The ad says RCA input and output, the specs show only RCA input and 1/4" jack out?? Which is it, I'd use this primarily as a preamp in stereo setup so I need RCA out.
Gugliermoif you want one of these types of amps to use as a pre... the Darkvoice 336SE has RCA pre outs.. I use mine w/ my Sony TA-N77ES at my computer ..works really well as a pre for the Sony Amp
atarioneThanks, yes, I have the Darkvoice on order from the recent drop, I was hoping to get this one too as I love 6V6 tubes and the 12XX7 family. The 6SN7 is my favorite tube for stereo application so I'm eager to try out the DV. I've got a large box full of 6SN7s to play with.
Congrats on the rig, you have some really fine gear there. The Sony 77 was their top dog. I have a Sansui G-8000 from 1978 that I love from Japan's Golden Age of receivers & amps.
demizeThanks, I saw that and am in on the drop..(-; .....got a bunch of 5654s and Russkies to play with that amp.
Heard many good things but also warnings about using it as a pre-amp with direct coupled amps.. /-=
atarioneHave any suggestions for me? I'm sort of starting from scratch though I happen to have a pair of nice turntables ~ and a tooon of vinyl ~ was thinking something like the PS audio sprout or the deckard class-A, but I'm a huge sucker for tube amps and wanted to check them out
SlobloGet the best tube phono stage you can afford, place your speakers on the short walls (project down the long axis), get them 2-3 feet away from the backing wall, place them a third of the wall width apart, get them on isolation spikes off the hard floor. Enjoy.
HawgHi Hawg, if you mean use the headphone 1/4" as a line out signal they are not the same, the headphone out is amplified and runs through different capacitors while the line out RCAs are un-amplified signal.
GugliermoLooks like it's using a Lynn Basik cartridge ~ do you have any recommendations as far as tube phono stages?
As I mentioned before I was looking at the PS audio sprout or the Deckard Class-A (Audeze) since I definitely appreciate the source switching and headphone out on the front. Would I need an additional Phono Stage preamp to use them with the Lynn? or would those work without?
Thanks again for the help, trying to wrap my head around what gear is ideal for my needs.
SlobloThe Sprout claims it has a built in Phono stage so you would not need an additional outboard phono stage with that unit. The Deckard however has no such thing so you would need an outboard phono stage with that unit.
I would suggest looking into Yaqin or Little Bear for budget tube phono stages. If you are not familiar with how tubes work, do look into it before you buy, they are not for everyone. Tube equipment is often accused of "distortion". This is misuse of the word. What they do is introduce harmonics into the sound. Even ordered harmonics, octaves, fifths. These are subtle (and natural) but add a dimension to the sound that is hard to describe. "Magical", airy, three dimensional, are good ones. These results can be obtained with really fine tubes, the ones made during the heyday of tube production, 1940's-1980's before the transistor boom killed the tube. Poorly made tubes or bad tubes will sound awful. They need TLC to function properly and will need to be replaced eventually. Many people can't be bothered and opt for the transistor sound.
Phono stage amps are needed to amplify the extremely small signal coming from a moving stylus in a record groove. The phono stage increases that tiny line signal for further amplification by the Pre-amp stage which then sends that signal to the amp for further amplification and out to the speakers. It's a LOT more "hassle" than digital sourced sound (-; Also, the turntable will have to be set up properly, leveled, skating and tracking pressures properly adjusted, and the stylus kept CLEAN. (-; A good disc washing system for the vinyl is also very desirable. I know that's a lot of stuff one needs to go through but please realize, VINYL was the true and original High-Resolution sound reproduction system, considerably outperforming the 44khz/16bit standard chosen for Compact Discs. Enjoy.