phono preamp volume

Archived from groups: rec.audio.high-end (More info?)

"qwerty" <carl_wayne@lycos.co.uk> wrote in message
news:cp2u5s0309v@news4.newsguy.com...
> I wonder if anyone can help. I have a modern Yamaha receiver which
therefore
> needs a phono preamp when connecting a turntable to it. The turntable that
I
> have - the Bush MTT1 - has built-in preamp with on/off switch. When that
is
> switched on the TT plays OK through the receiver. However, the volume is
> only about half that of CD playback. I thought that a preamp is supposed
to
> boost the volume level up to that of CD.
> If I added a standalone phono preamp to my system (with the TT's preamp
> switched off) would it increase vinyl playback volume to the level of CD?

It's possible that the built in phono preamp is only a headamp for a moving
coil cartridge...in which case the answere would be yes if you added a
standard moving magnet phono preamp.

However, given that building preamps into the turntable is a relatively new
phenomenon, in response to phono stages being dropped from preamps, my guess
is that it is a full-fledged phono-to-line stage preamp. You should examine
the innards/manual...many preamps have adjustable gain and yours may be set
for low gain...a seven to ten db difference would not be unusual if it is.