Does anyone play 78 Rpm records?

Getting warm sound isn't just about using a high distortion tube amp. It can be the phonostage as well. You have to get the front end right or nothing else downstream really matters.

If you just want a vintage sound then I'd suggest buying vintage equipment from here or ebay. Some old tube stuff. Maybe some old horns.

jh

I do play 78's and have Thorens an Technics both.

I Found out after a very long search of 2 years :) that the best possible soulution is to get an arm with a removable head shell and use the Ortofon MONO CG 65 Di for the cartridge, and than get the Graham Slee Revelation Universal Format Phono Stage. This improved the sound to a whole new level.

And the most important thing. Clean the Records with the best possibel care. I would recommend the Disc Doctor Miracle wash but do not forget to clean it with distil water after wards.

I hope this will help.

Thanks for the advice. But I am willing to spend $3-4,000 on speakers and a amp/pre-amp. I know all about the different eq curves and which ones should be played with each record. I just want to get a more warm, colored sound for these old recordings.

If it doesn't sound properly balanced to you, then you probably don't have the correct RIAA EQ. Have you tried different records with different EQ settings?

I just have a simple setup for playing 78's... an old Dual turntable with a Grado 78 mono cartridge. I simply plug it into the MM phono inputs of my old Onkyo receiver and it sounds fine.

With RIAA for LP, 78's have a fat bottom end and are rolled off on top (if memory serves) but with a receiver, I can simply use the bass and treble controls to balance the sound to my taste (as I recall -- I haven't played 78's in a while).

AMC makes a tube preamp with bass and treble controls, phono input, and headphone output for only $799. It's the AMC CVT1030s, and I would think this unit would work well for your needs.

No special speakers or amps are required for 78 playback, but if you want to wax nostalgic you can always pick yourself up a nice pair of vintage speakers too.