I would wager the hum produced by the QTXsound preamp is due to insufficient power supply filtering. Check the filter caps on the power supply and in the preamp.
Hi there! Great video! Just one thing. When powering on an audio system, the last thing to be turned on should always be the amplifier (typically sources, then equalizers, then amplifiers). That way transient pops are prevented from hitting the delicate speakers downstream. Professional audio systems often incorporate a sequencer that turns on the devices one by one automatically.
I personally love the "convoluted" process of playing and listening to music on older equipment. I love the whole process of turning this knob,then that, pressing a series of buttons etc etc. My wife however says my set up is a pile of old crap as she can't operate it. So I brought a Vortexbox and Squeezebox so she could have all her CD's available on demand. This also is a pile of crap as the choice of music is so overwhelming she cant work out what to select. So she has now brought a portable CD player ghettoblaster sort of thing which she can operate and leaves my "old crap" alone. Sorted.
Wow, can't help but wonder how you have time to create so many super reviews. Thanks again. I have all the albums you leafed through. No equipment presently, but still have my albums. I used to be a serious audiophile in the 60s & 70s.
Years ago, I found a Pioneer PL-50 turntable. Now I had one exactly like that when I was overseas, but had to sell it when I left to come home, so this was a thrilling find. When it arrived, I found the belt from the belt drive had lost it;s ability to drive the table so I replaced that, and a bit of oil brought the old unit back to life. The cartridge was like new but my current stereo system had no phono in, so I got a cheap adapter and tried that. Like yours mine put an almighty buzz on the output and even adding larger caps to the PS didn't help much. So one day I saw an old SONY receiver for sale on Ebay, a few bids and that was mine. WOW did that make a difference. This is a complete amp/receiver in one. I never looked up her wattage, but she can drive two sets of speakers, one has 18 inch woofers, the other mid-range and tweeters. The tunes that hit my old ears sound a bit like they did before I left most of my hearing in the jungles of Vietnam. Hearing aides, they say will not bring it all back, but the ones the VA gives me do make a huge difference. Now the problem is, I am getting to lazy to get up and play records any more, and since I have most of the music on MP3's and my hearing aides are bluetooth, I can send the music to my ears from my laptop. Nothing compared to the big system, but at least I get to hear the tunes and that, to my old ears brings back the days before the war, when all I cared about was music, beer and broads.
+Techmoan Me too, I am lifelong video game fan and I always had fear if something happened to my hearing or sight, it really would hurt to loose enjoyment of life because of those things and getting it rectified is great news, especially for someone with your love for music and technologies that play it back.
I was watching your new Mission Impossible video (E1) and the pioneer receiver (SX-3600) in the outro jumped right out at me. I immediately thought of videos that may feature it, then I remembered that this one showed it briefly. The reason it really got my attention is I found the Pioneer SX-3500 (From 1980) on the curb, dirty, with the cord chopped off a while ago. I cleaned it up and gave it a new cord, re-ran the tuner string, and now it's working beautifully. I never noticed before that you basically have the same machine. It's in very good condition, and it even shines in the light. The window almost looks like it isn't there because it's so clear. I was almost shocked to see that you have it. It's a fantastic machine, I absolutely love it. Luckily, the Pre-amp in mine is still working beautifully. The only difference I see between the two is the SX-3600 has two tape monitors, and the 3500 only has one. I love it so much that it's the only piece of audio equipment I've found so far (I've found quite a few gems) that I've decided I don't want to get rid of in the foreseeable future. The only thing I wish it had was more power. The 3500 is only 20 watts per channel, and it looks like the 3600 is the same (judging by the VU meters). Within the last month, I replaced my old speakers and receiver with some Sherwood stuff. While the speakers in that system are INCREDIBLE, I feel as if the receiver in the new system, despite being several years newer, significantly more powerful AND having a 5 band graphic equalizer, still doesn't sound anywhere near as good. DEFINITELY hold on to that as long as you can. I have since moved the 3500 and old speakers to the bedroom, hooked up to a turntable there.
+Samara Weaving This one really needed the other one otherwise I'd spend all evening trying to explain why it's not possible to demonstrate the warm analogue sound of vinyl and a tube pre-amp using digital files.
I really love this channel. You cover all the stuff i love, particularly the audio side of things (formats and components both known and obscure). I too changed my phono preamp recently as the one in my integrated threw a tantrum. I got a pro-ject phono box ds. A great little box. With regards to the "short phono lead" you mentioned, that's purely an audiophile thing. The maximum you'll get is about 1m, usually high end interconnects are .5m or less 🙂 Keep up the crackingly good work. This channel should be an actual TV show if you ask me 😉
Thank-you for that trip down memory lane, Mat. I especially liked your 'start-up sequence'. :) As I write this, I can see my own stereo equipment sitting on an entertainment unit. I haven't played a vinyl record for a number of years for want of a new belt for my turntable. I had hoped to get more than 30 years out of a rubber belt :P, but I guess they just don't make them like they used to. ;)
I looked at the schematic of the Pioneer Receiver, and well the problem is most likley dried up electrolytic capacitors in the signal path of the phono preamp. I would recommend replacing them with same value WIMA MKS2 capacitors, and call it a day. I had similar happen to the phono preamp in a amp i worked on, and replacing the caps fixed the issue. Also, you would be amazed at what new caps can do in terms of sound in vintage gear. I replaced the caps in almost all my optonica amps, and they sound many times better now. If you do it yourself, i would recommend getting a desoldering station / gun, as it will not damage the circuit boards. Also, the same thing happened in a pioneer receiver that is awaiting restoration, its a SX780. Its preamp is built different, but it still has a electrolytic cap directly in the low voltage signal path (straight after the cartridge)
Agree 100%. Vintage stereo receivers (25 years and older) will need a tune up and replacement of worn out caps. It always makes a difference. As for the phono stage, it's also true that stereo receivers' built in phono stages were often cheap. A dedicated phono preamp such as Pro-Ject Tube Box will sound much better.
