kleraudio Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 This may be a totally stupid question. I'm looking to buy the U turn Orbit Basic table and a basic phono pre amp. Is the only volume control I'll have on the speakers themselves? Would kind of suck to have to go behind both speakers everytime I want a volume adjustment. Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbbrew22 Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 If you are getting powered speakers, then yes, you will have volume controls on the speakers which would plug directly into the preamp. Otherwise you will need to get an amp or receiver to plug the speakers into for power and that device will have volume control on it. kamalatapes 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kleraudio Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 Thanks for the quick reply. I guess I'm stuck reaching behind the speakers. Small price to pay to not have to purchase a receiver! These are really nice powered speakers so I'll stick with them for dual purpose for now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidamnesiac Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 They make phono preamps with gain knobs on them. The ART DJ Pre, for example. I don't know of any "nice" phono pres with that sort of control, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kleraudio Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 Looking at that art dj, can I really use that gain knob as an overall volume control? If I crank the gain to make the music louder instead of turning the speakers up from the back, isn't that a different animal? Or I'm overthinking? Let's see if I can be clearer LOL! So if my levels are good on the phono pre but my volume isn't loud enough for my liking, I'd still need to go behind the speakers vs cranking the gain on the ART and risking clipping/distortion etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenh Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 Think of the gain as volume and the speaker volume as a limit so if you set the speakers to halfway and then use the gain you should be fine, if it's too quiet set the speakers higher and if it starts to clip set it them lower. It's not ideal and I don't thing the Art is the greatest phono stage around and powered speakers are not generally the way to go but if's what you have got it's a compromise that will work. In truth you will probably find a compromise range between the two as I suspect the Art will clip before it gets out to the speakers anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 emotiva makes a pretty nice looking volume control for $50. I think Schiit's A/B switch has volume control too. LINKS Emotiva Control Freak Schiit SYS Passive Preamp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kleraudio Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 Thanks for those links! So the emotiva, I come out of the phono amp, into the cables of the emotiva. Then plug the other two emotiva cables into my speaker? The Schiit passive pre, that doesn't act as a phono pre amp does it? If so that would be sweet! It say no electronics so I'm not sure how it amplifies my TT signal? Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trevorxramage Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 I used the IMG Stage Line ILA100RCA for a few months. For the price I was pretty happy with it. Picked it up on ebay for about $30. Edit: I'd shell out the money for the schiit though. I love everything those guys make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 So the emotiva, I come out of the phono amp, into the cables of the emotiva. Then plug the other two emotiva cables into my speaker? Yes. The Schiit passive pre, that doesn't act as a phono pre amp does it? If so that would be sweet! It say no electronics so I'm not sure how it amplifies my TT signal? the SYS does not function as a phono pre. it expects the signal it receives to be line level. the signal coming from a turntable is traditionally lower and requires pre-amplification to bring it up to line level (hence the phono pre-amp). You would connect this the same way you connect the Control Freak--between your phono preamp and your amp/powered speakers. Since they are both passive devices, they do not amplify anything, they just reduce the signal. So when you set the volume on your amp/speakers, I think you would simply set them as high as they can go without clipping/distorting when the preamp is at max volume and leave them there. as mentioned above, there are probably less expensive options you could research. I only recommend these two because they will be built well with a keen eye to transparency. between the two, the Emotiva is probably better built but the Schiit SYS has the A/B switching capability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kleraudio Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 Cool! I have no need for A/B switching right now. So if I get that PP400 phono pre and the emotiva knob I'm good to go? Another thing. I only have 1/4 and XLR on back of my speakers. Would RCA to 1/4" cable be fine to use? Or should I get the RCA female to 1/4male adapter and just plug RCA into that? Thanks so much for the help. About to order that Orbit basic with upgraded cart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 Emotiva has an XLR version of the Control Freak. I guess that would save you a step. You'd just need a set of XLR > RCA adapters to connect to the phono pre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kleraudio Posted September 5, 2014 Author Share Posted September 5, 2014 Good call thats a perfect set up thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kleraudio Posted September 8, 2014 Author Share Posted September 8, 2014 Can I go from unbalanced to balanced XLR into my speakers? Will that screw with anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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