I went to buy a new turntable and found very few. All had pre amp. I have a receiver with phono input and was told that I could use the turntable at one store and could not at a second store. Those two are the only ones in town carrying turntables. Which one is correct? Thanks
If the phono input of the receiver has a phono stage, then you should be able to use an ordinary turntable into the phono input. If the turntable has a built-in phono stage, then you would not be able to use it into the phono input, but you would be able to use it into any other input. If they don't have a built-in phono stage then they must be used with a receiver that has one built in or a separate stage to step up the output for the receiver.
I just bought a new sony receiver. It has hookup jacks for everything except for a phono. Can I run my phono output into my tape equalizer and then into the back of the new reciever
Good luck, but most people would tell you that less is usually more. Introducing EQ usually does more harm than good, as was proved by most systems in the 70s. Nowadays, anyone serious about vinyl reproduction goes down the path of higher quality components and as few as possible. The results make a mockery of many modern CD-based systems. Fine, so there are pops and crackles to live with, but the result is often more musical. Try it both ways Bob (ooh err)...
If you are interested in applying eq to work the bugs out of older receordings, I would strongly suggest you invest in a parametric eq. A parametric device will allow you to shift the center point of the eq's action and the bell of the action (width of frequencies affected) to the frequency bandwidth where the problems exist in any one recording. A graphic eq, where the frequency centers and the bell of the eq are fixed will, more often than not, just make matters worse by swapping one bad effect for another equally bad effect.
Bob - Pops and crackles could have a number of causes, and an eq will most likely not get rid of them. Most of them are due to dust/dirt on the lp and/or stylus, and static electricity.
Dust and dirt can be removed by dry cleaners such as brushes, and wet cleaners. The best way to clean lp's is with a cleaning machine. They clean with a solution, brushes, and vaccum. These machines are very expensive. They usually start at about $700. Local used vinyl stores usually have them to clean traded records, and some will clean your records for a fee. The local store I frequent cleans them for $1 a piece. Most of the records that I had cleaned were horrible (I started a thread here a few months back). I spent hours cleaning some lp's with good results. Had I known that the store cleaned records and how good they came out, I wouldn't have wasted my time cleaning them myself.
Their are also ways to significantly reduce static electricity. Their are mats and brushes that claim to eliminate it. I haven't tried either one, so I can't attest to it. I've also heard that if the platter is metal, wipe it off with a cloth dampened with distilled water. I've also heard of lp sleeves that help reduce static electricity.
If their is still popping and crackling even though their is no static electricity and the lp's have been cleaned with a machine, then the lp's probably have dirt melted into the grooves. I've read somewhere that the temperature of the stylus when playing reaches about 300 degrees. This melts the record somewhat and if their is dirt or dust present, it gets covered when the melted vinyl dries.