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Brand new to vinyl: Help!

I am brand new to vinyl, but quite established in digital (CDs, lossless streaming, etc.).

I made the first foray to vinyl by purchasing an entry level turntable - Pro-Ject Debut Carbon DC Esprit.

I am using an Ayre pre-amp with phono stage and also Ayre amp.

While I am happy I have it up and running, I don’t think it sounds as good as my digital setup (Directstream DAC).

So what can I do to improve, short of buying a much more expensive turntable?

Things in my mind:

1 - Since it accepts DC power, buy a linear power supply

2 - Since my Phone stage on my preamp only accepts XLR three-pin connector, I bought a male RCA to male XLR cable from Amazon, less than $20. Do I need a better interconnect?

3 - Upgrade the cartridge (it comes with Ortfofon Red something)

Thanks!
128x128thyname
thyname's avatar
thyname OP
3,107 posts
 
Thank you very much @lewm !

Definitely something I plan to do down the road, if I am lucky enough to find someone that understands what you wrote and knows what to do
dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
thyname,

lewm is dead on. Big improvement in sound quality using a true balanced wiring harness from your cartridge pins to the K-1xe’s phono input. Don’t put it off. I can help you if you PM me.

Dave
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,752 posts
 
I can help too- we produced the world's first balanced line phono preamp.

The advantage is that the interconnect between the arm and cartridge does not contribute or rob anything from the sound of the system, unlike single-ended setups where the interconnect has to be auditioned.

That means that a really expensive cable won't sound any better than a cheap one as long as its wired right. So its worth doing!
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,696 posts
 
Ralph, have you considered offering a stand-alone balanced phono stage? I’d bet you could sell quite a few of them! There are a number of solid state balanced phonos, but no tube (other than the phono stage in your complete pre’s), as far as I know.
hedgehog's avatar
hedgehog
183 posts
 
A Atma-Sphere phono stage would be soooo tempting...
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