Curly turntable question for those in the know

[Bick]

Okay - new member, with a question I'm struggling with.
I want to get a turntable. It can be a 'budget' model - I'm not after really high end gear. But I have an unusual/ odd current hifi set up and want to know the best way to go.

I currently have a Linn Genki CD player, Linn LK140 power-amp, and stereo speakers. i.e. I run my CD player directly into the Linn power-amp. As the Genki CD player has full volume control, it works fine without a pre-amp (it's its own pre-amp). Not ideal to audiophiles maybe, but it works. But, to add a turntable, I would need either:

1. add a standalone preamp with a phono stage (which tend to be expensive?) or
2. a turntable that has complete preamp capability including full volume control (as with my CD player) - but I'm not sure they exist, or
3. a new integrated amp for both the CD and turntable, which rather wastes the fact I own a good old Linn power-amp.

Thoughts of the wise? What's the best way to go. I used to know hifi, but that was 25 years ago!

 

[Al ears]

Okay - new member, with a question I'm struggling with.
I want to get a turntable. It can be a 'budget' model - I'm not after really high end gear. But I have an unusual/ odd current hifi set up and want to know the best way to go.

I currently have a Linn Genki CD player, Linn LK140 power-amp, and stereo speakers. i.e. I run my CD player directly into the Linn power-amp. As the Genki CD player has full volume control, it works fine without a pre-amp (it's its own pre-amp). Not ideal to audiophiles maybe, but it works. But, to add a turntable, I would need either:

1. add a standalone preamp with a phono stage (which tend to be expensive?) or
2. a turntable that has complete preamp capability including full volume control (as with my CD player) - but I'm not sure they exist, or
3. a new integrated amp for both the CD and turntable, which rather wastes the fact I own a good old Linn power-amp.

Thoughts of the wise? What's the best way to go. I used to know hifi, but that was 25 years ago!

Welcome to the forum.
The standalone preamp, as that power amp is supposed to be connected to, would seem the most sensible option even though it may be expensive.
To my mind it doesn't have to be.
Option 2 , as far as I am aware , doesn't exist and option 3 could be just as expensive as option 1 although if it has a pre out you could still attach your power amp.

 

[Rui]

as said before ,there´s the need for a pre-amp but not all is expensive ,the turntable you´ll need a dedicated line for phono or using a pre-amp for the turntable it converts it into a regular line in ,what i thought is that i have a old pioneer receiver and it as a output for a power amp , it was regular all receivers ,at least from pioneer to have a power amp line out , normally it´s cheaper receiver in 79 also as it ,but the older they are ,maybe till 1974 they were even better sounding if in good condition and not that expensive ,i have a dynaco and once i tried it and it worked perfectelly , but that´s only what i know of, i also own a spec-1 that it´s a very good pre-amp ,it´s a matter of looking for ,maybe you can get one cheap . I use also a denon that seemed to me at the time to be very good ,this in early 90´s . i think this is the more cheap option and they do deliver great sound quality(the 70´s receivers),sorry but it seems that i´m not correct not all have power amp output but i have one that it has also a 79 sx-400 and something also as it and sounds great ,better than it´s young brothers that in the 90´s they sounded worse( refering to tone controls ),there´s also the turntable that you still look for one ,i´m using turntables from the 70´s because till a thousand €´s i can´t find better , but recentelly i tried a Audio-Technica ,SL-1200 from technics look -a-like and they do come with a audio-technica stylus that sounds ok ,it might be cheaper but sounds better than other cheap options and don´t get the vinil destroyd by less good needles this around 350€´s compared to other other brands ,also tried a nagaoka MP-100 and 110 stylus and they do deliver great sound this as a starter if wanting a better option i sugest the grado gold prestige III that i bought to myself to install in a 76 technics turntable because i run out of original stylus and the substitution needles available are really bad , i bought at least 3 and all were not as the original because they were all badly built ,in the past the substitution needles were a good option now they are garbage . Hope i could help and welcome to the forum , any doubts you have ,others will try to help too(sorry if my english is confusing , i´m portuguese)

 

[Bick]

Many thanks for the feedback. Okay, sounds like the options are a pre-amp or maybe an old receiver if I can find one with output to power amp - neat idea, thanks Rui. Otherwise, maybe I need to scout around on eBay for an old Linn Kolector.

Anyway, thanks Al ears and Rui (who's English is very much better than my Portuguese!).