Trying to connect turntable - help required

[cjay60]

I have an old hi-fi system, Pioneer deck, Optonica amp, Wharfdale speakers. I disassembled the system three years ago when the house was being redecorated and stored everything in the garage. I am now trying to reassemble the system but when I did so the amp started to emit smoke and an acrid burning smell so that had to be abandoned. I have a Matsui mini hi-fi with aux inputs and thought I could just plug the deck into that. But the deck also has a ground wire and there is nowhere on the Matsui to connect that. I read on another site which has a lot of old posts that I need a pre-amp. Is that correct and can anyone recommend a reasonably priced one?

And can anyone throw light on what has happened to the amp? It was working fine before. When I reconnected it, there was sound coming through both speakers but not much volume. Is it repairable? I wouldn't be able to pay a lot but for sentimental reasons I would love to be able to save it. Does it sound like something an enthusiastic hobbyist could tackle if I could find one?

 

[hybridauth_Twitter_1369512961]

With regards to the ground - I assume this is a signal ground and not a chassis ground (without a chassis ground you might get zapped). The signal ground is desinged to elimate hum (although sometimes makes it worse), so personally I'd try plugging it into the the Matsui without the ground to see how it sounds. If there is a lot of hum, then you'll need somewhere to connect the ground - although I'm not certain that it would need to be a preamp, unless the signal from the record player is especially low.

 

[Deleted member 108165]

Yes, you will need a phono pre-amp if the Matsui has no phono connection specifically for a turntable with a ground connection too. Sorry I can't help you with which one to purchase as my amp has an integral phono connection so I've never needed one.

 

[MajorFubar]

Your turntable will not work in your matsui without a turntable pre-amp, because neither your turntable nor your matsui have one built in. As for what happened to your old one, well I don't want to sound patronising but it's not rocket science really is it. Unless you just happen to live in California (or you have a heated de-humidified garage), garages are usually cold and damp, even if they don't leak. Feel free to join the dots.