[Digiman]

Just got hold of an Adcom GCA-510 amp. Its basically an GFA-535 with a
passive volume control, and quite rare.
To the point: no phono stage. A little googling on the subject shows a lot
of $49 rediscover-your-records small tin cans with names like B-tech,
C-tech, Super-tech or whatever, ( why are all these totally unknown
companies making riaa-units?) at the cheap end and $800 big black boxes with
gold lettering at the other. Is there nothing inbetween? I have the NAD PP1
and the QED discsaver lying somewhere but I dont think these would do my
amp or my records justice.
Any recommendations in the $2-300 area?
_________
Digiman

[John Stone]

On 8/11/09 5:07 PM, in article , "Digiman"
wrote:

Just got hold of an Adcom GCA-510 amp. Its basically an GFA-535 with a
passive volume control, and quite rare.
To the point: no phono stage. A little googling on the subject shows a lot
of $49 rediscover-your-records small tin cans with names like B-tech,
C-tech, Super-tech or whatever, ( why are all these totally unknown
companies making riaa-units?) at the cheap end and $800 big black boxes with
gold lettering at the other. Is there nothing inbetween? I have the NAD PP1
and the QED discsaver lying somewhere but I dont think these would do my
amp or my records justice.
Any recommendations in the $2-300 area?
_________

Check out these guys. Lots of possibilities in your price range:

http://www.musicdirect.com/category/24

A friend has the Lehman audio unit. It sounds pretty good, but a little
above your price range.

[Digiman]

"John Stone" wrote in message
...
On 8/11/09 5:07 PM, in article ,
"Digiman"
wrote:

Just got hold of an Adcom GCA-510 amp. Its basically an GFA-535 with a
passive volume control, and quite rare.
To the point: no phono stage. A little googling on the subject shows a
lot
of $49 rediscover-your-records small tin cans with names like B-tech,
C-tech, Super-tech or whatever, ( why are all these totally unknown
companies making riaa-units?) at the cheap end and $800 big black boxes
with
gold lettering at the other. Is there nothing inbetween? I have the NAD
PP1
and the QED discsaver lying somewhere but I dont think these would do my
amp or my records justice.
Any recommendations in the $2-300 area?
_________

Check out these guys. Lots of possibilities in your price range:

http://www.musicdirect.com/category/24

A friend has the Lehman audio unit. It sounds pretty good, but a little
above your price range.

Great site with a lot of good offers, but, I live in Norway, with the
european 220V currency. This is quite possibly a stupid question, but
wouldn't that be a problem?
________
Digiman

[Dave]

"Digiman" wrote in message
...
Just got hold of an Adcom GCA-510 amp. Its basically an GFA-535 with a
passive volume control, and quite rare.
To the point: no phono stage. A little googling on the subject shows a lot
of $49 rediscover-your-records small tin cans with names like B-tech,
C-tech, Super-tech or whatever, ( why are all these totally unknown
companies making riaa-units?) at the cheap end and $800 big black boxes
with
gold lettering at the other. Is there nothing inbetween? I have the NAD
PP1
and the QED discsaver lying somewhere but I dont think these would do my
amp or my records justice.
Any recommendations in the $2-300 area?
_________
Digiman



www.phonopreamps.com

These are inexpensive, I have used the TC-760 with an MC cartridge as my amp
at the time only had a MM Phono stage. Works great, very quiet, and cheap.

[Sonnova]

On Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:09:53 -0700, Dave wrote
(in article ):

"Digiman" wrote in message
...
Just got hold of an Adcom GCA-510 amp. Its basically an GFA-535 with a
passive volume control, and quite rare.
To the point: no phono stage. A little googling on the subject shows a lot
of $49 rediscover-your-records small tin cans with names like B-tech,
C-tech, Super-tech or whatever, ( why are all these totally unknown
companies making riaa-units?) at the cheap end and $800 big black boxes
with
gold lettering at the other. Is there nothing inbetween? I have the NAD
PP1
and the QED discsaver lying somewhere but I dont think these would do my
amp or my records justice.
Any recommendations in the $2-300 area?
_________
Digiman



www.phonopreamps.com

These are inexpensive, I have used the TC-760 with an MC cartridge as my amp
at the time only had a MM Phono stage. Works great, very quiet, and cheap.


Try the little Bellari VP129 for about $250. It's a tube preamp and is
excellent.

http://tinyurl.com/ko9fru

[Digiman]

"Sonnova" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:09:53 -0700, Dave wrote
(in article ):

"Digiman" wrote in message
...
Just got hold of an Adcom GCA-510 amp. Its basically an GFA-535 with a
passive volume control, and quite rare.
To the point: no phono stage. A little googling on the subject shows a
lot
of $49 rediscover-your-records small tin cans with names like B-tech,
C-tech, Super-tech or whatever, ( why are all these totally unknown
companies making riaa-units?) at the cheap end and $800 big black boxes
with
gold lettering at the other. Is there nothing inbetween? I have the NAD
PP1
and the QED discsaver lying somewhere but I dont think these would do
my
amp or my records justice.
Any recommendations in the $2-300 area?
_________
Digiman



www.phonopreamps.com

These are inexpensive, I have used the TC-760 with an MC cartridge as my
amp
at the time only had a MM Phono stage. Works great, very quiet, and
cheap.


