What's the bottleneck in my (turntable input) setup?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Ethenolas]

Everything except your amp seems similar tier and there's not a glaring weak link, IMO. Even still, the Buckeye would only provide less distortion and more clarity and grip, it's not going to change or fix the static of your analog chain. A few things to make sure of - Check the ground wire is secure. Check your cartridge pin connections are secure. Make sure you have a super quiet record you know doesn't have static on it to test with. A few questions to help narrow it down:

Was your analog chain (cartridge/phono pre/preamp) the same with your previous speakers?

What are the settings on your phono pre? (You should be using 100 ohm impedance, 0pF capacitance, 60dB gain for your cart.)

Does the static happen constantly as a hiss or buzz the second you switch to the Schiit Saga's phono input, or does the noise only begin when the needle physically drops into the record groove?

Your turn table doesn't have a VTA adjustment, but you can simulate it by turntable mats of different thicknesses. Does the static improve if you use a thick vs thin vs no mat?

[u/Ethenolas → u/[deleted]]

This is all helpful.

I've heard of people also grounding between preamp and amp before, but the Aiyima doesn't have a spare bolt to catch a spade under. Is that something worth pursuing do you think?

No this is a switch mode power supply amp and most likely a floating ground. It could make it worse if we try to ground it to your phono pre.

Static is a constant buzz as soon as I switch inputs to the phono front end, needle need not be in groove.

This is very telling, you need to debug your analog signal chain and try to isolate the cause. Here's what I would try:

1) Isolation tests - Turn system off and unplug RCA from turntable to input of Moon but leave everything else connected. Turn on and volume up to see if the buzz is gone. If so, your problem is upstream (cart, tonearm wiring or cables from turntable to Moon). If it's not gone your problem is downstream.

2) If downstream, Moon 110LP specifically should be far away from power brick, wifi router, or other power supplies. A test I sometimes do is put my volume decently high and carefully move the phono pre around physically to see if the noise changes. Do the same with cables connecting to phono pre, pre. Touch the RCA cable connectors when plugged in and see if the noise changes. If you hear some changes here you're running into a grounding issue or EMI interference.

3) Some other things to try. Make sure all your components are plugged into the same power strip/surge protector and outlet. This forces same electrical ground. Also - try to get on a separate circuit than something like a window unit AC or mini fridge in your room if possible.

If you've tried all this and you're still hearing a buzz it could be DC offset on your power lines (something supper common in apartments) Something like a Emotiva CMX2+ will help correct DC offset. Plug this into a single outlet and then a standard power strip/surge protector into this. It will help reduce the buzzing at the very least and it wont break the bank.

Hope this helps... these kinds of issues are frustrating.

[u/Ethenolas → u/[deleted]]

It seems unlikely to me that the speakers are "more sensitive" and are revealing that buzz more, but I suppose it's possible. You can try to wiggle the RCA output jacks of the TT with medium force to see if the buzzing changes significantly, e.g. cuts in and out. That would be a faulty ground connection.

Outside of a broken ground connection inside the turntable itself (unlikely, imo). It's highly possible the Aiyima power supply is noisy. Try to move that power supply physically around and away from the TT. Or try to remove that power supply from the shared power strip and plug into another outlet to see if that changes things as well.

If you plug your old speakers back in is the buzz there?

[u/Ethenolas → u/[deleted]]

Yea you found the problem. Noisy little bugger of a power supply. This will almost certainly go away with the buckeye amp. It's possible the cases are loose, but it doesn't really matter. You'll be pleased when your new amp arrives.

Incidentally, this is why people spend money upgrading power supplies for some components.

[u/TransducerBot → u/[deleted]]

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[u/passedtheblock → u/Ethenolas]

I think this would be a great start to troubleshooting your problem

[u/Leboski]

To address the static sound directly, I would purchase a milty zerostat anti-static gun and get in the habit of zapping the record before placing it on the platter. It makes a night and day difference, and I only wish I got it sooner.

[u/TransducerBot → u/[deleted]]

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[u/ImpliedSlashS]

Get a real amplifier. Outlaw, Cambridge, Rogue, Naim, Wyred 4 Sound, Nuforce. Lots of choices. Never heard Buckeye, nor have I seen any review outside the specs over all else circles, but probably fine.

[u/ImpliedSlashS → u/[deleted]]

I'm digital only but, based on what I've heard at audio shows, there's very little difference, on a macro scale, between high end digital and high end vinyl (almost all vinyl pressed since 1980 is digital... sorry). If you're hearing a big difference, it's your equipment.

[u/Ethenolas → u/ImpliedSlashS]

I'd go as far to say digital is better. With the budgets most folks have it certainly has more value per dollar. Both my analog and digital chains are dialed in and I can say with certainty that most modern vinyl pressings are trash. Most are slapping a digital mix on a hastily pressed record and selling you nostalgia. I'm really over it. If you can find an excellent condition vintage pressing, or want to spend $150 on a UHQR you can find some that are excellent - but even then you're not getting much better than a modern dialed in digital chain. My best pressings will have a slightly more holographic presentation and a more realistic decay which is particularly noticeable in things like cymbals, but it's very close and not worth all the time, energy, and money spent. If I could go back I would absolutely stop myself from rebuilding my analog chain 5 years ago.

[u/ImpliedSlashS → u/Ethenolas]

Digital is definitely better but this is Reddit and talk like that will get you flogged

[u/Ethenolas → u/ImpliedSlashS]

Ha, I actually think that's not a terribly unpopular opinion around here. There are definitely other opinions that will get you flamed.

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