+Haniff Din It is not the paper and foil that is a problem, though, rather the liquid electrolyte eventually dries up causing the capacitor's ESR to increase which in turn causes the Dissipation factor (D) to increase and the Quality factor (Q) to plummet (which can be tested for with an LCR meter), all of which further drives the deterioration process and throws tuned circuits well out of tune. Good quality Japanese electrolytic capacitors will often deliver over 20 years of reliable service, but eventually they will degrade. Fortunately authentic high quality Japanese branded capacitors are not terribly expensive, and after replacement you can likely count on at least another 20 years of service, making the repair well worthwhile -- though, avoid ultra-low ESR capacitors for tuned circuits in 70-80s gear as the tuned circuits often depend upon the higher ESR in traditional aluminum electrolytic capacitors.
heat turns caps to crap real quick especially in older equipment with tubes. If the environment is over 100 degrees I pop one out and see what it reads every few years. usually the good brands like Nichicon do great in hot environments
If the filter caps (electrolytics) were dried out wouldn't there be a fairly loud hum coming through on any device one used? I know in little radios like AA5's if they have the original caps in them they'll hum like crazy to the point stations can no longer be heard.
Rebel9668 From my experience the caps in these solid state amps are usually still usable for filtering the AC from the powersupply. I have found that the signal path caps however do far more damage to the signal. I have mesured the frequency reponse of one of my amps i restored. It should have a 1 to 50K +-3dB, when mesured pre restoration, i got 10 to 16K +-3dB After replacing the coupling caps, i got a near flat response in the entire measurement range of my ADC (24KHz max). The noise rejection from the power supply in solid state amps from the 70's and 80's is decent, though usually only in the tone amp section, not the poweramp section. Thus a filter cap that is off by quite a bit is not taht noticeable, unless it starts creating hum in the power amp stage. Though i have had hum from bad filter caps in solid state gear before, its less common then in tube gear (at least from my experience).
im a tad too young to actually remember tubes when they where big, but a buddy of mine built a tube amp for his livingroom and it blew my damn mind, i had never heard audio so cleanly before. its nice to see that there are some products out there that do this, i may have to pick one up for myself.
Still running my Quad 33/303 combination, even have the matching FM3 receiver. 1960 something and still going strong. Old Dual turntable with Shure cartridge, very analogue. Glad you got yours working properly.
Power supplies 'double insulated' with plastic earth pin, does this upset the earthing of the amps? Do you lead all chassis earth wires to a single ground point?
I know Im asking randomly but does any of you know of a method to log back into an Instagram account..? I was dumb lost the login password. I would appreciate any tricks you can give me!
Great review as always. Glad you're hearing better now. Amazing what you can find (buy) for every need. Just had my Dual 701 turntable refurbished and he even had a Shure V15 Type III cartridge with needle to swap out which I always thought was better sounding than the type IV. Fortunately my Onkyo TX-NR801 receiver has built in preamps that seem to measure up.
Great video, one tip for anyone into hifi, always switch on the amp last and then switch off the amp first when turning it all off. had it before where you turn on the amp then turn on everything else and you can get a nasty pop through the speakers. Always follow the procedure when powering up and down: always switch on the amp last and then switch off the amp.
Nice video mate. I hope I can save up for that preamp one day. Yes kind of a lot of steps to do, but I think its worth it to get that rich sound to relax and enjoy. Thanks Techmoan. Regards from Denmark.
You leave me in the dust, sir! I've got a bit of a thing for old cassette players and seem to acquire them in odd ways. Currently I have two late 70s Pioneers (one needs a new belt, the other one needs some bulbs for the VU meters but works), an el-cheapo Ferguson toploader and a mid-80s Toshiba that is by far and away the best of the four. I was stunned to pick up a late 90s Sony 7.1 amplifier for £40. My turntable is an inexpensive Citronic direct-drive, all going into some M-Audio active studio monitors (small ones). I'm a musician so being able to combine all of my hi-fi and recording gear (large-format interface ,etc) into a single set of speakers is incredibly convenient. Part of my musical hobby involves using the old cassette players as a textural device. As a kid, I had dozens of cassettes and I'm just in the process of trying to get them back from my folks as well as their old cassettes. Next on the list is a reel-to-reel (I have some NOS tape lying around) and maybe an 8-track if I can ever find any cartridges. I am really enjoying your videos. I discovered you last night and have watched a fair few. What I particularly like is that you enjoy quality audio gear but don't buy into the 'audiophile hype' that so many others do. I like your focus on quality and subjective testing, as well as keeping it practical and reasonable. It's very refreshing and one day I'd very much like to own a system like yours.
I have a Tube Box S similar to his, but with gain buttons. I think it makes a worthwhile difference, prompting me to buy an Ortofon 2m bronze cartridge. Improvements are not massive, but are discernable, and the enjoyment has been greater. The tube box is a good introduction to valves.
Reallly enjoying these videos man, you seem to care more about a quality sound than a lot of DJs and producers that I know, good to know that people like you still exist. I'm not much of a youtube commenter but I will say that them Ortofon stylus are not that hard to find in most cities, I can think of at least three shops in Soho that sell them, but you're right about the rise in price with the death of vinyl, I've had to go back to my old Stanton cartridges because I'm on such a low budget. Lets hope that with vinyl coming back this stuff will go back down in price. Consider me your new subscriber and keep up the good work. :)
5:00 It was a joy to see that you have a pre amp witha ground to get rid of that hum, but then those switches to customize to the type of cartridge! This is beautiful and amazing. You have a standard mount tonearm. You could easily spend more on your cartridge than you did on the preamp! And because you have those switches, you can go … Moving magnet vs moving coil!!! Now there would be a great video!
