Phono preamp is vital with modern stereos
There are more and more components to sound systems ever being developed, as speakers and hi-fis are becoming more intricate. But at the end of the day, some people still want to use the old-fashioned devices, such as tape decks or vinyl players. Reconciling these types of music players with the most up-to-date digital music equipment can be very difficult, as any lover of old tunes will tell you. Many people simply give up on playing the collections they may have spent decades building up, and instead buy new versions of all their music. However, there is a solution to this problem: a phono preamp (otherwise known as a phono amp or phono stage) can convert the output from a vinyl turntable into a sound you can play on the most modern speakers.
Vinyl is often acknowledged as the real ‘problem format’ for old music lovers. Most of the devices which are usually connected to a stereo system or speakers, though they can work less well than the most up-to-date sound systems, will give a high-quality sound. But vinyl records work with a far smaller output, as they use magnetic cartridges. Vinyl records just can’t be played without an artificial amplification – and that’s where phono preamps come in handy.
The phono amp is an additional amplification stage, which is built into older receivers and amps. But modern sound systems, such as mini-systems, home theatre units, and most stereo systems, do not have a place for phono input; they just don’t cater for vinyl lovers, instead choosing to play music through the newer systems. This means that you’ll have to utilise the existing inputs within your sound systems (the CD, Aux, Line In, etc) to wire up your vinyl turntable, with the help of a phono stage to reconcile the two points. This form of connection is known as RIAA re-equalisation, as it removes the effect originally created when cutting the LP, ‘equalisation.’ This effect was required back then to get rid of feedback and background noise, but it gets in the way of vinyl being played with modern speakers now.
A phono amp can be found in most electrical shops, and when wired up between the turntable and the speaker or stereo system, should enable you to enjoy the music on vinyl that you’ve collected over the years, with minimal complications. So if you know anyone who’s fussing about the problems of playing vinyl records with decent modern speakers, let them know that all they need is a phono stage; the phono amp, when added to the amplification inside good speakers, will let your vinyl play as clearly as ever.