[BEAR]

matteo wrote:

Hello,

Thanks for the reply.

The Ortofon Mk510 is a MM cartridge and has an output of 3mV (this
could be a small problem I believe) while the other cartridge, Ortofon
OM10, which is also a MM, produces 4mV. I enjoyed the details of the
mk510 a little more.

Again, the amp only produces about 7-8 watts per channel. So this isn't
the problem.

I want to try connecting, maybe, a small preamp/headphone amp between
the phono stage and the amp. Has anybody tried this? Would it work in
the sense that, respectively, I will hear a little more gain?

Thank you for the feedback.

Regards!

bob ha scritto:


matteo wrote:

Hello,

I want to know if adding a pre-amplifier will help.

I have recently installed a turntable with NAD P2 phono stage and, for
obvious reasons, it doesn't have a lot of gain.

Source - Pro-Ject Xpression 2 TT with Ortofon Mk510 stylus
Phono stage - New NAD P2
Integrated Amplifier - DIY 2A3 (9 watt per channel)

My CD gain is sufficient but when I listen to LPs the gain is a lot
lower. Can a preamp help with increasing some gain. Which features
should I look at?

Well, you already have a preamp--it's inside your integrated. Using a
different preamp won't do anything to address the difference in levels
between your CD player and your phono stage.

You might find a phono stage with higher gain, but is that necessary?
On every system I've ever owned, I had to turn the volume up higher
when playing LPs than when playing anything else. It's no big deal, as
long as you aren't straining your amp.

And if you are straining your amp, then the problem isn't the preamp;
it's the amp.

bob

No, do not "add a preamp".

Add an inline attenuator to the CD line so that the gains match. If that
is what you want.

Or, as noted, get a phono stage with more gain.
Or, modify the phono stage to produce more gain.
Add a transformer step-up device to the output of the phono stage or
perhaps even the input.

Adding more stages, including solid state ones to a system that has 2A3s
is defeating the entire point of having 2A3s in the first place. Imho.

What speakers? --btw

_-_-bear