Looking at getting a real amp, version 2

DarkLink2135

I've got an X-Fi XtremeMusic card in my PC now. Not exactly high-end, but by no means low-end either.

It's a go on buying the amp, I'm just not sure how much he wants for it yet. He said he's willing give it up, but I was running a tractor at the time and couldn't understand whether he's just going to give it to me or going to sell it. I would be incredibly surprised if he wanted to just give it to me, because he's as much of a cheap ass as I am.

obobskivich

lol, well, thats a good soundcard for your setup, just run it into the most logical line input (i doubt it has CD input, but if it has an auxilary input, or something like that, the goal is to avoid dolby NR and RIAA preamp stages)

as far as the connector on your PC, I prefer getting a TRS to RCA phono adapter, and just using conventional RCA to RCA cables, however you can get an all-in-one cable solution (price really doesn't change either way, I just prefer not having a pair of RCA cables terminated with a TRS jack in one cable)

furball zen

Stay away from that crap, its too oily and will lead to more probs shortly down the road. Mostly dust build up at first.

department76

lol cd input in 1975? riiight....

it'll probably (i'd bet my rig on it) have an aux input, you want to use that from your computer or whatever source. obob is right, you want to avoid using a tape input or phono input, as that will produce undesirable effects with an ordinary line input. if you have to settle, take tape over phono. i'm still betting it has an aux in; my friends family has an old marantz that's very similar, also from the 70s (i forget the model), and it has one.

edit- you two should leave your retarded arguments out of this one as not to trash the OPs SECOND thread about this subject.

obobskivich

yeah, I said "doubt" on CD input

some recievers don't have dolby NR/junk on their tape input (mine has a tape input thats "tape 2/VCR" which accepts normal line in, and doesn't do anything to the signal, but my JVC reciever has dolby NR/etc on its tape input (which can do funky things to audio))

as far as other fun things to do, if it has a phono pre, and a record output (thats line level), you can hook up a turntable to the phono input, and feed the rec. out to the PC, use it for phono playback, AND to digitize your vinyl (which is good since listening to the same LP again and again can destroy the fidelity on the LP, which, kind of makes having the quality of LP pointless (but recording it into something good, like WMA Lossless or FLAC will let you listen to it again and again, and only listen to the real LP when you're feeling ritzy about it))

DarkLink2135

I've got a turntable :).

Also manufactured in the 70s :P.

I can disable the Dolby NR preamp stuff via the software on my card. I don't think I've ever had it enabled anyway =/.

obobskivich

no no, what I'm saying is, you don't want to feed your card's line output into the Dolby NR/RIAA Pre circuitry on a reciever/preamplifier, because it'll destroy your music (just for kicks, look up the EQ curve for RIAA Phono, now imagine that applied to a line level source, Dolby NR will do similarly evil things to line sources, they're both technologies designed to compensate for disparities in older media technologies (NR is designed to help tape sound like it was mastered, it works expertly, RIAA phono does the same thing for vinyl, without it, they sound horrible, with proper preamplification and whatnot, they can sound quite nice (assuming they're mastered right in the first place))

so thats why I suggested you look for the auxilary input on the reciever, at least to feed your computer into, unless you know for a fact that the other line ins are straight line level inputs, and not some other brand of voodoo

what turntable do you have (i'm just curious, if its that old, its probably at least "good" quality, if not stellar quality (its amazing how inexpensive quality was in the 1970's and 1980's))

DarkLink2135

My turntable has a RIAA pre-amp that I bought for it because my current receiver doesn't have phono inputs. It was $50 I think =/.

I've got a Pioneer PL-600. It's got some minor damage, scratches on the hood, some of the rubber feet have crumbled off, and I think the piece you stick in the center of the 45's is missing, but it plays 33's wonderfully :).

obobskivich

not bad at all, and honestly i've yet to see a turntable without scratches on the hood (except brand new ones), i have no idea how such scratches manifest, but they do, at least its the hood, and not the platter or the tonearm getting damaged

what preamp did you buy for it? (i'm just curious, lol)

wafflesomd

we have yet to get to the liquid amps, we can't stop yet!

My recommendation would be to buy some amps with really low thd, but not pa amps, they sound like crap. Just believe me, no need to prove it, i know im right.

Auzner

You're someone to go to for audio stuff, and I can agree with you on this. Darklink, I'd listen to him on this point and not bother with PA amps and look for something high quality.

BlackKoala

guys shut the hell up before this gets closed.

DarkLink2135

http://www.phonopreamps.com/
It's the TCC TC-750 model on the left, w/o the output control.

-----

I'm getting a Marantz 2270 potentially for pretty cheap. From what I can tell, it's a really damn nice tube amp.

I don't know what the **** a PA amp is, or how to tell one apart from something that isn't a PA amp. I'm not a goddamn audiophile, I'm just trying to put something together for very cheap that is nicer than what I have now.

