2. amps-preamps
  3. 153105-139713

Phonostage/preamp recommendations. Parasound JC3 Jr.?

Hello all. After searching for hours and not quite understanding if I’m processing the information right, I figured I would sign up ask the question directly with my specific information. Obviously new to home audio so please go easy. I bought a "new to me" Sota Sapphire with a Sumiko Premier FT-3 tonearm and Dynavector DV-10X5 cart. I leveled it out and set up the arm. Hooked it up to my Denon DRA-800H receiver (which says it has a phono input) paired up with Polk RTI A3 bookshelves. Everything "works" fine. Highs are clean and crisp. No funky sounds or anything like that so overall success. My issue comes with the overall loudness of the playback (having to almost max the volume at 70 before achieving listenable levels) and the lack of bass and overall dimension in the music. Not having a sub and understanding they are only bookshelves I don’t expect the world of them but I was thinking it should sound better than my bluetooth Bose Soundlink? Being an MC cart the person a bought the turntable from suggested I could benefit from running a dedicated phonostage before the Denon. The Parasound Jr. looks good giving the option to switch from MM to MC and seems to have a good fanbase.  Am I on the right track to a decent starter system? Any recommendations? looking for something I won’t have to upgrade for a while, but not looking to sell my bike either. Please help school me on this rabbit hole I’ve ventured into! Also not opposed to tubes, but I’m sure that’s a whole other world I shouldn’t be exploring quite yet. Thanks in advance.

Recap on what I have:
Sota Sapphire
Sumiko Premier FT-3
Dynavector DV-10X5
Denon DRA-800h
Polk RTI A3
tommyd902688

Showing 2 responses by atmasphere

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,138 posts
 
2. The MC section of the pre amp has 50db gain or 60db. I'm having trouble finding a balance. Recommendation from dynavector is 50db with 1000h ohmz load. So that's where I started. It seemed fine. And playing with the knob up or down didn't improve the sound, and actually degraded in most cases.
It sounds like the 50dB setting is the correct one. I would try the loading as high as you can- 47K (which is the standard for phono inputs) if possible and work your way down from there if needed. Here is an article about what the loading is about:http://www.hagtech.com/loading.html
There is more to it than that of course... BTW I would check the tone are settings just to make sure everything else is right. The height is one thing but tracking force is another, as well as something called 'overhang' which can be checked with a turntable protractor (which should not be expensive).

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,138 posts
 
Example I may or may not want an MM cart in the future or a different MC and I would want to buy something now that can accommodate a fairly large variety of options vs something that’s more specific to one type of setup. Buy once cry once if you will...with limitations of course.
@tommyd902688

FWIW Dept.:

SUTs are not all that specific. They will require loading at the output, depending on the cartridge used and the SUT in use. Jensen transformers makes some of the best for this purpose and also have a pdf on the correct loading for the transformer (assuming also that the input of your Denon is the 47K standard).

However I would have expected a cartridge with 2.5mV to be no worries in this situation- and since you are experiencing weak bass and low output that suggests to me that something is amiss rather than you're actually needing a different phono preamp. I would investigate your tone arm setup first to make sure it really is right! For example the arm height can mess with the bass as can the platter pad itself. I have also seen damaged cartridges where they had low output and no bass because the magnetic motor has been damaged, probably from being dropped. I would exhaust these issues first before buying another phono preamp- if you did buy one and you still had the same problem I'm guessing you would not be happy about that.



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