Using Headphones with a Rega P1 Turntable

[wierddemon]

This may be in the wrong forum and I apologize in advance if it is, but...

I just recently bought a Rega P1 Turntable and I'm wanting to use it with some headphones. I'm sure plenty of people do the same thing, but I'm having a hard time finding info on this subject. I know you can use a receiver, but I was trying not to go with something that bulky (but I'm not necessarily opposed to it). Would I be able to get a phono stage (Azur 640P) and a headphone amp that uses RCA (I need suggestions on this) or is it more complicated than that?

Any help would be awesome!

 

[priest]

No one can answer this? It's a good question. Come on Head-Fi'ers!

 

[Sherwood]

Nope, no more complicated than a headphone amp and a phono stage. The Bellari VP129 is a phono stage WITH a headphone amp, in fact, though I did not personally like mine very much.

The Cambridge 640p is a great unit, though the 540p is good too if you only have a MM cartridge. That $60 saved might well go to good use in a headphone amp.

For amp recommendations, I'll need to know your cartridge, your headphones, your budget, and what kind of music you usually listen to.

 

[TLY]

I'm also very interested in getting into vinyl and I've been wondering, can you use the same kind of headphone amps (like the ones in my sig) that you use with computers or CD players with a turntable or receiver or phonostage?

 

[Sherwood]

Here's a brief account of what's going on, for those of you new to vinyl playback.

Turntables put out a substantially different signal than CD players, DVD players, tape players, etc. All of those put out what is called a "line level" signal -- each is similar in volume and tonality to the other. Turntables, on the other hand, put out a very strange signal -- much lower in volume (voltage) and severely lacking in bass.

This is because the signal is generated by a moving magnet or a moving coil -- effectively the motion of the needle in the groove -- and unamplified. A phono preamp amplifies that signal up to line level, so it behaves like any other component.

Another issue with records is (or at least was) their thickness. For a record to be thin enough to be commercially viable, it can't accurately reproduce bass information in the grooves. So the RIAA elected to roll off the bass (and other frequencies) in exactly the same way on every record. You need a phono preamp to restore that information through special "RIAA Equalization".

What this means to you is this: a turntable needs a phono preamp. The output of a turntable alone is crazy, but the output of a phono preamp is normal. You can plug it into anything you can plug a CD player, iPod, Tape deck, or sound card output.

Turntable + phono preamp + headphone amp = bliss.

 

[mrarroyo]

Excellent, concise, and detailed information Sherwood.

 

[priest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Excellent, concise, and detailed information Sherwood.

Sherwood is the man.

 

[punkaroo]

We need more simple explanations like that on this site. Thanks so much, Sherwood!

 

[Sherwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Excellent, concise, and detailed information Sherwood.

Quote:

Originally Posted by priest /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sherwood is the man.

Quote:

Originally Posted by punkaroo /img/forum/go_quote.gif We need more simple explanations like that on this site. Thanks so much, Sherwood!

Much obliged, gentlemen. I'm happy to spread the joy of vinyl to all comers.

 

[robm321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Excellent, concise, and detailed information Sherwood.

X2 - don't forget to factor in a RCM (record cleaning machine). There are alternatives that work for some, but after a lot of frustration trying them, I'd say it is necessary. You can put that off for now, but just wanted this to not be a surprise.

 

[TLY]

oh and one more question if you guys don't mind. what makes a bigger difference for the sound, the turntable or the phono preamp?

 

[Sherwood]

That's a tough question, so I'll answer a different one. If you have to compromise your budget on one or the other, compromise your budget on the phono preamp. Spending more on a better quality turntable is a smarter investment, as there's so much more to go wrong with the turntable.

 

[TLY]

Thanks again for the answer. I'm currently looking at a Technics SL-23 turntable that I can get locally for $55, does anyone know anything about it?

 

[Sherwood]

I wouldn't go for that one, personally. Technics is well known for high quality direct-drive turntables, but the SL-23 is one of their few belt-drive models. I'd stick with DD Technics, as it's what they did best.

 

[TLY]

ahh, thanks for the heads up, i was just about to give the guy a call. On another note, I just found a Philips GA-312 turntable for $80 on craigslist, what do you think of that one. hehe, sorry for all the questions, I've tried googling for reviews but can't seem to find any, all I get are manuals or parts for repair.