A/V Receiver with Phono setting

I've been using an old receiver with no HDMI inputs and it's time for a new one. I had a few questions for anyone who can kindly help.

1. Is the phono setting a good idea just for the added ground? Or are there other benefits? (Pre-amp)?

2. Is a pre-amp still a good idea?

3. My volume played very low (volume) when playing vinyl with old receiver. anyone know what causes this?

4. If playing vinyl is primary focus, can you recommend a receiver with 4K capabilities priced $500-$1200??

Thanks!

 

If you're serious about vinyl playback, you should probably run an external pre-amp into a line level input. The only exception would be some amps known to have VERY good built-in phono stages (e.g. most Regas).

 

Some of the high-end Denon and Pioneer A/V receivers come with phono preamps, if you're looking for something fairly mass-market. Dunno if you're gonna get that in the $1,200 price range though - might have to go higher.

 

Didn't even know Rega made Amps! I'm in the U.S. And we have a limited amount of the turntables here. I had been considering a marantz amp

 

People seem to like the marantz and their internal phono stage. I saw some with big discounts over at music direct.

I am a big fan of the external phono stage but i gave that a $600 investment. Cheaper options may not be better than an internal on a marantz.

My unsolicited advice is to get a reciever that has pre outs so you can hook up to a power amp (if your not already). That really is the biggest game changer you can make.

 

Rega makes very nice amp. I'm rocking a Brio-R (~$1k) which is an awesome amp, for the money or otherwise.

However, the Rega amps are pure old school - 100% analog, and 100% stereo... sounds like you're looking for something with digital inputs and multi-channel.

 

AV receivers – at a certain price point – are including phono inputs only because vinyl is popular at this time. That doesn't mean you'll automatically get the quality you're accustomed to. Your best bet is to get the AVR that otherwise meets your needs. If its phono section is good, lucky you. But be prepared to buy a separate one, depending on how serious you are about vinyl.

Although it would be another big box in the rack, you could use your current receiver as a phono-pre only.

I also like Marantz fwiw, but part of that is brand loyalty. Modern AVRs will sound more alike than not.



... and here come the rebuttals.

 

Marantz 7007, 125 per channel, all the connections you would need digital, analog, phono etc.....@ accessories4less for 650. Yes these are refurbished with a year warranty. I've had a 6006 I bought from them 3 yrs. ago, still working fine....YMMV. I use the built in phono imput on mine and sounds fine to me, but others may want better.

 

I can only mention that the £75 Rega Mini Fono (standalone phono preamp) was ridiculously better than the phono input stage built into my £2000 Pioneer SC-LX86.

 

I have a Pioneer Elite SC-05 receiver with a built in phono input and it is total garbage...external phono pre-amp for the win.

 

I would say even the ART DJII for $50 is better than 90% of the mass market internals. Focus elsewhere on the receiver choice. Phono is the easiest component to add and upgrade. Also wondering what cart the OP has as he mentioned his output was low. Seems like either an MC into MM or even worse putting the cart right into a line input.

 

I am in a similar situation. I have a Denon avr 988 that was about $1,200 when I picked it up about seven years ago. I use the Pre outs to an amplifier with no signal processing (pure direct ) so the Denon is really just a traffic cop for various sources. I that regard I feel that the Denon is very neutral, which I like.

when I bought it, video and 5.1 were my priorities. Things have changed and now I am 90% vinyl for my playback and I added a Musical Fidelity Phono stage (that was a tremendous upgrade).

Now I'm looking at DAC's. Much like the Phono stage on the Denon, I have a feeling the DAC could be a major opportunity for improvement. My analog vs. digital is very out of balance.

My thought/question, would it be better to replace the Denon than putting another $1,000 into a DAC? It seems like there are some pretty good deals on Marantz A/V receivers and I was looking at a Marantz DAC. I'm just not sure a new A/V would be all that different from what I currently have.

So to make this somewhat relevant to the OP, any recommendations for A/V receivers? Pre outs are a must and XLR's, would be nice and an internal DAC that is competitive with $600 -$1,000 stand alone is a priority.

 

Onkyo PR-SC885 springs to mind, though obviously used.

http://www.soundandvision.com/content/onkyo-professional-pr-sc885-preampprocessor-setup-tests

 

there are some crazy good deals on ebay. Receivers that retailed for 4-5K going for $500. I would bet that most of it is from Home theatres that rarely got used. Used is always a gamble and there is no audition opportunity but the money saved cannot be denied.

Lesson to be learned, your high dollar A/V equipment isn't going to be worth anything when you go to sell it. I would bet a stand alone DAC hold its value better.

 

Very pleased with the phono in my AV amp (Onkyo TX-NR818) but think I'd still buy an offboard one if I took up vinyl playing again.

 

How would your rate the DAC performance of the Onkyo?

 

Well, you HAVE to have a phono stage for vinyl for the RIAA EQ curve necessary to listen to vinyl. That being said, you most likely are going to have better results using an out-board phono stage rather than the one included on basic receivers.

A phono pre-amp is still probably a good idea. For example, I have the Denon 5308 (their flagship from a few years back), which was I think the only receiver in their lineup (other than their separates) that had a phono stage. It was fine, but I switched to a Musical Fidelity V-LPS II (~$200) and didn't look back. (with a stock Technics 1200MK5 with an AT440MLa).

Depends on the gain of the phono stage, the output of the cartridge, etc.

[quote[
4. If playing vinyl is primary focus, can you recommend a receiver with 4K capabilities priced $500-$1200??

Thanks![/QUOTE]

I actually would say that you are probably better off doing an audio-only rig if vinyl is truly your primary focus, or do a blend with maybe an integrated amp to which you feed an output from a more basic AVR with HDMI capabilities for surround sound. But it depends on what the rest of your audio system is, if you've got high end speakers, etc.

 

Depending on how much of an audiophile you are, I got lucky with a 90's Rotel RX-950 with phono out of course. Looking online it was $650 20 years ago, but I found it for $100. Great reviews from years ago. Matched with new Pro-ject Expression and Mission 751 speakers from 20 years ago also. Love the sound but haven't tried a newer amp.

 

Excellent. Had it for about two years now I think and love it. DAC performance hard to argue against and sound quality very refined.

I listen to the 818 for hours, either for music, or for movies and very often internet radio too.