For discussion about setting up your studio and advice on the gear and equipment within it.
By Brindlefly Thu Nov 22, 2018 12:17 am
I'm pretty new to all this.

I have a 2000XL and a Pioneer PLX-1000 turntable.

I don't have any DJ background. I'm using an old entry level audiophile grade phono stage I had in storage between the turntable and the 2000XL (musical fidelity X-PS). It all works OK.

From what I see of most people's setups, they are using a DJ mixer as a phono preamp.

Benefits I can see is it will give me more gain control (I can control the signal level going into the 2000XL), and it will give me bass middle and high equalisation options and filter options.

I am starting some research into good buys. It seems that most of the current models are digital rather than analog. Is this correct?
I'm worried that this will take away some of the magic of using vinyl in the first place - the resolution and dynamic range.

Am I being too OCD about this?

Love to hear people's knowledge and experiences here.
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By tapedeck Thu Nov 22, 2018 1:48 am
yes you are probably being to ocd about, it will be different and more controllable than just a pre, and judge the 'quality' for yourself. pick a price you are willing to spend and then get what you can. personally i would go used on craigslist and find something cheap, that way you dont have to spend much money, but you can still try more options. if you do want to go that route let me know... i save these things whenever i come across them.

ps. 'dynamic range' is not a strong suit of vinyl - it is different yes, but it is actually one of the worse mediums for 'dynamic range' because of the noise floor. 'resolution' also doesn't really make sense as it is analog, and technically, you are going to wear out a record everytime you play it, so you will likely lose high end over time.
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By loose_t Wed Dec 05, 2018 1:30 am
I feel like most people using a dj mixer just for the pre amp probably already had it laying around. I wouldn't buy one just for that purpose. There's a few TT pre-amps with gain control. I use the ART DJ Pre II. It's great, and its 50 bucks.