Hello all,
I’m thinking of buying a turntable and have no experience.
It has a cartridge (ortofon 2m red) that put out 5.5mV.
My anp don’t have a riaa stage so i will buy on too. But the gain is something
like 60x. 5.5mV times 60 is 0.33v. Is that right?
My amplifer needs more that that..it is happy with 1.5-2v input 😊
Is there any riaa that have more gain? Or will it be to much niose? Or anything else?
Like i said, no experience..
BR //Daniel
I’m thinking of buying a turntable and have no experience.
It has a cartridge (ortofon 2m red) that put out 5.5mV.
My anp don’t have a riaa stage so i will buy on too. But the gain is something
like 60x. 5.5mV times 60 is 0.33v. Is that right?
My amplifer needs more that that..it is happy with 1.5-2v input 😊
Is there any riaa that have more gain? Or will it be to much niose? Or anything else?
Like i said, no experience..
BR //Daniel
The gain of an RIAA stage depends on the frequency you test at and so '60' sounds about right for testing at 1kHz. That equates to a gain of 35db
I would think a typical moving magnet phono amp has a gain of around 100 at 1kHz.
If you want 5.5mV to be amplified to 2V you need a gain of 364.
If you are buying a typical phono amp you would need to add an additional amp to its output.
If you want 5.5mV to be amplified to 2V you need a gain of 364.
If you are buying a typical phono amp you would need to add an additional amp to its output.
35-40dB is the range of most outboard phono stages.
you DO NOT want to amplify 5.5mV to 2V as 0dB for a cartridge is not the same as 0dBFS in digital. You need around 20dB* on top of that to deal with program material and ticksnpops .
*The headroom required is argued often as there is also overload margin to be taken into account, but that is not a discussion for here.
you DO NOT want to amplify 5.5mV to 2V as 0dB for a cartridge is not the same as 0dBFS in digital. You need around 20dB* on top of that to deal with program material and ticksnpops .
*The headroom required is argued often as there is also overload margin to be taken into account, but that is not a discussion for here.
Aside: do you know whether the cartridge output level spec. is normally amplitude or RMS voltage? I just browsed a couple of manufacturers sites but got no answer. I would assume it is amplitude.
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Thanks, Bill. I found this which expresses confusion but seems to agree with you as a general rule.
The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls • View topic - Reference Level and Cartridge Transfer Factor
The Secret Society of Lathe Trolls • View topic - Reference Level and Cartridge Transfer Factor
Thanks all!
Still doesn’t get it 🙂 . So i’m stucked with 0.3 v to amp?
Or do i miss something..
BR//Daniel
Still doesn’t get it 🙂 . So i’m stucked with 0.3 v to amp?
Or do i miss something..
BR//Daniel
What is the power amplifier you're using, specifically voltage gain?
I think Bill is saying that the 5.5mV RMS number is less than the maximum signal voltage that the cartridge will produce while playing music. So what you've asked for is probably not what you need.
I think the implication of what Bill is saying is that if your RIAA has normal gain and your amp has normal gain then it will be loud enough with that cartridge.
Sorry Bill if that's not what you meant.
I think Bill is saying that the 5.5mV RMS number is less than the maximum signal voltage that the cartridge will produce while playing music. So what you've asked for is probably not what you need.
I think the implication of what Bill is saying is that if your RIAA has normal gain and your amp has normal gain then it will be loud enough with that cartridge.
Sorry Bill if that's not what you meant.
That is what I meant. Now traditionally pre-amps had 10dB of gain, but my experience has been that even that is not needed with a nominal phono stage gain.
Ok, thank you all. You are probibly right.
It’s a Hegel H80, my concern is that i have a Dac (Soekris dam) that output 2v or 1.4v..and i really need to put up the volume when i use the 1.4v..
That’s why i’m a bit worried..
BR//Daniel
It’s a Hegel H80, my concern is that i have a Dac (Soekris dam) that output 2v or 1.4v..and i really need to put up the volume when i use the 1.4v..
That’s why i’m a bit worried..
BR//Daniel
When all is said and done, you are just going to have to try it for real and see how it all pans out. There are RIAA preamps with a high gain option but the ones I have seen command a high price tag, for example:
Phono Stage\preamp for Moving Magnet Cartridges
Even this one is 'only' around 40db gain.
If you get (or build ???) a preamp that we have circuit details for, then we might be able to suggest an easy way to increase gain if needed.
Phono Stage\preamp for Moving Magnet Cartridges
Even this one is 'only' around 40db gain.
If you get (or build ???) a preamp that we have circuit details for, then we might be able to suggest an easy way to increase gain if needed.
Remember that the 1.4V or 2V CD level is the maximum RMS voltage output. The cart reference level is not the maximum level the cart provides.
As far as I have digitalized my vinyl(300-odd), the maximum cart level is more than its reference level by 16dB(six times). I guess your cart of 5.5mV with 35dB(60 times) amplifier can reach 5.5*60*6=1.98Vrms. If you have 3mV with 40dB, the maximum value is 3*100*6=1.8Vrms. Both are almost same as CD(2Vrms). Tthe maximum amplitude of CD may come from this.
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