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Improve volume from turntable with a new cartridge?

Hi all,

I am getting back into hifi after years of iPod and computer speakers. Last week I bought a Music-Hall integrated amp and a pair of B&W 686 S2 speakers, and a JL Audio powered 8" sub-woofer. CD player is a Sony CDP C-445 multi-disc player that I bought for $100 used. Turntable is one I have from years ago, a Technics SL-D2 direct-drive with a plastic-looking Grado cartridge, not sure of model, it was back in the early ’90s.

This morning I tried to do an A/B comparison between my turntable and my CD player. Music was Pink Floyd’s "Dark Side of the Moon". Old scratched 20-year-old CD versus brand-new bought yesterday LP from the local vinyl store.

It was difficult to do a proper A/B because every time I switched to the phono input on the amp, I had to increase the volume to about 2 o’clock, and when I switched back to the CD input I had to dial back the volume to about noon.

The amp has a phono input so I am assuming it has a built-in phono pre-amp, right? If so, why is the volume still so low? Would upgrading to a better cartridge increase the volume? I am open to a newer, better-quality turntable if it will improve the sound considerably. I have hundreds of LPs, about half of which are in good condition and would probably be good to listen to after a good cleaning, BUT I also have hundreds of CDs, and if the turntable / LP would not yield significant improvement over the CDs, then I am hesitant to invest further in analog.

So.... back to the point... if I could get close to the same volume from my phono as I do from CD, it would be easier to do a decent A/B. Could a different cartridge in my existing turntable achieve that?

Alternatively I could check with my local hifi store and see if they would let me bring home and test-drive a turntable.

Sorry for the long post. Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for your time and advice.

Eric Zwicky
Richmond VA
ezwicky

Showing 6 responses by ezwicky

ezwicky OP
26 posts
 
Thanks for the reply rodman99999.   I only have one LP record in excellent condition that I also have a CD of, so it's all I am able to use for an A/B.

The integrated is a new Music-Hall a15.3.   

I took a closer look at the cartridge and then at the Grado site, and mine looks like a Prestige Black1.    I can't remember how old it is.


ezwicky OP
26 posts
 
Thanks lewm.      The manual for the integrated amp says input sensitivity for the phono (MM) input section is 1mV.   The Grado Prestige cartridge is 5mV, so I should be OK there.

The aim of this exercise is to determine whether or not I should invest more money in analog, or just stick with what I have.  I have a pretty good collection, maybe 1000 LPs, but a lot of them are older and scratched or otherwise marginal.    

If it's normal to have the 12-:00 - 2:00 disparity in volume knob between CD and turntable, then that pretty much answers my original long-winded question.

I think to make an informed decision I will have to see about bringing home for audition a better turntable and cartridge.


ezwicky OP
26 posts
 
Thanks everybody for replying.  I guess at this point I need to see if I can clean / restore my old records, then see how they sound.   The lone brand-new one (Dark Side of the Moon) sounded awesome, if quieter than my CDs, but still sounded great to my ears.   If I can get some of my really good older records to sound that good, then I will invest in a better turntable and cartridge.   My local hifi store is a dealer for Music-Hall and Pro-Ject, so those would be two possibilities.
ezwicky OP
26 posts
 
This is what I worry about, being somewhat obsessive...
ezwicky OP
26 posts
 
Update: I cleaned the (built-in to the turntable) RCA connections at the pre-amp end with Caig De-Oxit (I use it on my motorcycle electrical connections) and now there is less of a volume discrepancy between the turntable and the CD.

Also, I have found several more records that I also have a CD of, and some of them are really close, for example Ornette Coleman’s "The Shape of Jazz to Come" and "Horowitz in Moscow".

So I am getting closer to a halfway-decent A/B setup.

Looks like now I will most likely get a better TT / cartridge. Maybe a Music-Hall or Pro-Ject, since that’s what my local hifi shop carries.
ezwicky OP
26 posts
 
Update:    I ended up getting some new components, all from Music-Hall.   And I am really glad I did.     I got the mmf-5.3 TT, bought a Herbie's mat, and have been really enjoying my old records.

I have been following some record-cleaning threads, and have been spending a lot of time cleaning my old records, and even new ones (Janos Starker Bach Cello Suites for one example) and I am finding that there is something different about playing records as opposed to CD.    Not just the sound, but the actual experience of it.   It's more of an "event", if you will, and it makes me devote more of an effort (not the right word, because it's not an effort.. it's rewarding) to actually listening and paying attention to the performances.   Rather than just as a background, as it was with CDs.

The other thing is that I am renewing my acquaintance with stuff I haven't listened to in a couple decades.   I have a couple hundred really nice Blue-Note records, and even my old Riverside records sound good after a thorough cleaning.     I haven't listened to this much McCoy Tyner and Thelonious Monk in a long time :)

Anyway, I think I digressed a bit there...  thanks for reading.

Eric
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