You have to watch that Sticky Fingers album cover. The zipper tends to cut into the album in front of it, ripping it open. Had that happen a time or two.
Very nice. Excellent video...very informative. Pleased you had a happy ending in this venture...not an inexpensive option, but oh soooo worth it. Loved your taste in vinyl, BTW. You and I would get along just fine if we were to hang out and luxuriate in some of the finer sounds from Motown and Stax Records. Both, Al Green and Marvin Gaye are some of my favourite artists from back in the day. There was soooo much great music made back then. My first receiver that I bought (back in the day) was a wee Pioneer SX-636, a 25 w/ch unit. I upgraded to another Pioneer, but this time an integrated amplifier, in search of more juice in the early 1980's but kept the SX-636 and used it strictly as my FM tuner. (I couldn't justify the price of the matching tuner for the SA-7800 amp) Good stuff that ole Pioneer gear :-)
Cheers great video. I've had issues with my ears too. Random pops when I swallow, sometimes quite muffled and sometimes it clears up without any reason. I seem to have a bad case of cold all throughout the year. I wonder if I should consult a physician.
thanks for your help I have my dad's turntable hooked up to a phono pre amp it has a hum in the sound so I was thinking of changing the turntable but since you said that your pre amp has always had a hum it looks like I will change the pre amp instead. thanks again.
Enjoyed this one. I had a Pro Ject phono box S and loved it (moved on to a Graham Slee). Now I am curious about this tube box S. In any event, I really enjoy your work and please keep at it. The retro stereo gear and the kitchen gadgets are especially good.
I like the look of that pre amp myself after looking briefly into it recently. Its got the DJ accessory styling alright but the gain knob is a handy addition when used right. Id like it to bring the Aux input in line with the other outputs on my reciever but understands thanks to you that it comes with surface noise. Which my records have a natural state of (surface noise) so i'll happily use the cheap bringer pre mp i have and just turn up the volume a bit. But i'll definitely pick this one up if I ever change.
@Techmoan the humm can be caused by unshielded chinch cables. Had the same problem. I bought a Pro-Ject turntable, came with an Ortofon 2M Red and a cheap ground/ chinch cable combo. Replaced the cheap inclueded cables with braided cables and the humm was gone.
the hum can also be caused the the included switch mode power supply. if you hinge the silver cover back on the QTX pre amp there is a connection for PP3 battery. also grounding the turntable to pre amp then grounding the pre amp to the main amp helps alot too.
Or simply cracked wire in a cable. Happens with solid state as well, I've replaced many in the last 37 years. Simply wiggling cables and speaker wires can find this. And we always plugged them in the other way, before polarized power plugs, sometimes that helped. I expect some hum from old tube stuff, it's OLD.
Good choice. My amplifier is the Sony STR-DB1070 stereo receiver (i.e. it has a built-in tuner, for those of you who didn't grasp that) from the early 2000s. It still came with a built-in phono pre-stage, and it sounds great to me. So, as long as this amp remains in service, so will the phono pre-stage. However, whenever I do switch to a different amp, this Project may well be one of the options I'd consider for being able to play my records. By the way, for those of you interested: I have a Technics SL-1200mkII turntable which I use with a Stanton Stanton 500EE MkII cartridge.
Another excellent video Techmoan My setup for my retro video games reminds me of yours with all the inputs/outputs and buttons to press! Seems like you've fine tuned your setup though. Hope the hearing stays ok, I suffer from dodgy ears time to time :-(
nicely edited. very professional. i agree I'd have probably put a few quid's worth of nichicon electrolytics in the amp before buying a phono stage costing more than a good cartridge
Was the pre amp plugged into the phono input that already has the built in preamp??? I'm assuming that would create a problem. I currently have a onkyo amp I found in a dumpster with a phono input but after seeing this was curious if getting a preamp for my turntable would be worth while. Also would it be a bad idea to use a splitter for the input into the preamp to have an 8track player and turntable connected to the preamp so only one is necessary instead of buying two preamps?
I have a question for you. I have an old turntable that was given to me and I plugged it in to my Pioneer Elite SC-05 which has a phono in which sounds nice but I have to have the volume up quite high to play it at the volume I like to listen at. I had read some great reviews on a Schiit Mani phono pre-amp and returned it because no matter how I set it, I didn`t find that it sounded any better than my built in pre-amp on my Elite and I think it wasn`t working properly because the right channel was louder than the left so I returned it. It helped boost the volume but that`s about it. I found Christopher Crosses voice harsh with this pre-amp where it was warm with my built in. So my question is this, would this Pro-Ject pre-amp help with warmth and clarity of detail as well as boost the volume? I can purchase a Pro-Ject tube amp locally for a decent price. Thank you .
I recently picked up a Ampapa tube headphone/phono preamp/amp. I really like the sound. It wasn't too expensive and I definitely prefer tube amps. I wanted to give it a shot before I sank any more money into it. I am a audiophile returning from my 1980's experience. It is great to start entering the audiophille community again, even as a neophyte (to headphones: I got the Senn HD650's to start). I used to have some of the equipment you use! I ended up with a Tandberg 1/2" reel to reel, Thorens turntable, and Perreaux amp and pre-amp, among others. I even gave the Accoustat 7'10" speakers! What a great time.
Another enjoyable video, thank you. When are you going to do a review of the ACME 36 hour day, that you clearly use. How do you get time for all this stuff?
I still have some old records, but nothing to play them on. I only have about five, though. That first audio clarifier box is similar to one I have for video. I used to have a DVD player daisy-chained through a couple of VCRs to my TVs single input. One of the VCRs was set to detect a copyright signal and show the old dark pink/light pink flashing over the video signal. The video stabiliser box fixed that problem.
