A good step up transformer will work nicely. I have a K&K step up that uses Lundahl transformers ($250 as a kit, but can come assembled for an additional cost). It is tiny so it is unobtrusive and can be configured for 14db, 20db or 26db of gain. The others mentioned by Nsgarch are good brands as well.
Beginnners question - Phono stage
I am kind of new at this hobby and have a dumb question. Why is it that when I listen to my CD player or tuner, the volume control on my amp is usually set at approximately 40 out of 100 and it is plenty loud. However, when I am listening to vinyl on my turntable, I have to crank up the volume control to 70 to get the same sound level out of my system. I have an AR turntable with a MM cartridge. I tried another turntable with a MC cartridge (making sure "MC" was selected on my phono stage) and it was even worst...I had to crank the volume control to 80! My amp is a Pathos Classic One MKII, a Musical Fidelity XRayV3 CD player, Linn Pekin tuner, Totem Hawks and an MF XLPS phono stage. Is this normal or do I have a problem ? Is this possibly linked to the phono stage itself, cabling or simply due to a cartridge/phono stage mismatch ? Thanks for your help.
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After letting the XLPS phono stage turned-on for a day, and more listening time, I would say that the MM side of the phono stage is fine as is. My next move is to find the right cartridge for the SME III and see what results I get with my Linn LP12. Thanks for all your help everyone...I really appreciate it ! |
An excellent online resource for cartridge/phono stage gain compatibility is the preamp gain calculator at http://www.kabusa.com Definitely worth checking out. |
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