Output Voltage

It shouldn't be, unless your phono amp doesn't have enough gain for the cart you are using.

What phono amp and cart do you have?

I'm using a Creek OBH-15, with a dynavector 10x5, the creeks has a line output voltage of 250mv, and on the cd players the output is around 2 volts. The cartridge is used on the mm side of the creek, and matches pretty well, i'm just wondering why the preamp doesn't put out as much signal, as my cd player.

I can't tell what 250mv means without knowing how that was measured.

I checked their web site. The MM output of the Creek OBH-15 has a gain of 37db, which is too low for the Dynavector’s 2.5mv output. I think you need about 10db more gain to match well.

I agree with Sidssp.

5-10db more gain before the line stage (or a cartridge with 4-5mv output) would probably make your analog source sound more dynamic and alive (not just "louder").

any suggestions on such a preamp ??

How much do you want to spend?

Actually, the one i've been most interested in is the Dynavector P-75, it has a gain of 40db, do you think this would be a good fit ?? Especially with the 10x5 cart.

Don't know. I am not familiar with the P-75. However, there is a good chance it will work well with its own cart.

But if you were planning to get a different cart later, you might want to get a phono amp with either a little higher gain or adjustable gains so that you can have more cart selections.

Sorry to keep bugging ya, but, could you give me an idea of good phono stage w/adjustable gain, in the 600-700 range ??

Readster,
Sorry I couldn't give you specific recommendations because I don't have much experiences with the phono amp at this price range. I don't want to tell you something that I do not know well. I can only make suggestions on what to look for in your situation. Sorry for not being more helpful.

oh, you've been a great help, i was kinda lost, but now i have a much better understanding, i really appreciate it.