I’ve had a lot of friends recently ask me how to connect a CD player to a DAC and it inspired me to write this article.
Before I start, I understand the name of this website is Forever Analog and I’m about to give advice on digital components like a CD player and external DAC. At first glance it may appear as a contradiction, but I was raised listening to CDs. I only started buying vinyl records in college during the late Nineties because they were so cheap.
People commonly mistake the parts on a turntable, calling them by the wrong name. As they learn more about their turntable, they understand the role of each part and know when and how to replace those parts for ultimate performance.
Friends often tell me they are having problems with their turntable’s cartridge when they really mean a stylus.
What is the difference between the cartridge and the stylus?
The turntable’s stylus is actually part of the cartridge. The cartridge is the housing part screwed to the headshell while the stylus is the tiny “needle” at the end of the cartridge’s cantilever that actually makes contact with the record.
If you look at the photo at the beginning of this article, you can see the cartridge is the gold box labeled Philips 422. If you look closely, you can see the cantilever protruding down from the cartridge.
At the end of that cantilever is the stylus which will make contact with the record, moving back and forth and up down in the grooves. This modulation moves up the cantilever into the cartridge where it is converted into an electrical signal.
In the video below, you can see how the stylus is being replaced on an Audio Technica turntable. I think this helps show beginners that the stylus can be easily removed from the cartridge and replaced with the same model.
Note he is simply removing the green plastic piece that holds the cantilever and the stylus while the cartridge remains mounted to the headshell:
This next video will show you how an entire cartridge is replaced by removing the old one and installing a new cartridge to the headshell:
Do I need to replace the cartridge or the stylus?
This is another popular question I receive from friends who are new to vinyl. When the sound on their turntable is poor, they are often confused as to if they need to replace the entire cartridge, or just the stylus.
If the audio sounds poor on your turntable, you do not need to replace the entire cartridge, only the stylus. The stylus tip will wear down over time, causing poor sound performance. Simply buy a new stylus for the cartridge on your turntable and follow the instructions on how to install. It’s often as simple as pulling the old stylus off the cartridge and carefully pushing the new stylus in its place.
When should I replace my turntable cartridge?
Most cartridges on turntables do not need to be replaced, only their stylus. The cartridge rarely “breaks”. Instead the stylus wears down or is bent and needs to be replaced. I advise people to only replace the cartridge when they want to upgrade to a higher quality sound on their turntable.
Phono cartridges are made in all shapes and sizes and will sound different on your turntable. I enjoy buying different cartridges and installing them on my turntable to listen how the playback changes.
Some cartridges provide better bass, some provide more clarity. More expensive cartridges will provide a more life like sound stage, making you feel as if you are in the room where the music was recorded.
Cartridges vary in price and can cost more than $10,000. My budget allows for moving magnet cartridges in the under $500 range but I hope to experiment with more expensive models as my budget allows.
Everything you need to know about the stylus on your turntable…
If you are interested in learning more about the stylus, including the different shapes, how long they last and when you need to replace, please refer to my article Everything To Know About The Stylus On Your Turntable for more information!
Before you go…
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Last summer I bought a Sansui G-6000 receiver off Craigslist that smelled like cigarette smoke. After a lot of research online and various tests at home, I found the easiest way to get rid of the smell was the one that simply required the most patience.
How do I remove cigarette smoke smell from receivers and electronics?
The easiest way to remove the smell of smoke from electronics is to dissemble the unit by removing the top case from the receiver and let them both sit in the sun for up to 6 hours a day for a period of 3 to 4 days, depending on the severity of the smell.
The sun will remove the smell much better than applying liquid cleaners or sprays to the unit.
The key to getting the best results is to remove the top case from the unit so the sun can penetrate inside the unit as well. You want both the inside of the unit and the top case to be exposed to the sunlight.
I found it took 3 to 4 days to full remove the smell from my unit, but it make take more time or less time sitting outside for you, depending on just how strong the smell was originally.
There are several reasons why your turntable or record player might sound bad, weird or distorted. We will look at each reason below and provide advice on how to fix the issue so you can get back to listening to your vinyl records with the best sound possible.
Record players or turntables sound bad, weird or distorted due to these five issues:
The needle (aka stylus) is dirty, worn or broken and needs to be replaced.
The record player is not sitting on a level surface and causing inner groove distortion.
The belt on your turntable is loose, not operating at the proper speed and needs to be replaced.
Your turntable is not properly grounded and causing humming or buzzing noises.
Your turntable’s built in preamp is on the wrong setting.
Read below for instructions on how to solve each issue listed above.
Friends often ask me how to connect their record player to a receiver that does not have a phono input. Below are instructions on how to use the aux input for phono to get music playing from your turntable.
Photo by James Krudop on Unsplash
Can I use the aux input for phono?
Yes, the aux input on a receiver can be used for phono, but only if you use a stand alone phono preamp for your turntable or if your turntable has a built in phono preamp. See below for instructions on how to set up each.
A step by step guide on how to connect the preamp in a vintage integrated amplifier to an external amplifier, using photos taken from a Marantz 2270 receiver and Emotiva BASX A-100 amplifier.
My Marantz 2270 and Emotiva BASX A-100 amplifier.
Connecting an integrated receiver’s preamp to an amplifier only requires connecting a pair of RCA cables to the correct inputs (read further below for photos):
Locate the Main In and Pre Out inputs with jumpers on the rear of the vintage receiver.
Remove the jumpers from the inputs on the receiver and store them in a safe location.
Plug RCA cables into the Pre Out input on the receiver with the red cable in the Right input and the white cable into the Left input.
Next, look at the rear of the amplifier and locate the Input RCA inputs.
Connect the RCA cables from the receiver to the Input RCA inputs on the rear of the amplifier.
Power on the receiver first, then the amplifier and use the volume control on the receiver to adjust volume as needed.