Great video. Your Pioner receiver reminds me of one I helped a friend choose years ago, now, i'm wondering if he still has his. My question is about the record you placed on the turntable taken from the Marvin Gaye sleeve. Was that an actual Marvin Gaye record??? If so, what edition? I checked many of the Discogs.com and so far no luck.
Great channel and great info! I am new to vinyl and I bought this cute preamp. I set up everything correctly but for some reason I can't seem to turn it on. I press the power button, it blinks blue and nothing happens. Am I doing something wrong? It's connected to a pro-ject debut carbon turntable and to the aux rca of a Rotel A11 amp!
Question, so if you have an amp that has a Phono input would you still recommend a preamp like this? or is it just for your digital system on an aux input?
I have a Pro-Ject solid state pre-amp and I have to say it works very well. Another reason I picked it up was because it has a USB output if I wanted to save tracks to digital.
That is a good starting unit had one years ago when I first got into hifi.10 phono amps and thousands of dollars latter I have a 15,000 dollar 36 tube 4 piece unit. This one your reviewing is a great value for its tiny price.
Ah the joys of separate component systems. I have a old blind friend who absolutely loved his radio shack realistic system with Mac 1 speakers. It's safe to say that someone would literally have to pry them out from his dead arms to get ahold of them. I'm sure by now he has sourced a backup for his amp that is an exact replacement just in case. Cheers.
HI im new too the audio scene and i have bought myself a technics 1210mk 2 turntable and a Yamaha RN 500 integrated amp looking to get that warm sound from vinyl can i plug this pre amp into the the phono stage on my amp or will i have to plug it in aux
'ABBA - The studio Albums' @ 7:25 ...omg, where did you get that? Cheers! Love the channel and best of luck with your hearing issues. I couldn't imagine a world without sound (or music). I hope everything works out for you.
What brand of 12AX7 valves come with this preamp? I am building an Elekit TU-8300R power amp with the iconic 300B valves and I am looking at valve preamps to mate with the Elekit. I was hoping to build my preamp from a kit but thought maybe this Pro-Ject might be a good idea as well. Thanks!
You mentioned the lack of dedicated Phono input on modern amps. Is there a difference between the inputs on modern (or older) amps? Meaning if you had an amp that had Tape, CD, Aux, would plugging the phono into one of the available inputs change how the audio sounded, or are all line level inputs the same?
I just had this same problem with my pioneer sx 780, my phono input sounded bad and the left channel wouldn't work most of the time. All of the other inputs worked fine. Now it sounds great again with my new pre amp
Thanks. The Audio Technica lp120 has the same problem with its build in preamp. One dude desoldered the bad preamp that would take the high frequency sound away. Now the high frequency sound is back and it has never sounded better with an external preamp. I think that external preamps are always better.
![mgk - I Think I’m OKAY (with YUNGBLUD) (Sad Version) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/7AC1uqQLIg4/mqdefault.jpg)
You know why that preamp is humming?... It doesn't know the words! :)
Loooooooool
12voltvids *Ba-DUM-Tss!* 😆
That cable... is mine! Sorry, just the way he described the power cord being short.
Dad joke level 1,000,000. Epic 😎
I would wager the hum produced by the QTXsound preamp is due to insufficient power supply filtering. Check the filter caps on the power supply and in the preamp.
Haha reminds me of my brothers stereo system. Was like starting up a spacecraft with all the switches.
LOL, yeah, that's kinda how mine is with all the stuff I have hooked up!
@@_g7085 knob twiddler!!!! hah!
Praying for your hearing. I would be crushed to lose my ears! Thanks for the video; great info!
Hi there! Great video! Just one thing. When powering on an audio system, the last thing to be turned on should always be the amplifier (typically sources, then equalizers, then amplifiers). That way transient pops are prevented from hitting the delicate speakers downstream. Professional audio systems often incorporate a sequencer that turns on the devices one by one automatically.
I AGREE 👍
Order to turn off would be the opposite? IE turn off the amp first?
@@beosliege Correct
hey Mat... great news RE your hearing! And thank you for all of the effort you put into these superb vids! :-)
I personally love the "convoluted" process of playing and listening to music on older equipment. I love the whole process of turning this knob,then that, pressing a series of buttons etc etc. My wife however says my set up is a pile of old crap as she can't operate it. So I brought a Vortexbox and Squeezebox so she could have all her CD's available on demand. This also is a pile of crap as the choice of music is so overwhelming she cant work out what to select.
So she has now brought a portable CD player ghettoblaster sort of thing which she can operate and leaves my "old crap" alone. Sorted.
I've never had a problem with my wife's squeezebox except a bit of wow and flutter just after I turn it on.
Gribbo9999 Hahahahaha!!! You made me laugh way out loud. Thanks :)
best comment ever
Wilburrys
Which is what you should have done in the first place ;-)
Wow, can't help but wonder how you have time to create so many super reviews. Thanks again. I have all the albums you leafed through. No equipment presently, but still have my albums. I used to be a serious audiophile in the 60s & 70s.
love your set-up...brings back many beautiful memories...
Great video as always - Even things i'm not normally interested in i find really interesting when watching your video's.... If that makes sense 👍🏻
Years ago, I found a Pioneer PL-50 turntable. Now I had one exactly like that when I was overseas, but had to sell it when I left to come home, so this was a thrilling find. When it arrived, I found the belt from the belt drive had lost it;s ability to drive the table so I replaced that, and a bit of oil brought the old unit back to life. The cartridge was like new but my current stereo system had no phono in, so I got a cheap adapter and tried that. Like yours mine put an almighty buzz on the output and even adding larger caps to the PS didn't help much. So one day I saw an old SONY receiver for sale on Ebay, a few bids and that was mine. WOW did that make a difference. This is a complete amp/receiver in one. I never looked up her wattage, but she can drive two sets of speakers, one has 18 inch woofers, the other mid-range and tweeters. The tunes that hit my old ears sound a bit like they did before I left most of my hearing in the jungles of Vietnam. Hearing aides, they say will not bring it all back, but the ones the VA gives me do make a huge difference. Now the problem is, I am getting to lazy to get up and play records any more, and since I have most of the music on MP3's and my hearing aides are bluetooth, I can send the music to my ears from my laptop. Nothing compared to the big system, but at least I get to hear the tunes and that, to my old ears brings back the days before the war, when all I cared about was music, beer and broads.
