect to get noticed since usually I'm not on any video haha. So thank you for answering, nothing is wrong with it but this was just something I was curious about nothing more. With what my skill is in electronics, its far from enough I could do something anyway.
@@KITT171 I'm just browsing round for interesting questions 🤣 You'll pretty much always pick something up when you turn the volume all the way. Sounds like your set up is working for you and that is the ONLY thing that matters, no matter what anyone might tell you
@@TomGough Well I'm glad I helped with that haha. I try to say things worthwhile on videos if I can. Too right, even more since I got it an a ton of 45s, for nothing. Ex-DJ owned it, all that was offered to me, all I had to do was get a new belt and stylus, been using it since. Love the thing.
Very Thorough, but a couple of minor points that should be only for more advanced setups--EDIT: The MM/MC was addressed below(Pro-Ject tube box DS2). --If you have a "moving coil" cartridge(stylus), you may need a Step-Up device for normal listening volumes, since most vintage receivers, and newer Tables & preamps aren't equipped. --I hope those interconnect cables are for Demonstration Only. Your turntable is good enough to have Upgraded RCAs, or for other viewers with a detachable plug-in arm cable.
I want to know what speakers I should get for my turntable? Can I get just one speaker, should they be blue tooth if my living room wont allow wires? Things like that
I’m not even a minute into this yet but I had to stop and say Our Endless Numbered Days is one of the best indie folk albums I’ve ever heard. We all already knew this, but for reiteration’s sake: my friend, you have great taste. Song of the Day? Passing Afternoon by Iron & Wine
Hey Jarrett! I am listening on an Audio Technica LP-120-USB. Received a bunch of mono 45s. How do I find/differentiate stereo vs. mono needle cartridges?
Okay, so I have the default Turntable set-up LP120X USB + active speakers Edifier 1280T The sound is nice but I feel like I want to invest more money to upgrade it. I talked about that in a HiFi forum and i think I opened pandoras box...No one answered straightforward my question and just went berserk how everything is important So, what do you think ? Should I start with upgrade of the cartridge or the speakers or the pre amp or amp or change the room with a bigger one... Love ya
There should be a metal post on the back of the turntable that has that same ground symbol as the receiver, connect one end of the ground cable there, and the other end goes to the ground post on the receiver 😊
