Problems with a Marantz 6200

[Speculant]

The issue is, there seems to be little to no sound going to the subwoofer. The sound is very "treble-y". I'm not very experienced working with turntables, so I'm not sure where to start.

Any suggestions?

 

[Swerd]

The issue is, there seems to be little to no sound going to the subwoofer. The sound is very "treble-y". I'm not very experienced working with turntables, so I'm not sure where to start.

The electrical signals from a turntable pickup cartridge are much weaker (5 mV or less) than the audio signals from CD/DVD players, TVs, or other audio sources (about 100-200 mV). These phono audio signals are also modified compared to other audio sources. The bass is significantly weakened, among other changes. Look up RIAA equalization - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for an explanation. On playback, the signal from a turntable must be amplified and re-equalized or it will sound much like you described.

What did you plug the leads from your turntable to? If your receiver is capable of accepting the signal from a turntable, you will find a pair of RCA jacks labeled "Phono". Does your receiver have such inputs? If not, you must buy a stand-alone phono pre-amp. It will amplify to the signal and apply the standard RIAA playback equalization. With a phono preamp, you can use any unused RCA jacks.

There are many such phono preamps available, and they do not have to cost a lot. Here is a good selection.

 

[Speculant]

Thank you! That completely makes sense. I was looking at the "Esoteric Sounds Rek-O-Kut Professional Phono Preamp MKII" but how do I tell if my cartridge is the moving magnet type? I know that the needle was replaced about 3 years ago, so it's not stock.

 

[Swerd]

Thank you! That completely makes sense. I was looking at the "Esoteric Sounds Rek-O-Kut Professional Phono Preamp MKII" but how do I tell if my cartridge is the moving magnet type? I know that the needle was replaced about 3 years ago, so it's not stock.

What make and model cartridge do you now have? You should be able to look up whether its moving magnet or moving coil.

Most less expensive cartridges are the moving magnet type.

 

[Speculant]

I'm almost absolutely sure it's a less expensive cartridge, here's the best picture I could get of it: http://i50.tinypic.com/2h57cc0.jpg

 

[Swerd]

I'm almost absolutely sure it's a less expensive cartridge, here's the best picture I could get of it: http://i50.tinypic.com/2h57cc0.jpg

Can't even guess from that photo .

Try removing the head shell (with the cartridge in it) from the tone arm. There is knurled cylinder (about ½" long) at the end of the tone arm where it connects to the head shell. Switch off the power, turn that cylinder and see if the head shell doesn't come off. Maybe then you can get a better look at the make & model of the cartridge.

Then see if you can't find out if its a moving magnet type by looking here Phono Cartridge

 

[Speculant]

(Please ignore my wide thumbs, it's genetic )

I can't seem to find online if it's a moving magnet or not.

 

[Swerd]

AT13Ea is definitely a moving magnet cartridge.

Audio Technica | Cartridge Data | Vinyl Engine

Scroll down a bit on that link and you'll see the details.

 

[Speculant]

Thanks for the help! I'll definately get the preamp I mentioned earlier.

Also, are there any good software RIAA equalizers? I plan on using this record player for archiving, and if I can just equalize in software, I'd rather do that (saves me money, for now at least).

 

[Swerd]

Thanks for the help! I'll definately get the preamp I mentioned earlier.

Also, are there any good software RIAA equalizers? I plan on using this record player for archiving, and if I can just equalize in software, I'd rather do that (saves me money, for now at least).

I don't know of any software RIAA equalizers, but if they exist, you can find them with a Google search.

If you want to digitize records, you might try this phono preamp that has USB connections instead of the one you mentioned earlier.

 

[Speculant]

Yes, that USB preamp looks like a much better deal, especially for archiving and playback with headphones.

I'm sure that a hardware equalizer would be much better than a software equalizer anyways, even if I did find one.