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Record Player Trouble


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Hey guys, I know quite a few of you out there play vinyl and are also...umm old. My girlfriend bought me a record player and a bunch of records recently, so yeah this is the first time I've used one and I'm having an issue with the sound.

 

I hook it up to my speakers that I normally use for my computer, and I put the output jack into the headphones port. However, while the music sounds fine the vocals sound really distant, and it's the same thing with every record I've played. Am I not using the correct port? I'm confused as to why just the vocals are coming in quietly yet the music sounds fine.

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I had that problem when I hooked mine up to our stereo system - it was because dolby was turned on. That might not be the problem with yours...I'd check to see if the preamp is turned on in the record player or you might need an external one. What kind of record player is it?

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I had that problem when I hooked mine up to our stereo system - it was because dolby was turned on. That might not be the problem with yours...I'd check to see if the preamp is turned on in the record player or you might need an external one. What kind of record player is it?

 

It's an audio technica. There aren't many options on it besides speed, size, start and stop. And I dunno what the preamp or dolby is. If a preamp is an amplifier actually in the player, I don't believe it has one or if it does I can find no switches for it.

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Turntables do need some kind of preamp ... some have them built in. If yours doesn't, you'll probably want to run it into a stereo receiver (or a boombox with a phono input, or whatever). It's important to use an input that's specifically for phono, because that's designed to handle the signal from a turntable. Or you could buy an inexpensive preamp ... talk to the Radio Shack folks and see what they can suggest. I bought a no-frills one there a few years back for something like $20.

 

Most of what I just said above is based only on years of amateur dorking with turntables and may be complete bullshit, but I think I'm right about this.

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Turntables do need some kind of preamp ... some have them built in. If yours doesn't, you'll probably want to run it into a stereo receiver (or a boombox with a phono input, or whatever). It's important to use an input that's specifically for phono, because that's designed to handle the signal from a turntable. Or you could buy an inexpensive preamp ... talk to the Radio Shack folks and see what they can suggest. I bought a no-frills one there a few years back for something like $20.

 

Most of what I just said above is based only on years of amateur dorking with turntables and may be complete bullshit, but I think I'm right about this.

 

 

Your right, few turntables (except for some brand new ones) have a pre-amp in them. Some older receivers that specifically have a PHONO input that will power the signal. I ran into this problem when I got a new receiver and found out that my records were really really quit. I had to buy a Phono Pre Amp. It was about $20 at the local electronics store. For some reason I think Radio Shack said they stopped carrying them in store when I was looking but its worth checking out

 

It was something like this here (I found froogling phone pre amp):

http://store.teptronics.com/pp999.html?zma...amp;zmap=PP-999

 

But that should take care of it (and this is just stuff I figured out from having the same problem)

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Yeah, lacking a pre-amp and then that little 'ground' connection from TT to amp/pre-amp is probably your problem.

 

As someone new to vintage (low end) audiophile stuff, I would consider looking at pawn shops and estate sales to find a pre-amp/amp - worrying that only spending $20 at radio shack is the equivalent to making the weak link in a sonic chain. Besides, nobody wants straight 2 channel stuff anymore and things with names of 'Macintosh; 'Carver', 'Rotel' and 'Sansui' are showing up at baby-boomer garage sales.

 

Just joined this forum to ask about my prospective purchase (a Rotel per-amp and amp) and they were extremely helpful:

 

www.audiokarma.org

 

and by extremely helpful, I mean stuff send in the mail to help with an old speaker connection. For free. I couldn't believe it. I now love my stereo again and am hearing things on CD and Vinyl that I've never heard before.

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See, this is the kind of basic stuff that escapes you when you grew up in the age of cassettes and cds haha. I will have to go out and get a preamp and see how it goes.

 

 

EDIT: I guess I do have a preamp. This one is newfangled.

 

"With its built-in switchable phono preamp, the AT-PL50 may be connected directly to your computer, home stereo and to other components that have no dedicated turntable input. "

 

So yeah now I dunno what the problem is again.

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Ok got it! Key was to hook up record player male end to alternate port on my computer, and just have the computer speakers hooked up normally. Sounds perfect! Gotta love these newfangled turntables.

 

Thanks guys!

 

Time to throw on From a Basement on the Hill :)

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Ok got it! Key was to hook up record player male end to alternate port on my computer, and just have the computer speakers hooked up normally. Sounds perfect! Gotta love these newfangled turntables.

 

Thanks guys!

 

Time to throw on From a Basement on the Hill :)

 

 

enjoy. and definitely try to track down agib on vinyl.

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