Phone preamp question

@thecarpathian 

I agree 100% with @russ69. It also depends on how loud you like to play your system. The Odyssey Audio Stratos' spec sheet does not specify an input sensitivity rating (that I could find), so it's hard to tell if 39 dB of gain on the Bellari will be sufficient for your systems needs. My guess is it will be. Make sure the Bellari is powered up first before powering up the speaker amp (if and when using speakers). In this scenario, I would also not allow a pair of headphones to be plugged into the Bellari when listening to speakers, as this may change the output impedance and output voltage of the Bellari (just to be on the safe side, as the Bellari spec sheet does not specify if when headphones are plugged in, the RCA outputs are muted). Speakers or headphones when using the Bellari, but not both at the same time is my recommendation. Let us know how it performs for you.    

yogiboy

4,713 posts

10-16-2022 at 01:57pm 

A phono preamp and a passive preamp does not have enough voltage to use with an amp directly. You need an active preamp!

 

 

Bzzzzzt…..wrong. But thanks for playing.

I have been using phono stages with passive preamps for years. It’s more about how passive friendly your system is. As I type this I am listening to an SPL Phonos into a Hattor Audio passive preamp. No problem with driving the amp to full power.

A phono preamp and a passive preamp does not have enough voltage to use with an amp directly. You need an active preamp!

^No!^

The phono amp usually needs 10-40 dB of attenuation.

Guys, can I take a phono preamp (Bellari vp130 mk2) which has a gain control and plug it directly into an amp (Odyssey Audio Stratos) using the gain control as a volume control…

@thecarpathian it should get way too loud, but it is easy enough to try it. It should work.

Just got it all set up, and with the gain setting not a quarter of the way on the Bellari, it's already loud enough and sounding pretty darn good. Too late to crank it, but I'm pleasantly surprised by the volume level. Forgot to mention, the Bellari came with a custom and extremely robust separate power supply to use in place of the original, anemic wall wart. (Included)

I wonder if this has something to do with its performance?

Anyway, thank you all again for your input.

Glad it's worked for you.