Hi,
I have just bought a nad 3020 amp which i'm really pleased with. I just have one small issue.
I plugged my laptop into the amp via a rca to 3.5mm jack lead but the volume is a lot lower than my CD player and turntable apart from when i use the phono stage on the amp. I had a quick look online and read that laptops and mp3 players don't have a line level signal, is that correct? Howcomes i get full volume when plugging into the phono stage?
Now i am happy to use the phono stage for any 3.5mm jack listening, but i also want to use my turntable without having to keep switching the phono leads at the back of the amp each time. Would i be able to use these Y leads to split the rca connections and leave both leads plugged in so no more switching?
RCA Y Splitter Lead 2 x Female TO 1 x Male Pair: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
Hope this all makes sense!
Thanks,
Pete
I have just bought a nad 3020 amp which i'm really pleased with. I just have one small issue.
I plugged my laptop into the amp via a rca to 3.5mm jack lead but the volume is a lot lower than my CD player and turntable apart from when i use the phono stage on the amp. I had a quick look online and read that laptops and mp3 players don't have a line level signal, is that correct? Howcomes i get full volume when plugging into the phono stage?
Now i am happy to use the phono stage for any 3.5mm jack listening, but i also want to use my turntable without having to keep switching the phono leads at the back of the amp each time. Would i be able to use these Y leads to split the rca connections and leave both leads plugged in so no more switching?
RCA Y Splitter Lead 2 x Female TO 1 x Male Pair: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
Hope this all makes sense!
Thanks,
Pete
The phono stage on any amplifier is a really high gain stage. So only a little signal is needed but there is a problem... a big problem. The response of a phono stage isn't flat, it varies with frequency. Look up RIAA equalisation. So it will tend to sound very strange and unbalanced tonally.
RIAA equalization - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Most laptops should generate plenty of signal I would have thought. Make sure you have the volume on the laptop turned up fully.
RIAA equalization - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Most laptops should generate plenty of signal I would have thought. Make sure you have the volume on the laptop turned up fully.
These things are difficult to evaluate at a distance...
To test it all keep things consistent. Select a line input and confirm that its OK with your CD player. Assuming that is OK, disconnect the CD player and substitute it for the laptop using the same input sockets. If the sound is low even with the laptop turned up fully then we have to decide what is going astray. Is it very much lower... as in barely audible ? or just noticeably lower but OK if the NAD is turned up more.
Its strange that it basically works OK using the phono stage. I say that because the phono stage works with levels of only a couple of millivolts or so which means that anything approaching normal line level should drive the NAD into gross distortion using that input... and it sounds as though that isn't happening. Which does come back to the laptop/lead combination.
Make sure the laptop is turned up fully first. Does it have a dedicated line output or is it a lineout/headphone socket combined ?
To test it all keep things consistent. Select a line input and confirm that its OK with your CD player. Assuming that is OK, disconnect the CD player and substitute it for the laptop using the same input sockets. If the sound is low even with the laptop turned up fully then we have to decide what is going astray. Is it very much lower... as in barely audible ? or just noticeably lower but OK if the NAD is turned up more.
Its strange that it basically works OK using the phono stage. I say that because the phono stage works with levels of only a couple of millivolts or so which means that anything approaching normal line level should drive the NAD into gross distortion using that input... and it sounds as though that isn't happening. Which does come back to the laptop/lead combination.
Make sure the laptop is turned up fully first. Does it have a dedicated line output or is it a lineout/headphone socket combined ?
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.