Integrating a turntable into a digital system

[Balle Clorin]

Just to avoid misunderstandings, Puffin Digital out does not require any modification , I bought mine including Toslink out.

 

[antcollinet]

I truly appreciate this sentiment. To be honest I am worried it will sound horrendous, given how resolving 8351s are…

It won't. It is almost miraculous how good vinyl can sound given how it is working. Having a resolving system does not change this.

You will get some crackles on some albums it is possible to ignore this. Pops you'll get on fewer - but more difficult to ignore.


But the sentiment is still worth thinking about.

 

[Balle Clorin]

Are you prepared to buy 20-25 usd per album in the future and spend 250-2500 usd per year on vinyl records?
If not, forget the vinyl thing. Having a turntable to play 7 records is kind of a waste of the investment,,,

The sound is no improvement from what you have, only a different more costly medium with poorer sound,even if it sounds just fine.

 

[davidperrenoud]

For a phono stage with digital out another option would be the ART Phono Plus. IIRC/FWIW there was a special art package for Tool's Fear Inoculum for a limited number of CDs?

Are you sure the digital out would output what the turntable is playing? I have the impression that it only routes from USB to SPDIF or OPTICAL and not from the phono line-in.

 

[Chrispy]

Are you sure the digital out would output what the turntable is playing? I have the impression that it only routes from USB to SPDIF or OPTICAL and not from the phono line-in.

Yes it's primarily for digitising vinyl....which is why I got one.

 

[bluefuzz]

To be honest I am worried it will sound horrendous

It won't sound horrendous. But it will sound subtly (or not so subtly) different to any digital version of same release. In some cases it may even sound more pleasing depending on what floats your proverbial. But after some time you will begin to question your life choices: having to get up off the sofa every 20 minutes, those always apparent pops and clicks, having to walk on tiptoes all the time in case the needle jumps, the knowledge that any digital version will always be more accurate to the source, the nagging doubt that however cool it may seem it really doesn't sound better ...

I've actually been thinking for a while now to start collecting vinyls just for the artwork

No problem with that. Enjoy! Doesn't mean you have to listen to the damn things. People collect stamps or beer labels and they don't even have the possibility of making a noise ... ;-)

 

[Paul E]

I've just done something similar, I have a Moode solution on RPi4 feeding a Khadas ToneBoard V1, Moode implements Camilla DSP for streamed audio. My turntable (Thorens TD150ii with Sumiko Pearl MM cartridge) feeds a Rega A2D mini with digital audio out via USB into the RPi. Using a "playlist" workaround from Moode forum user "bitlab" I now can play Vinyl through my RPi and Camilla DSP which means I get DRC on my Vinyl. I'm very happy with the results.

 

[Pe8er]

For a phono stage with digital out another option would be the ART Phono Plus. IIRC/FWIW there was a special art package for Tool's Fear Inoculum for a limited number of CDs?

Nice one, Phono Plus looks great. And yes, all editions of Fear Inoculum are gorgeous. CD comes with a LCD screen that plays a small ambient video. Both CD and vinyl have similar booklets and the quality of design is through the roof. Actually all TOOL albums come with unique and beautiful packaging.

 

[radix]

BTW, if you have a MM cartridge with enough output, you can skip the phono preamp and put the filter directly into the SHD. At least I've seen threads about people doing that, i've not done it myself (I have MC anyway).

I used to run my phono to a DA-3000 recorder, then to the SHD via AES. Now I use RCA Y cables to the SHD analog and DA-3000 so I don't need to always run it through the recorder.

 

[Apesbrain]

This is interesting: a turntable with optical out:

Audio Advisor, Inc.

It's a discontinued item, so any color so long as it's red.

 

[Chrispy]

Nice one, Phono Plus looks great. And yes, all editions of Fear Inoculum are gorgeous. CD comes with a LCD screen that plays a small ambient video. Both CD and vinyl have similar booklets and the quality of design is through the roof. Actually all TOOL albums come with unique and beautiful packaging.