I sincerely hope your hearing problems are soon rectified fully.
+McRocket Thanks for your concern, my ears are fine at the moment. Hopefully things will carry on like this.
I hope they will.
+Techmoan Me too, I am lifelong video game fan and I always had fear if something happened to my hearing or sight, it really would hurt to loose enjoyment of life because of those things and getting it rectified is great news, especially for someone with your love for music and technologies that play it back.
+McRocket Headphones will kill hearing much faster.
+Techmoan first your taste and now your taste? you don't even look that young
I was watching your new Mission Impossible video (E1) and the pioneer receiver (SX-3600) in the outro jumped right out at me. I immediately thought of videos that may feature it, then I remembered that this one showed it briefly.
The reason it really got my attention is I found the Pioneer SX-3500 (From 1980) on the curb, dirty, with the cord chopped off a while ago. I cleaned it up and gave it a new cord, re-ran the tuner string, and now it's working beautifully. I never noticed before that you basically have the same machine. It's in very good condition, and it even shines in the light. The window almost looks like it isn't there because it's so clear. I was almost shocked to see that you have it.
It's a fantastic machine, I absolutely love it. Luckily, the Pre-amp in mine is still working beautifully.
The only difference I see between the two is the SX-3600 has two tape monitors, and the 3500 only has one.
I love it so much that it's the only piece of audio equipment I've found so far (I've found quite a few gems) that I've decided I don't want to get rid of in the foreseeable future.
The only thing I wish it had was more power. The 3500 is only 20 watts per channel, and it looks like the 3600 is the same (judging by the VU meters).
Within the last month, I replaced my old speakers and receiver with some Sherwood stuff. While the speakers in that system are INCREDIBLE, I feel as if the receiver in the new system, despite being several years newer, significantly more powerful AND having a 5 band graphic equalizer, still doesn't sound anywhere near as good. DEFINITELY hold on to that as long as you can.
I have since moved the 3500 and old speakers to the bedroom, hooked up to a turntable there.
2 videos in one day, you're spoiling us 😂😂😂😂😂
+Samara Weaving This one really needed the other one otherwise I'd spend all evening trying to explain why it's not possible to demonstrate the warm analogue sound of vinyl and a tube pre-amp using digital files.
+Rahul Iyer it's not out until October.
+Techmoan I hear ya 😂
+Rahul Iyer I wish....when it comes to expensive stuff I'm pretty much on my own.
Great video as always - I just got the DS version of this and the difference is easy to hear. I'm very happy with it.
Cheers, John
You have a high output moving coil cartridge! How exotic. The fact that your preamp can accomodate this spec is part of the huge improvement in sound.
It's moving magnet..
Superb setup and videos. I am very envious of your gear.
I love these videos - very entertaining and informative - more please !
I really love this channel. You cover all the stuff i love, particularly the audio side of things (formats and components both known and obscure). I too changed my phono preamp recently as the one in my integrated threw a tantrum. I got a pro-ject phono box ds. A great little box.
With regards to the "short phono lead" you mentioned, that's purely an audiophile thing. The maximum you'll get is about 1m, usually high end interconnects are .5m or less 🙂
Keep up the crackingly good work. This channel should be an actual TV show if you ask me 😉
I love the Pro-Ject range. I have a turntable and amp from them. I also use a Tivoli radio and CD player. Love your videos.
Thank-you for that trip down memory lane, Mat. I especially liked your 'start-up sequence'. :) As I write this, I can see my own stereo equipment sitting on an entertainment unit. I haven't played a vinyl record for a number of years for want of a new belt for my turntable. I had hoped to get more than 30 years out of a rubber belt :P, but I guess they just don't make them like they used to. ;)
I looked at the schematic of the Pioneer Receiver, and well the problem is most likley dried up electrolytic capacitors in the signal path of the phono preamp. I would recommend replacing them with same value WIMA MKS2 capacitors, and call it a day. I had similar happen to the phono preamp in a amp i worked on, and replacing the caps fixed the issue. Also, you would be amazed at what new caps can do in terms of sound in vintage gear. I replaced the caps in almost all my optonica amps, and they sound many times better now.
If you do it yourself, i would recommend getting a desoldering station / gun, as it will not damage the circuit boards.
Also, the same thing happened in a pioneer receiver that is awaiting restoration, its a SX780. Its preamp is built different, but it still has a electrolytic cap directly in the low voltage signal path (straight after the cartridge)
Agree 100%. Vintage stereo receivers (25 years and older) will need a tune up and replacement of worn out caps. It always makes a difference. As for the phono stage, it's also true that stereo receivers' built in phono stages were often cheap. A dedicated phono preamp such as Pro-Ject Tube Box will sound much better.
