[YoungClayB]

Hi Everyone...I am hoping you can help me with a few questions I have about my turntable. Its a Technics SL-D3 from the mid to late 70's I would guess. pics below.

1. Is it a good one? I got it from my parents about 10 years ago. I replaced the cartridge about 5 years ago. I listened to it some through a relatively inexpensive stereo system and then packed it away until just recently.

2. Whats the best way to connect my turntable to my tomahawk? (and do I need a pre-amp?) I basically took it out of storage in hopes of being able to get some "vinyl experience" with my headphones. I guess a cheap radio shack RCA to mini stereo connector would work, but is there anything better for not much more money?

3. Can turntables be recabled? For now, I assume a cheap RCA to mini stereo cable will do the trick since I am already limited by the stock RCA connectors coming out of the turntable, but if I want to, is recabling an option?

 

[lini]

That's a proper middle-class direct drive model - and yes, you'll need a phono stage. And also yes, recabling would be an option - but if you just take any cable of unknown specs, you might happen to use one with high capacity which isn't good (especially for mm pickups). I'd recommend to leave the cable as is, if it's not broken, and rather invest the money in the phono stage.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

 

[analog'd]

you need a phono stage. that is a unique preamp. in the ole days all preamps and receivers had a spot to plug the phono into called, surprisingly enough "phono in". this meant that the unit had a phono stage in it. now most don't, but there are numerous single purpose pieces being made. you will plug those rca's coming off your tt into the phono stage. you will then run a line out of that into your headphone amp with whatever size plugs at each end that are required (mini for your tomahawk).

first things first. get a phono stage and see how your rig sounds before you change anything else. i would read about phono stages available at audiogon.com and there may be reviews and opinions here too. audiogon is littered with analog freaks though.

 

[JXBJXB]

YoungClay, if this TT came originally from your parents, perhaps they still have an old receiver lying around with a phono input that you can use as a phono preamp to check out the sound. Many older receivers have decent phono preamps built in - you'd just plug the TT into the proper receiver inputs and then use the "tape out" jacks on the receiver to run into your Tomahawk via an RCA-to-minijack cable, as you mention.

 

[Tiger1102]

Please visit Phonopreamps.com, they have ranged of buggest but nice phono preamps.

 

[YoungClayB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JXBJXB /img/forum/go_quote.gif YoungClay, if this TT came originally from your parents, perhaps they still have an old receiver lying around with a phono input that you can use as a phono preamp to check out the sound. Many older receivers have decent phono preamps built in - you'd just plug the TT into the proper receiver inputs and then use the "tape out" jacks on the receiver to run into your Tomahawk via an RCA-to-minijack cable, as you mention.

Yeah, they do have a receiver that I could probably use...the problem is that its built into a wall in their house. lol. It was a serious custom installation job; I'll have to take some pics next time I visit them.

As soon as I can figure out a way to get the receiver out of the wall without leaving a big gaping hole, the receiver is MINE

Maybe a stained glass insert or something like that would do the trick.