2. amps-preamps
  3. 138372-118678

New audio setup?

Hi guys (new member here) and doing lots of research... Was hoping to get some feedback on the following setup;
Sony PS-X600 with Denon DL-110 High Output MC Cartridge.
Schiit Audio Freya Pre-Amp with Tung-Sol Reissue 6SN7GTB Gain Matched.
Yamaha A-S201 Stereo Amplifier.
Dali Concept 10.

Have I made any noob mistakes? 
ynos
ynos OP
5 posts
 
I appreciate the input guys but seriously confused with all the talk of also needing a phono stage when I already have a preamp (Schiit Freya). Why do I need two preamps?
Roberjerman, interesting idea running through the Yamaha tape out and into the Freya but could you please explain the whole setup?
auxinput
2,920 posts
 

A turntable is not a normal audio device like a CD player or tape player.  It requires a special input circuit to handle the very low level signal and impedance of the turntable needle.  You cannot just plug it into a normal "CD input".  The Yamaha integrated does have a phono input (you should not connect anything else to that input!!!).

If you are into Schiit, the Mani is a phono preamp that you can use.  It's very cheap at $129 (and will likely be better than what's in the Yamaha). 

While you could connect the output of the Freya to a CD input on the Yamaha, it's still going to go through the preamp section in the Yamaha (which is not as good as Freya).  It's just not a good solution and a dedicated amp is much better.

Don't buy two Vidar amps like mcreyn suggested.  Bridging stereo amps is never a good idea and only works well if you have high impedance 8 ohm speakers that never drop down to low impedance areas.  You have a 6ohm speaker, but the actual impedance can drop down to 2-3 ohms in certain areas (like bass or midbass/midrange).  One Vidar amp will be just fine in your case, and will likely sound much better than the Yamaha

So it would be like this:

Sony turntable ==> Mani phono stage ==> Freya preamp ==> Vidar amp ==> Dali speakers

auxinput
2,920 posts
 
The Yamaha A-S201 is like a phono stage, preamp and amplifier all built into one unit.  While it is very convenient to have it all in one unit, it is not going to be as good sound quality than higher end separates devices (like the Schiit equipment).  However, the Schiit separates are definitely more expensive.
amb3cog
21 posts
 
A preamp, and a phono preamp are two different things. They have different amounts of gain (phono has more, because the output of a turntable is lower then other sources, like a cassette deck, tuner, or DAC), and the way a phonograph works is that records aren't recorded like a cassette is. In order for it to play the music it needs an EQ, and a phono preamp has what's called an RIAA EQ built in. Basically without the EQ, it doesn't sound right, even if you had the extra gain. This has to do with how the records are made I think. Sorry, I'm a digital guy, and hopefully somebody, besides myself, can explain it better to you. But that's the gist of it. You could just buy a Little Bear tube phono preamp at Amazon too. They're very reasonable, like under $100. Good luck. BTW I agree with the Vidar idea. That will make a great setup. 
auxinput
2,920 posts
 

Yeah, rojerman has a good idea if you don't want to buy a phono stage at this point.  You could use the Yamaha A-S201 as a phono stage for now, but you would still need a separate amp.  In that case, it would be this:

The "==>" is an RCA interconnect cable.

The ">>>" is speaker wire, of course.

Sony turntable ==> Yamaha phono input ==> Yamaha tape output ==> Freya preamp ==> Vidar amp >>> Dali speakers

More to discover