+Haniff Din It is not the paper and foil that is a problem, though, rather the liquid electrolyte eventually dries up causing the capacitor's ESR to increase which in turn causes the Dissipation factor (D) to increase and the Quality factor (Q) to plummet (which can be tested for with an LCR meter), all of which further drives the deterioration process and throws tuned circuits well out of tune. Good quality Japanese electrolytic capacitors will often deliver over 20 years of reliable service, but eventually they will degrade. Fortunately authentic high quality Japanese branded capacitors are not terribly expensive, and after replacement you can likely count on at least another 20 years of service, making the repair well worthwhile -- though, avoid ultra-low ESR capacitors for tuned circuits in 70-80s gear as the tuned circuits often depend upon the higher ESR in traditional aluminum electrolytic capacitors.
heat turns caps to crap real quick especially in older equipment with tubes. If the environment is over 100 degrees I pop one out and see what it reads every few years. usually the good brands like Nichicon do great in hot environments
If the filter caps (electrolytics) were dried out wouldn't there be a fairly loud hum coming through on any device one used? I know in little radios like AA5's if they have the original caps in them they'll hum like crazy to the point stations can no longer be heard.
Rebel9668
From my experience the caps in these solid state amps are usually still usable for filtering the AC from the powersupply. I have found that the signal path caps however do far more damage to the signal. I have mesured the frequency reponse of one of my amps i restored. It should have a 1 to 50K +-3dB, when mesured pre restoration, i got 10 to 16K +-3dB After replacing the coupling caps, i got a near flat response in the entire measurement range of my ADC (24KHz max). The noise rejection from the power supply in solid state amps from the 70's and 80's is decent, though usually only in the tone amp section, not the poweramp section. Thus a filter cap that is off by quite a bit is not taht noticeable, unless it starts creating hum in the power amp stage.
Though i have had hum from bad filter caps in solid state gear before, its less common then in tube gear (at least from my experience).
im happy with the tube box s for more than a year now :D get well soon!
im a tad too young to actually remember tubes when they where big, but a buddy of mine built a tube amp for his livingroom and it blew my damn mind, i had never heard audio so cleanly before. its nice to see that there are some products out there that do this, i may have to pick one up for myself.
Still running my Quad 33/303 combination, even have the matching FM3 receiver. 1960 something and still going strong. Old Dual turntable with Shure cartridge, very analogue. Glad you got yours working properly.
Power supplies 'double insulated' with plastic earth pin, does this upset the earthing of the amps? Do you lead all chassis earth wires to a single ground point?
Great review! I’m definitely going to get this pre-amp.
Definitely a treat for yourself - it's quite expensive! Nice video.
For anyone with the faintest interest in vinyl and is working a full time job, that little tube box is not expensive 😉
@@fnagdungdagint False.
Got one open box on ebay. 100 dollars less than a new one.
I know Im asking randomly but does any of you know of a method to log back into an Instagram account..?
I was dumb lost the login password. I would appreciate any tricks you can give me!
@Immanuel Kaleb Instablaster :)
yet another high quality video.i love the 1980s silver hifi gear
Great review as always. Glad you're hearing better now. Amazing what you can find (buy) for every need. Just had my Dual 701 turntable refurbished and he even had a Shure V15 Type III cartridge with needle to swap out which I always thought was better sounding than the type IV. Fortunately my Onkyo TX-NR801 receiver has built in preamps that seem to measure up.
Great video, one tip for anyone into hifi, always switch on the amp last and then switch off the amp first when turning it all off. had it before where you turn on the amp then turn on everything else and you can get a nasty pop through the speakers. Always follow the procedure when powering up and down: always switch on the amp last and then switch off the amp.
Everything's vintage with you including the Dymo label printer ! Liked your videos: short, informative not too much tech.
What a sweet setup.. Every time I play my Mp3 and Vinyl I always wonder why they can't pack that into a Mp3...
reminds me of my set ups ,very chain based steps ,with added amplyfication across its path and circuts.
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Nice video mate. I hope I can save up for that preamp one day. Yes kind of a lot of steps to do, but I think its worth it to get that rich sound to relax and enjoy. Thanks Techmoan. Regards from Denmark.
going through those steps are one of the joys of real hifi!
You leave me in the dust, sir! I've got a bit of a thing for old cassette players and seem to acquire them in odd ways. Currently I have two late 70s Pioneers (one needs a new belt, the other one needs some bulbs for the VU meters but works), an el-cheapo Ferguson toploader and a mid-80s Toshiba that is by far and away the best of the four. I was stunned to pick up a late 90s Sony 7.1 amplifier for £40. My turntable is an inexpensive Citronic direct-drive, all going into some M-Audio active studio monitors (small ones). I'm a musician so being able to combine all of my hi-fi and recording gear (large-format interface ,etc) into a single set of speakers is incredibly convenient.
Part of my musical hobby involves using the old cassette players as a textural device. As a kid, I had dozens of cassettes and I'm just in the process of trying to get them back from my folks as well as their old cassettes. Next on the list is a reel-to-reel (I have some NOS tape lying around) and maybe an 8-track if I can ever find any cartridges.
I am really enjoying your videos. I discovered you last night and have watched a fair few. What I particularly like is that you enjoy quality audio gear but don't buy into the 'audiophile hype' that so many others do. I like your focus on quality and subjective testing, as well as keeping it practical and reasonable. It's very refreshing and one day I'd very much like to own a system like yours.
I have a Tube Box S similar to his, but with gain buttons. I think it makes a worthwhile difference, prompting me to buy an Ortofon 2m bronze cartridge. Improvements are not massive, but are discernable, and the enjoyment has been greater. The tube box is a good introduction to valves.
Reallly enjoying these videos man, you seem to care more about a quality sound than a lot of DJs and producers that I know, good to know that people like you still exist.
I'm not much of a youtube commenter but I will say that them Ortofon stylus are not that hard to find in most cities, I can think of at least three shops in Soho that sell them, but you're right about the rise in price with the death of vinyl, I've had to go back to my old Stanton cartridges because I'm on such a low budget. Lets hope that with vinyl coming back this stuff will go back down in price.
Consider me your new subscriber and keep up the good work. :)
Another great video where the host actually shows the piece if equipment that he is talking about!
Thank you. Interesting information. I need to get a preamp so this is really useful.