So as BlackKoala said:

will you ****ing homos shut the **** up? It's bad enough that you'd try to start **** up again in this thread, but it's just pathetic that you'd bring in the bull**** from the other thread to do it.

If you can't debate something without having at least baseline respect for one another, than please shut the **** up and don't post unless you've got a suggestion, comment, etc, whatever, anything other than your goddamn flames. It was amusing in the old thread, for awhile, now it's just annoying as ****.

wafflesomd

No you.

Guys check out head-fi. Lots of good stuff there.

Did you know that some amps provide a different soundstage!

Also, the Behringer EP2500 doesn't even output its rated 1200w per channel @ 2 ohms! Even though a third party, certified crown technician tested it, and proved that it does, but who cares about that mumbo jumbo!

UNLIKELY1

Who cares!

Hi dark! I was looking at the Marantz and the more I learn the more I like. Just one thing tho, its not a tube amp. Its a solid state receiver. You probably already know this but I wanted to make sure.
It is still a very desirable unit in many circles, mostly for its warm tube like sound with the reliability of solid state. It would be a great score if he just gives it to you. From what I have learned there was alot of them made so parts are abundant.
I would pay $150 for it. But I fix this old vintage stuff all the time. But pass on it if you cant get it cheap and/or you dont want to go to the trouble/expense of fixing it. If you can get it for 40 or 50, deffinately, but not more then $100. Specialy when you figure you can get that Onkyo for $200.
But then again, if you do BUY it and decide its not for you, let me know and I will buy it off you.

wafflesomd

I do, because he completely ignores facts. Does that not bother you?

You focus too much on the fact that I'm being an idiot and spamming, rather than the fact that obob chooses to completely ignore the facts. He is spreading his head-fi bs and you guys are ok with it.

Auzner

Because nobody likes a spamming troll.

WhiteBoy88

Next off-topic or flame post will earn an Infraction for the poster. This is the second thread you guys have ruined for DarkLink; continue to do so if you want a temporary break from XFN.

With that said, please continue on-topic discussion.

obobskivich

wow i go to sleep for 6 hours and come back to this?
damn.

phonopreamps.com is where I was hoping you'd said you got your pre from, either there, or one of the headphone amp boutiques like Firestone audio, but iirc their phono pre is like $350 (yikes, but its supposed to be audiophile or something, idk, I like their amps, but given that their phono pre is their most expensive item, by a good margin...yikes)

yeah wow, your phono pre is really nice, what you might actually wanna do with the marantz, is hook up your turntable to go turntable -> phono pre -> auxiliary line in

because its probably a higher quality phono preamp than the marantz has onboard (just listen to both, see which sound you prefer, but specwise, your outboard is prolly the better model)

of course if the marantz can't do two line inputs (I see a lot of connectors on the back, but that doesn't mean they're all line ins, one set is going to be a tape loop, almost guranteed, one set is going to be phono, and the rest is variable, might have one for RTR, might have one for another tape loop, might have one for a tuner, etc)

I can't find D76's link for your reciever, I was gonna look at it and see which phono pre is supposed to be better on paper (BUT, that doesn't mean it'll sound better, the marantz may have a lower "spec" on paper, however sound nicer to your ears (it may be a more pleasing sound to your ears, kind of like whats being discussed here: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/he...-audio-351287/ (i just dont feel like re-inventing the wheel to say all of that, the only way you know which sounds better is to hear both (and since you're gonna have both, it doesn't kill you to do so))

i'll edit when I find the link to the reciever and read to my heart's content about it, lol

edit:
found the link, AND saw unlikely's post for the first time (yeah, i'm slowly waking up here, lol)
i agree entirely (except I won't buy the marantz off of you, I'm satisfied with my Yamaha, lol) but $150 is a tad high when theres that Onkyo he found the other day on onkyoshop (or whatever its properly called, their refurb outlet)

ok so here's the inputs its supposed to have:
dual tape monitor in/out (so thats two line ins, and two record line outs)
dual phono in (feel that age, wow, dual phono, thats like old school for a reciever)
and one auxiliary

and a pre/main coupler

what does all of this mean for you?
well, A) you can put an EQ or Pro Logic processor or some other voodoo like that into the system
B) you have more than enough inputs for your turntable and PC
C) this is a nice score

you can probably run line inputs to the tape feed, since I don't see any huge "DOLBY NR" tags on it (yeah, Dolby is liberal with branding), so functionally its got 3 line ins, max, which is pretty good for something this age

so yeah, like unlikely said, if its like sub $100, go for it, and even over $100, you might consider, but you can get new equipment of similar amplification quality and quantity, for around $200, or really nice used stuff

hope this helps sort things for your sound system a bit, i guess we'll just be waiting for any more questions