Try the little Bellari VP129 for about $250. It's a tube preamp and is
excellent.

http://tinyurl.com/ko9fru


I suppose tubes is the way to go. Here's a couple of links to illustrate
what my home set-up is about.
http://www.vinylengine.com/phpBB2/al...&user_id=53762

http://www.vinylengine.com/phpBB2/al...&user_id=53762
_________
Digiman

[Norman Schwartz]

On Aug 11, 5:07*pm, "Digiman" wrote:
Just got hold of anAdcomGCA-510 amp. Its basically an GFA-535 with a
passive volume control, and quite rare.
To the point: no phono stage. A little googling on the subject shows a lot
of $49 rediscover-your-records small tin cans with names like B-tech,
C-tech, Super-tech or whatever, ( why are all these totally unknown
companies making riaa-units?) at the cheap end and $800 big black boxes with
gold lettering at the other. Is there nothing inbetween? I have the NAD PP1
and the QED discsaver lying somewhere *but I dont think these would do my
amp or my records justice.
Any recommendations in the $2-300 area?
_________

For that amount of $ you can buy a great (used) complete Adcom pre-amp
to go with your Adcom amp.

Digiman

[Sonnova]

On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:11:32 -0700, Digiman wrote
(in article ):

"Sonnova" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:09:53 -0700, Dave wrote
(in article ):

"Digiman" wrote in message
...
Just got hold of an Adcom GCA-510 amp. Its basically an GFA-535 with a
passive volume control, and quite rare.
To the point: no phono stage. A little googling on the subject shows a
lot
of $49 rediscover-your-records small tin cans with names like B-tech,
C-tech, Super-tech or whatever, ( why are all these totally unknown
companies making riaa-units?) at the cheap end and $800 big black boxes
with
gold lettering at the other. Is there nothing inbetween? I have the NAD
PP1
and the QED discsaver lying somewhere but I dont think these would do
my
amp or my records justice.
Any recommendations in the $2-300 area?
_________
Digiman



www.phonopreamps.com

These are inexpensive, I have used the TC-760 with an MC cartridge as my
amp
at the time only had a MM Phono stage. Works great, very quiet, and
cheap.


Try the little Bellari VP129 for about $250. It's a tube preamp and is
excellent.

http://tinyurl.com/ko9fru


I suppose tubes is the way to go. Here's a couple of links to illustrate
what my home set-up is about.

Not necessarily. Solid state preamps can also be very good. I recommended the
Bellari by Rolls Electronics simply because it happens to be VERY good for
the price and the OP was lamenting the lack of recommendations in the $200 -
$300 area. One can spend ridiculous amounts of money on a simple phono preamp
and there are others which are ridiculously cheap. Phono preamps vary all
over the place in quality due to RIAA equalization, and price (or the
technology used to achieve the amplification) is no guarantee that one is
getting an accurate RIAA curve.

[isw]

In article ,
Sonnova wrote:

On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:11:32 -0700, Digiman wrote
(in article ):

"Sonnova" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:09:53 -0700, Dave wrote
(in article ):

"Digiman" wrote in message
...
Just got hold of an Adcom GCA-510 amp. Its basically an GFA-535 with a
passive volume control, and quite rare.
To the point: no phono stage. A little googling on the subject shows a
lot
of $49 rediscover-your-records small tin cans with names like B-tech,
C-tech, Super-tech or whatever, ( why are all these totally unknown
companies making riaa-units?) at the cheap end and $800 big black boxes
with
gold lettering at the other. Is there nothing inbetween? I have the NAD
PP1
and the QED discsaver lying somewhere but I dont think these would do
my
amp or my records justice.
Any recommendations in the $2-300 area?
_________
Digiman



www.phonopreamps.com

These are inexpensive, I have used the TC-760 with an MC cartridge as my
amp
at the time only had a MM Phono stage. Works great, very quiet, and
cheap.


Try the little Bellari VP129 for about $250. It's a tube preamp and is
excellent.

http://tinyurl.com/ko9fru


I suppose tubes is the way to go. Here's a couple of links to illustrate
what my home set-up is about.

Not necessarily. Solid state preamps can also be very good. I recommended the
Bellari by Rolls Electronics simply because it happens to be VERY good for
the price and the OP was lamenting the lack of recommendations in the $200 -
$300 area. One can spend ridiculous amounts of money on a simple phono preamp
and there are others which are ridiculously cheap. Phono preamps vary all
over the place in quality due to RIAA equalization, and price (or the
technology used to achieve the amplification) is no guarantee that one is
getting an accurate RIAA curve.

The accuracy of the EQ is nowhere near as important (i.e. as audible) as
the distortion, which is the place nearly all RIAA equalized preamps
fall down. It is very difficult to provide, over the entire audio range,
both enough feedback to minimize distortion AND sufficient phase margins
to prevent instability (transient oscillations, for example, which some
folks have mistaken for "brilliance"). With tubes and bipolar
transistors, noise in the preamp was also a problem, but FETs have
largely taken care of that.

Isaac