Yeah, forgot about the ambient video....been a while....I just got the normal cd. I never heard Tool on vinyl in the first place myself....

 

[mike70]

if you properly clean and handle records they can be very, very clean sounding.
And sound quality depends much more in mastering / recording than the format, i have cds with less than 70 DR and totally veiled / thin sound... and records that sounds simply fabulous.

Theory is equals to practice only in theory.

 

[scribley0]

I have had the same requirements, was in search of a solution and wanted to add the extra info to this thread in case anyone benefits in future. I found reasonable cost options from Pro-Ject Audio who offer different models of Phono preamp with either Optical, USB or Bluetooth out. So I now have my old Tecnhnics DD Turntable linked to a Topping DX7 Pro using Bluetooth & the vinyl that I had in the cupboard for all those years is now getting an airing !

 

[Avp1]

For a phono stage with digital out another option would be the ART Phono Plus. IIRC/FWIW there was a special art package for Tool's Fear Inoculum for a limited number of CDs?

I didn't see any phono stages with ADC of acceptable quality. So far I only saw ONE and price was well into high-end audio range (that one did RIAA correction in DSP).

Getting stand-alone studio grade ADC is the best option, but that will be in $1000-2000 range for one transparent enough. A/D conversion needs to be done in 24/96K mode or higher to avoid accentuating of clicks and pops. Do not forget soft clipping feature in ADC, which will be required too.

 

[mike70]

I use the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (aprox 150 USD) ... is great and I don't see any difference between 16/44.1 and 24/96 with digitalized tracks and decent earphones.

Do you talk in a theoretically way or do you experienced the difference?

I have clean records with almost zero clicks and pops, maybe is that ... but ....

 

[JeremyFife]

Have you jumped yet?

One, sideways, option - sell your miniDSP and replace with a miniDSP Flex (balanced) which has an analogue input ...

I've heard that you can carry out the RIAA correction directly in the miniDSP Flex - i.e. no need for a phono stage. Don't know how though but it's intriguing.

Enjoy

 

[levimax]

Have you jumped yet?

One, sideways, option - sell your miniDSP and replace with a miniDSP Flex (balanced) which has an analogue input ...

I've heard that you can carry out the RIAA correction directly in the miniDSP Flex - i.e. no need for a phono stage. Don't know how though but it's intriguing.

Enjoy

The problem is that a phono cart need 47 Kohms ohm input impedance which is usually only found on phono pre-amps. In the case of the Flex it is either 100 Kohms or 200 Kohms depending if it is balanced or unbalanced.

 

[JeremyFife]

The problem is that a phono cart need 47 Kohms ohm input impedance which is usually only found on phono pre-amps. In the case of the Flex it is either 100 Kohms or 200 Kohms depending if it is balanced or unbalanced.

Thanks for clarifying ... so OP will still need a phono stage. There are plenty.

 

[dualazmak]

Although quite belated, I just came across to this thread.

For your reference, I posted recently on my project thread;
- Revival of analog LP player (MC cartridge) in my DSP multichannel multi-driver multi-amplifier fully active stereo system for real time on-the-fly vinyl LP listening (and digital recording, if needed): #688
DENON DP-57L + DENON DL-301II (MC);

And,
- Inside of Audio-Technica AT-PEQ30 phono preamplifier, and successful DIY suppression of inaudible EMF (electro-magnetic field) interference noise: #697

 

[AaronJ]

Thanks for clarifying ... so OP will still need a phono stage. There are plenty.

I run my phono pre into a miniDSP Flex. Well, not directly. The only caveat to this setup is you need to attenuate the signal between the phono pre and the Flex because the Flex clips at only 2V input on the unbalanced version. I run my Flex with Dirac Live between the preamp and power amp for this reason, but if I was using the Flex as a preamp I'd definitely stick a decent-quality passive attenuator in between, like a Schiit Sys or JDS Labs OL Switcher, with the pot set to 12 o'clock. If the overall gain ends up being too low it can be bumped up without adding noticeable noise floor in the Flex.