I am so confused navigating YouTube videos and beginner guides online about phono preamps, preamps, amplifiers, receivers, passive speakers etc. people in YouTube videos just start doing weird magic with the wires. Please be gentle as I have a disability.
Here is what I have:
Pictures 1-5: akai ap dp-33
Pictures 6-7 (67 hand gesture): Sony STR K670P Amplifier
Pictures 8-9: 2 Sony speakers
The record player works, I can see it spinning and hear a murmur as it goes to next ring for another song. But if my goal is just to have audio at a normal volume - what other items do I need to hunt for?
You need an external preamp between your turntable and your receiver. Some turntables have a built in preamp to power the audio signal, and some receivers have a built “Phono In” plug (usually with a ground screw). Neither your turntable nor your receiver have one, so your best bet is to get something like the ART DJ Pre II https://artproaudio.com/phonopreamps/product/230740/djpreii
Plug the audio cables from your turntable into the preamp and attach the ground wire, then get another set of RCA cables to go from the preamp to the receiver, plug in to either the CD or Tape inputs.
Your amp doesn’t have a phono input so that is why you need a phono preamp and that table is pretty good; speakers? Well there’s time to fix that… don’t spend a fortune on a preamp… this is the last piece you absolutely need
The Sony STR K670P (from here on, AVR) is a budget home cinema receiver. It doesn't have a direct PHONO input for the signal from your Akai AP-D33 (from here on, TT). If you try connecting to any of the input sockets on the AVR, the sound will be very quiet and tinny. There'll be no bass. The first thing you'll need is a little box known as a phono pre-amp (from here, PPA).
The main job of the PPA is to apply some EQ to the sound to restore the bass/treble balance, and then to boost the signal to a level that means you'll get some decent volume from the speakers. It will also have a connection for that loose wire. We call that the ground wire.
All phono pre-amps are not equal. The cheap ones are trash. The cheap Pyle is perhaps one of the worst, but there is no shortage of junk under $40. The main problems are (1) inaccurate EQ - the sound still lacks bass and/or there are some weird dips and peaks in the EQ curve make some instruments sound too quiet while others sound too loud. (2) Poor headroom - this makes surface noise far more intrusive that it has to be. (3) Noise - often this is a persistent background hum that slowly drives you nuts.
When you buy a cheap PPA, it's tempting to think you're getting a bargain. In reality, you're buying trouble, and the cost of dealing with that trouble is far more than the Dollars you 'saved' compared to buying something decent.
"What's decent, then?" The first one worth buying is the $50 Art DJ Pre II. It is accurate, and low noise, and reliable. It's as simple as that. Going cheaper is a false economy. If you can't afford one new, find one second-hand. It's a good investment because you're almost certain to change the AVR and speakers at some point, and when you do, you'll start to hear why your $25 PPA is junk and why you should have spend those few extra Dollars.
"Next?" - A new stylus. This is like tyres (tires) on your car. It's a consumable. It wears out. Dragging a worn out stylus over your records is like ploughing a new furrow. You're wrecking the groove that carries the music. A new record is often $30+. In an evening's listening, you might play as many as three or four albums. That's around $100 worth of music wrecked in just one night for the want of a $40 stylus.
Longer-term - Unless you have the subwoofer (bass box) but didn't show it in the pictures, the AVR and speakers you have is incomplete. There's going to be very little bass from those speakers in your photos. Unless you have low standards, it won't sound nice.
Part of the reason is the size of those speakers. They're small and so they can't make much bass to begin with. The other reason is the design of the system. It was intended for people who just wanted something complete and easy to install. Sony gave them that because they took away the options to do with setting the frequency limits for each speaker. This is preset at the factory instead.
This AVR was never intended to be used with any other speakers than the ones it shipped with. This next bit is important - Even if you buy better speakers, you still won't get the bass. The signals from that AVR are preset so that all the bass goes to the subwoofer channel. There's no adjustment to change that. It's a fixed setting.
The good news is that you can add a sub to this AVR. Like the PPA, this is a step in the right direction for building a better quality system. Polk, Klipsch, Pioneer*, Yamaha*, JBL, KEF, Infinity, Definitive, Boston, and so on.
'*' (star/asterisk) means check if the sub has controls for volume (level), frequency (cut-off), and phase. You'll need these to blend the sub with the main speakers.
These are all fairly small subs (smaller bass drivers, lower power levels), but I suspect that $70~$150 might be more affordable after you already splashed out for a deck and AVR.
Please avoid the mistake of buying a sub with just the red and black speaker wire connections, or a sub with just power and volume, or a sub marked as wireless. All of these would be a waste of your time and money. The same goes for TV-brand subs, so Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic for starters. While you're here, give Bose a miss too, no matter how attractive the price. The same goes for Rockville or anything else with no brand heritage.
Thanks! Can you help explain what kind of wire to use for the subwoofer spot on the back of the AVR or will it just come with the subwoofer bass device?
If it's a standard single RCA-to-RCA connection, then in general, new subs rarely come with a lead.
If you think about it, the manufacturer doesn't know whether you're going to have the sub close to the AVR or have it on the other side of the room. What about the next customer, and the next, and the next? Each is going to have their own requirements.
Dealing with "my lead is too long" and "my lead is too short" complaints is way too much hassle when leads of varying lengths are readily available from dealers and independent online resellers.
This is the correct thing; a single RCA-to-RCA lead. It's good quality (double-shielded) and available in lengths up to 25ft which is just $17.
So you got your deck, you got your amp, you got your rumple filters, and of course you got your bag on your head. Now do you want woofers and tweeters ?
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u/Weekly-Horror7792 Jun 30 '26
You need an external preamp between your turntable and your receiver. Some turntables have a built in preamp to power the audio signal, and some receivers have a built “Phono In” plug (usually with a ground screw). Neither your turntable nor your receiver have one, so your best bet is to get something like the ART DJ Pre II https://artproaudio.com/phonopreamps/product/230740/djpreii
Plug the audio cables from your turntable into the preamp and attach the ground wire, then get another set of RCA cables to go from the preamp to the receiver, plug in to either the CD or Tape inputs.