I think I now understand the source of your confusion. I looked up the Cambridge audio CXA 81, which you say is your amplifier. The product is an integrated amplifier of the type I just described. It incorporates a line stage and an amplifier on one chassis. But it also incorporates a digital to analog converter(DAC). That section of the amplifier should be regarded as an accessory to its major purpose. You can feed the DAC section a digital signal direct from for example a CD player or a CD transport and it will convert the digital signal to analog to feed the line stage and amplifier. This has nothing to do with the basic pathway of the amplification system. I am not sure whether your Cambridge Audio device also has a built in phono stage, but if it does not, you need that also to play records.
Path of signal from turn table to speaker
Hi all, if you could humor a fledgling "audiophile" still learning... can anyone specify how a signal get from a turntable to the speakers? My understanding is that pure analog circuits are for many reasons not common. This means that the signal must first be converted by an ADC (analog to dig convertor). This signal then travels through the amp circuitry and eventually reaches a DAC which then outputs to the speaker. Is this decently accurate?
The second part of this question relates to how an amplifier can affect this signal. I have a rega preamp so I don't need an amp with a phonostage. If this is the case I have a hard time understanding how one amp will differ from another for record playback. I know that amps all differ in there capabilities but the basic formula does not change. Analog signal to digital and then back to analog. When purchasing an amp for records... should i basically just purchase for that amps capabilities and nothing else from the input standpoint?
The second part of this question relates to how an amplifier can affect this signal. I have a rega preamp so I don't need an amp with a phonostage. If this is the case I have a hard time understanding how one amp will differ from another for record playback. I know that amps all differ in there capabilities but the basic formula does not change. Analog signal to digital and then back to analog. When purchasing an amp for records... should i basically just purchase for that amps capabilities and nothing else from the input standpoint?