Technology has changed a lot since the old days of vinyl. The digital age means that not only is sound quality different (not necessarily better, though – a lot of people find digital sound too ‘manufactured’ for their tastes) but the requirements of the hardware used to play it have also changed. If you’re using a modern stereo system but still want to play LPs off a turntable through it, there’s a good chance you will need to invest in a phono stage (also known as a phono preamp or sometimes a phono amp) before you can get a signal worth putting through your speakers.

The issue is that the output from turntables tends to be a fraction of the output from modern digital sources like MP3 and CD players. Thus, if you link a record player – designed for an amplifier/speaker set built to similar specifications – up to your 21st century stereo system, the chances are that you won’t get a signal strong enough to give you any kind of decent playback quality. At best, you will have to turn the volume right up to be able to hear anything – meaning that you will also get a large amount of hiss and crackle, too.

A phono stage solves this problem by amplifying the signal from the turntable and producing something that will work as an input to your stereo. Very few modern stereos have these phono amps built in – there is no need, as relatively few people still listen to vinyl. Check the back of your amp – there will likely be a variety of inputs for different sources. If you’ve got one there marked ‘phono’ or ‘record player’ you’re probably alright. If not, then you’re going to need something to adapt the signal before you can plug it into one of the other inputs – the signal will now work in the ‘CD’, ‘video’ or other socket.

If you’ve invested a decent amount of money on a stereo and a turntable for your old vinyl (or new, if you’re a current collector), then it’s also worth spending a reasonable sum on a good phono stage. A cheap phono preamp will boost the signal to the right level, but if you want sound quality to match the quality of your existing equipment, then it’s best not to economise here. Buy a good phono amp too, or you will find that this component is the weak link in your system.

Please visit https://www.whestaudio.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

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Everyone is aware that our music-listening conventions have changed quite dramatically in the space of two generations or less: while today’s hits are increasingly downloaded and saved digitally, all but the very youthful among us recollect CDs and cassettes emerging as the musical format that promised to supersede the record. However, quite unusually for the domain of technological progress, older manners of listening to music have been gradually creeping back into fashion and coexisting with the new. Of course, for those who remained faithful to vinyl even at the dawn of the CD and later the download, the reaffirmed popularity of records will seem late emerging. Indeed, vinyl addicts stand proud of their beautiful retro collections while many of us who were instantly swayed by the easy transportability of CD and Mp3 files now lament not investing in the sizeable vinyl formats whose extraordinary album art and sheer tactility and warm audio represent more enduring pleasures. And, although such converts have been pleased by the recent reappearance of records for purchase online and in music stores, just one problem remains: how to listen to vinyl through modern speakers ill-adapted to the turntable’s needs? The answer lies in the phono stage, also known as a phono preamp or a phono amp.

The reason for investing in a phono stage is quite straightforward to understand: vinyl, as played on a turntable, requires amplification one step further than the digital files and compact discs most modern speakers have been designed to play. Without the phono stage, those of us who have only recently converted to record buying will feel deceived by our initially exciting yet ultimately nigh on inaudible acquisitions. In sum, the phono stage (or phono preamp or phono amp if you prefer) is fundamental to anyone enthused by vinyl for its sound quality rather than its status as a decorative object. And presumably most of us fall into the former camp!

What remains to be considered is the level of investment one is prepared to make in what is essentially a luxury pursuit: with music so readily accessible on our computers, listening to vinyl is a contrastingly slow activity to be savoured and one that can transform private moments of relaxation or low-key soirées with friends into memorable events. With this potential in mind it is advisable to seek the best phono stage you can budget for: other phono amps and phono preamp products just won’t provide the quality that everyone’s ears deserve.

Please visit http://www.whestaudio.co.uk/