A phono preamp is not entrusted with the sole task of boosting the signal from the turntable up to line level to make it playable and recordable in standard audio equipment used today.
Funnily, you will find inbuilt phono preamps in older stereo equipment but this feature shall not be present in the newer devices. Usually, it is the other way round. However, makers of stereo equipment thought that turntables would not survive the digital revolution and quietly did away with the phono preamp. However, as quality was compromised to burn hundreds of tracks on CD's and thousands of tracks on DVD's, people realized that the good ol' LP offers great quality. More and more people started buying turntables to enjoy the rich depth that only old music records have. DJ's too use turntables for sound mixing in parties.
This led to huge demand for phono preamps. This device will help you convert all your LP records into digital music without any loss of quality problems whatsoever.
A very important factor that you have to consider when getting a preamp for your turntable is the RIAA curve. Techniques for stifling external sounds were not very advanced when LP records were popular. The sound track was equalized to tone down background noise and disturbances. These sounds would pale into the background when the LP records were played. This equalization effect or curve is known as the RIAA curve. This curve must be reversed to restore the sound do its original quality. This is not artificial distortion of the music.
Rather, this is reversal of the artificial distortion. There is no need to reverse any such curve when the sound is produced by the microphone or any other device. This makes such preamps special. Needless to say, you will have to check whether your stereo device has an inbuilt preamp or whether the same has to be fitted separately.
As is always the case with sound equipment, quality improves as price improves. However, most of us end up with inferior equipment and preamps not because we did not spend money but because we were not careful enough. It does not matter whether you buy the preamp online or off the web. There are some technical points that you must always keep in mind.
a. Signal to noise ratio
This refers to the amount of noise that the preamp generates. An ordinary sound card will contribute with additional hiss. This is enough to render the entire exercise futile. Remember that a bad preamp has the capacity to render even the best mic and the best computer useless. If you cannot afford the right preamp, it is better to wait and enjoy the LP records rather than wasting time buying junk equipment.
b. Are you grounded?
Not having proper grounding will lead to a hum caused by the electrical disturbance. This hum is enough to destroy your recording. You will hear a constant hum throughout the recording. Most of us tear off the ground wire thinking it is not needed and forget all about it. We presume the equipment has no ground wire until it is too late and we have recorded the stuff already.
c. Which cartridge do you have in your turntable?
Magnetic cartridges have high impedance while moving cartridges have low impedance. You will have to choose the right slot to fix the input cable. Otherwise, you will end up with a poor quality recording.
It is preferable to use the web for buying such preamps. You can find all the technical details at your own leisure rather than relying on the store keeper for assistance.