5:00 It was a joy to see that you have a pre amp witha ground to get rid of that hum, but then those switches to customize to the type of cartridge! This is beautiful and amazing. You have a standard mount tonearm. You could easily spend more on your cartridge than you did on the preamp! And because you have those switches, you can go … Moving magnet vs moving coil!!! Now there would be a great video!
The Rolling Stones cover had me laughing. Can't believe they added a real zipper.
+Scott K
Designed by Andy Warhol too. He was a bit partial to a zip on a record cover.
+TheMonohub ayooo!
Record Albums not that much..I found one on eBay for $20 us
Yes the original Sticky Fingers album had a zipper
Thanks
You have to watch that Sticky Fingers album cover. The zipper tends to cut into the album in front of it, ripping it open. Had that happen a time or two.
Everytime i get recommended and old Techmoan video i smile.
Nice vinyl player you got there Techmoan!
The Pro-Ject equipment is pretty nice actually :)
Very nice. Excellent video...very informative. Pleased you had a happy ending in this venture...not an inexpensive option, but oh soooo worth it. Loved your taste in vinyl, BTW. You and I would get along just fine if we were to hang out and luxuriate in some of the finer sounds from Motown and Stax Records. Both, Al Green and Marvin Gaye are some of my favourite artists from back in the day. There was soooo much great music made back then.
My first receiver that I bought (back in the day) was a wee Pioneer SX-636, a 25 w/ch unit. I upgraded to another Pioneer, but this time an integrated amplifier, in search of more juice in the early 1980's but kept the SX-636 and used it strictly as my FM tuner. (I couldn't justify the price of the matching tuner for the SA-7800 amp) Good stuff that ole Pioneer gear :-)
Why is there a separate ground wire for the preamp :s
Where abouts does it connect on the timetable
Very well-produced video.
Bought myself one of the tubebox's a few years ago. Like it much better than my Rotel phono preamp. Thanks for the video.
Cheers great video. I've had issues with my ears too. Random pops when I swallow, sometimes quite muffled and sometimes it clears up without any reason. I seem to have a bad case of cold all throughout the year. I wonder if I should consult a physician.
thanks for your help I have my dad's turntable hooked up to a phono pre amp it has a hum in the sound so I was thinking of changing the turntable but since you said that your pre amp has always had a hum it looks like I will change the pre amp instead. thanks again.
Enjoyed this one. I had a Pro Ject phono box S and loved it (moved on to a Graham Slee). Now I am curious about this tube box S. In any event, I really enjoy your work and please keep at it. The retro stereo gear and the kitchen gadgets are especially good.
Please tell me you put the new stylus back in the new cartridge and replaced the old cartridge! Please!!!
was that a bit of Al Green I heard at 6.41?
I missed my old Technics pre & power amps with the meter needles dancing around
It is always nice to treat your self. For me it was building a custom Quad. I probably spent about the same amount of money as well.
the roots, common,breaks and jurassic 5, big up! :)
I like the look of that pre amp myself after looking briefly into it recently. Its got the DJ accessory styling alright but the gain knob is a handy addition when used right. Id like it to bring the Aux input in line with the other outputs on my reciever but understands thanks to you that it comes with surface noise. Which my records have a natural state of (surface noise) so i'll happily use the cheap bringer pre mp i have and just turn up the volume a bit. But i'll definitely pick this one up if I ever change.
I have a "Mosscode Super It" just recently received. I'm dying to try it out!
Is it ok that I use a headphone tube amp? ( I know I have get an RCA to line out apdater)
Can you recommend a stereo (RCA) switchBox?
@Techmoan the humm can be caused by unshielded chinch cables. Had the same problem. I bought a Pro-Ject turntable, came with an Ortofon 2M Red and a cheap ground/ chinch cable combo. Replaced the cheap inclueded cables with braided cables and the humm was gone.
the hum can also be caused the the included switch mode power supply. if you hinge the silver cover back on the QTX pre amp there is a connection for PP3 battery. also grounding the turntable to pre amp then grounding the pre amp to the main amp helps alot too.
Or simply cracked wire in a cable. Happens with solid state as well, I've replaced many in the last 37 years. Simply wiggling cables and speaker wires can find this. And we always plugged them in the other way, before polarized power plugs, sometimes that helped. I expect some hum from old tube stuff, it's OLD.
Good choice. My amplifier is the Sony STR-DB1070 stereo receiver (i.e. it has a built-in tuner, for those of you who didn't grasp that) from the early 2000s. It still came with a built-in phono pre-stage, and it sounds great to me. So, as long as this amp remains in service, so will the phono pre-stage. However, whenever I do switch to a different amp, this Project may well be one of the options I'd consider for being able to play my records.
By the way, for those of you interested: I have a Technics SL-1200mkII turntable which I use with a Stanton Stanton 500EE MkII cartridge.
Another excellent video Techmoan My setup for my retro video games reminds me of yours with all the inputs/outputs and buttons to press! Seems like you've fine tuned your setup though. Hope the hearing stays ok, I suffer from dodgy ears time to time :-(
nicely edited. very professional. i agree I'd have probably put a few quid's worth of nichicon electrolytics in the amp before buying a phono stage costing more than a good cartridge
cerafine.
what's the purpose of the "lamps" (for lack of a proper term; I'm sure you said it in the video I must've missed it)
Was the pre amp plugged into the phono input that already has the built in preamp??? I'm assuming that would create a problem. I currently have a onkyo amp I found in a dumpster with a phono input but after seeing this was curious if getting a preamp for my turntable would be worth while. Also would it be a bad idea to use a splitter for the input into the preamp to have an 8track player and turntable connected to the preamp so only one is necessary instead of buying two preamps?
