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Gain Question

I may not understand what is going on with my vinyl setup.

The chain goes as follows -

Ortofon Per Windfeld Cart .3 mv output
Herron VTPH-2 phono stage 66 db of gain
Cary SLP05 preamp 10 db of gain.

Sound is great but in order to be at a moderate listening volume, the volume nob on the Cary pre must be almost maxxed out. How can I fix this?
markus1299

Showing 2 responses by onhwy61

onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,136 posts
 
Your preamp is a low gain design. I find it interesting that the Cary website doesn't provide input sensitivity specs. It would help to determine where the gain mismatch is located. Either between the phono/preamp or the preamp/amp. Changing to a more sensitive speaker may correct the symptom(s), but won't cure the problem.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,136 posts
 
consider that the SLP-05 has a rated nominal output level of 2V, and is presumably designed to be compatible with your CAD120S. That would suggest that the unspecified input sensitivity of the CAD120S is significantly less than 2V, to assure that the SLP-05 can drive it to max power.
People are making assumptions about the input sensitivity of your power amp. These assumptions could be right, or they could be wrong. You should contact Cary and find out what the actual spec is. This will determine whether your preamp is capable of driving your power amp properly. This is a must know fact if you are to logically pursue any solution.
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