2. amps-preamps
  3. 1447115686

Do I need a pre-amp?

Major noob here. Researching my first turntable purchase. One potential problem is my existing receiver, Marantz SR4001. Not sure if this home-theater receiver is immediately compatible or whether I will need an additional phono pre-amp? Here is spec book: http://newmedia.engl.iastate.edu/tutorials/DFU_SR4001_SR5001_Final_eng.pdf

Looks like there is a pre-amp OUT but I don't see any phono IN. Maybe that doesn't matter, but I'm not sure bc I don't know very much about this stuff. If I need a pre-amp, how much should I expect to spend to be on par w my entry-level B&W floor-standing speakers? I also have a B&W sub that I would like to keep thumping and will changing my setup require altering that config?

Also, this is the turntable I'm considering: https://app.audiogon.com/listings/turntables-conrad-johnson-sonographe-sg-3-with-alphason-opal-sumiko-andante-turntable-tonear-2015-10-12-analog-02461-newton-highlands-ma Is this a good starter table and on par w my setup?

Thanks in advance for helping me learn and sorry for the scattered questions. I've heard great things about this forum.
lionsdwarf
Ag insider logo xs@2x
dbphd
1,630 posts
 
Zd542, my comments have been aimed at OP's motivation for vinyl, given the other components he's using. If my house had a leaky roof, I'd be unlikely to be shopping for a gazebo. In the age of very fine digital sound, vinyl seems an audiophile indulgence. Fun, perhaps, but not a necessary complication for the enjoyment of music. Maybe it's just a sense of priorities. For me, speakers I like would come first, followed closely by a suitable amp to drive them and a reliable source. Only after the basics are in place might I shift my attention to frills. Now if I got caught up in the drift of smoke coming in my direction . . .

db
mesch
3,520 posts
 
I agree with Inna regarding buying a modern TT. Also the suggestion to check out needledoctor, I forgot them in my last post. The Project Debut II seems to be a popular budget choice (~$400). You never mentioned your budget for TT and stage.
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"11-12-15: Dbphd
Zd542, my comments have been aimed at OP's motivation for vinyl, given the other components he's using."

I suspect the OP won't be the first person to use a TT with a receiver. Maybe not even the last. As for the rest of it, its good to know how you do things. Its like a carefully plotted course that we should all follow.
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
On websites like Needle Doctor, when you choose a budget TT which includes tonearm aND cart, you have access to suitable phonostages.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
dbphd
1,630 posts
 
"As for the rest of it, its good to know how you do things. Its like a carefully plotted course that we should all follow."

Zd542, Why the snarky sarcasm? My point was simply why would OP allocate money to a frill like a TT when he appears less than satisfied his more basic audio components. And before you or Inna give me a lecture on a man's right to spend his money as he sees fit, I agree with you.

db
More to discover