I am not quite sure what your setup is like.

It sounds like you may have been connecting a turntable into a line-level input on an amplifier or receiver. You can't do that and get anything like a correct tonal balance.

You may not know about RIAA equalization. RIAA equalization reduces the bass level during the record mastering process of all records so that the bass does not cause excessive groove modualtion on the record surface. Without this, each side of the record might be 4 minutes long...lol.

If you do not have a dedicated phono preamp, with an RIAA equalization circuit. between the cartridge and the amplifer, the bass will only be about 1% of what it should be, because that is what is recorded on the surface of the record.

I am not sure about a subwoofer that has a receiver built into it; that sounds rather odd.

An audiophile is someone who loves music, and if you do that is great. I am not sure the music you are getting from your setup would be easy to love.

ClearAsVinyl wrote:

Hello there. First off, I'd like to say that I do consider myself an audiophile in my own right, and to be an audiophile, I personally believe you just have to have a knack and ear for what sounds good, so when I get into gear discussion, please don't be appauled, ;).

Vinyl is my favorite past time. I got out of it for a few years for some odd reason, then now just discovered how much I loved it and why. Musically, I am very inclined on how audio projects and how, the gear surroinding instruments, etc, but am being introduced to a new genre of audio-dealings in terms of turntables (my personal favorite).

Currently, my setup is this: A durabran sub-woofer (small), that acts as a receiver. I would like to point out that you DON'T need a phono-tuned receiver to use a record player or am I wrrong? As I am putting through the AUX or the DVD input on the sub/receiver and it works just fine.

The speakers I am using are in a small room not suitable for reverberation or sound acoustics, so I am using the "cones equal distance apart, then equal distance from you to the cone" method which is just fine for me.

Sadly, my vintage Technics SL-3200's needle just recently broke, but the cartridge is a Stanton D70E, so I am using an IT USB record player which does the job surprisingly well actually (being a $100 USB turntable).

 

My questions would be; HOW can I upgrade?

1; do receivers make a large difference? The receiver (the sub-speaker) works as a receiver and there is very little interference from the turntable to receiver to speakers, so I guess that a plus.

2; In upgrading the stylus for the Technics SL-3200, what cartridge should I get to upgrade or needle rather? I like the cartridge (Im trying to stay original). I believe its a P-Mount? And it sounds great not that I've had a lot of experimenting with it.

The speakers I have are some Sharp's from a CD/Boombox set I think, but I like because they usually have the right colouring for turntables in my opinion. I was thinking of picking up some vintage Hi-Fi's though as I can get lots very easily.

Thanks for any responses guys and girls.

I suggest that you spend $99 on a Musical Fidelity V-LPS phono preamp. It is amazingly good; better than almost any for under $500. It is a real bargain.

You can get it for $99 at Amazon or Audio Advisor.

Sorry, but I have to tell it like I see it. That subwoofer is designed to work as a home theater in a box solution and usually also comes with five other speakers. It does not have a phono input so any turntable hooked up to it will not sound as good as it could, unless the turntable itself has a built in phono preamp.  I just look at this and cringe: http://www.amazon.com/Durabrand-HT-3915-theater-System-Subwoofer/dp/B0072HB5YE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1330375860&sr=8-2

The turntable you have is adequate and the cartridge is OK. You can get a replacement stylus for about $25.

As far as upgrades go, what are your system objectives and budget? What you have now cannot even be described as entry level audiophile.

continue your journey to educate yourself on audio possibilities.

Other places to consider seeking advice -

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php

http://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/index.php

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php