I have a question for you. I have an old turntable that was given to me and I plugged it in to my Pioneer Elite SC-05 which has a phono in which sounds nice but I have to have the volume up quite high to play it at the volume I like to listen at. I had read some great reviews on a Schiit Mani phono pre-amp and returned it because no matter how I set it, I didn`t find that it sounded any better than my built in pre-amp on my Elite and I think it wasn`t working properly because the right channel was louder than the left so I returned it. It helped boost the volume but that`s about it. I found Christopher Crosses voice harsh with this pre-amp where it was warm with my built in. So my question is this, would this Pro-Ject pre-amp help with warmth and clarity of detail as well as boost the volume? I can purchase a Pro-Ject tube amp locally for a decent price. Thank you .
I recently picked up a Ampapa tube headphone/phono preamp/amp. I really like the sound. It wasn't too expensive and I definitely prefer tube amps.
I wanted to give it a shot before I sank any more money into it.
I am a audiophile returning from my 1980's experience. It is great to start entering the audiophille community again, even as a neophyte (to headphones: I got the Senn HD650's to start).
I used to have some of the equipment you use! I ended up with a Tandberg 1/2" reel to reel, Thorens turntable, and Perreaux amp and pre-amp, among others. I even gave the Accoustat 7'10" speakers! What a great time.
Another enjoyable video, thank you.
When are you going to do a review of the ACME 36 hour day, that you clearly use.
How do you get time for all this stuff?
+MrAtheHun I really don't get the time and rarely get a day off, its something I'm still trying to figure out.
Cool review. My brother had the exact same stereo as a kid. Douglas
I still have some old records, but nothing to play them on. I only have about five, though.
That first audio clarifier box is similar to one I have for video. I used to have a DVD player daisy-chained through a couple of VCRs to my TVs single input. One of the VCRs was set to detect a copyright signal and show the old dark pink/light pink flashing over the video signal. The video stabiliser box fixed that problem.
Great video. Your Pioner receiver reminds me of one I helped a friend choose years ago, now, i'm wondering if he still has his. My question is about the record you placed on the turntable taken from the Marvin Gaye sleeve. Was that an actual Marvin Gaye record??? If so, what edition? I checked many of the Discogs.com and so far no luck.
Great channel and great info! I am new to vinyl and I bought this cute preamp. I set up everything correctly but for some reason I can't seem to turn it on. I press the power button, it blinks blue and nothing happens. Am I doing something wrong? It's connected to a pro-ject debut carbon turntable and to the aux rca of a Rotel A11 amp!
Question, so if you have an amp that has a Phono input would you still recommend a preamp like this? or is it just for your digital system on an aux input?
Hey techmoan I was wondering if you know what valves are used in the pro-ject tube box?
I have a Pro-Ject solid state pre-amp and I have to say it works very well. Another reason I picked it up was because it has a USB output if I wanted to save tracks to digital.
That is a good starting unit had one years ago when I first got into hifi.10 phono amps and thousands of dollars latter I have a 15,000 dollar 36 tube 4 piece unit. This one your reviewing is a great value for its tiny price.
Ah the joys of separate component systems. I have a old blind friend who absolutely loved his radio shack realistic system with Mac 1 speakers. It's safe to say that someone would literally have to pry them out from his dead arms to get ahold of them. I'm sure by now he has sourced a backup for his amp that is an exact replacement just in case. Cheers.
I remember being told of a trick to improve your hifi was to clean you mains plugs . Have you ever heard of this ?
Could you plug the tube box into the phono stage on the pioneer and bypass the built in preamp so that you're not wasting a channel on the receiver?
Nice Pioneer RT909! Hope we get a review soon!
That Dymo labeler looks cool, where can I get one
Really nice videos , wanna know whats the switchbox you use, looks very nice.. thx , and greets from Chile ;)
HI im new too the audio scene and i have bought myself a technics 1210mk 2 turntable and a Yamaha RN 500 integrated amp looking to get that warm sound from vinyl can i plug this pre amp into the the phono stage on my amp or will i have to plug it in aux
Nice. Love the look of that old Pioneer amp too. :)
Yup that is a real special piece he has! He has such great taste and sense about this stuff
are those filp switchs on the bottom to control tone filter capacitance?
Right on. I had a Harmon Kardon tube type pre-amp and really had the best sound. I guess that dates me, but I still miss it.
'ABBA - The studio Albums' @ 7:25 ...omg, where did you get that? Cheers! Love the channel and best of luck with your hearing issues. I couldn't imagine a world without sound (or music). I hope everything works out for you.
What brand of 12AX7 valves come with this preamp? I am building an Elekit TU-8300R power amp with the iconic 300B valves and I am looking at valve preamps to mate with the Elekit. I was hoping to build my preamp from a kit but thought maybe this Pro-Ject might be a good idea as well. Thanks!
You mentioned the lack of dedicated Phono input on modern amps. Is there a difference between the inputs on modern (or older) amps? Meaning if you had an amp that had Tape, CD, Aux, would plugging the phono into one of the available inputs change how the audio sounded, or are all line level inputs the same?
Just got one of these, it will change your life
I just had this same problem with my pioneer sx 780, my phono input sounded bad and the left channel wouldn't work most of the time. All of the other inputs worked fine. Now it sounds great again with my new pre amp
Can i connect this into my Denon avr (aux in)?
I did not understand half of what you said but I believed you and it looked super cool
raises the question if he did look for a cheaper pre amp for around 200 aud what would people reccomend?
Thanks. The Audio Technica lp120 has the same problem with its build in preamp. One dude desoldered the bad preamp that would take the high frequency sound away. Now the high frequency sound is back and it has never sounded better with an external preamp. I think that external preamps are always better.
You can use an OM stylus for that LM body. The OM line is pretty robust and you should be able to find one to your liking fairly easy.
I would so buy that pioneer sx3600 from you, i love repairing those things!
Nice setup