Will a preamp help in this scenario?

Scuzi

Scuzi

Scuzi

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I have an Amazon Echo plugged into a Yamaha R-N602 using a 3.5mm-RCA cable. It works, however I’m guessing the input signal is markedly weaker than the other sources, meaning I have to adjust the volume significantly when switching sources. E.g. I’ll be listening to music through the Echo, but when I switch to playing FLAC from the network drive, the volume is too loud, and vice-versa.

If I wanted the volume from the various inputs to be more consistent, would connecting the Echo to a preamp do the job? If that’s the case, would a fairly basic (read cheap) preamp be sufficient without having a negative impact on the sound?

Thanks.
 
Toothy1911 said:
Have you tried different inputs? Sometimes the ones for turntables (for example) have a higher gain and are louder.
Click to expand...

The TT (Phono) input shouldn't be used for anything other than a direct (un-preamped*) cartridge signal, so not even a turntable with a built-in preamp.

The Phono input does have massively more gain, but that's not all. If it's properly designed then it should also have RIAA equalisation. This restores the bass/treble balance that is changed prior to cutting the master disc. If music was recorded to vinyl as we hear it, then the bass signals would be too strong for any cartridge to track properly. IOW, the needle would jump out of the groove on every bass beat.

If the flat frequency response was represented in a graph with a flat horizontal line, then the bass/treble adjustment prior to cutting the master acetate would look more like a straightish line at 45 degrees. Low bass is very-much reduced, treble is increased. Now the record sounds like the tist-tist-tist sound of hearing sound leak from someone's headphones.

On playback, the cartridge passes this signal to the RIAA Equaliser in the Phono pre-amp. It applies the reverse EQ; boosting bass and cutting treble. The result restores the original flat frequency response. There are examples of the RIAA graphs here: LINK

* if there's such a word


Another reason why the Phono input wouldn't work is that there are two level problems from the Echo. One is too little source volume, but the other is too much. So, just applying a massive amount of boost would fix one but make the other problem significantly worse. That's not a solution then.
 
Scuzi said:
I have an Amazon Echo plugged into a Yamaha R-N602 using a 3.5mm-RCA cable. It works, however I’m guessing the input signal is markedly weaker than the other sources, meaning I have to adjust the volume significantly when switching sources. E.g. I’ll be listening to music through the Echo, but when I switch to playing FLAC from the network drive, the volume is too loud, and vice-versa.

If I wanted the volume from the various inputs to be more consistent, would connecting the Echo to a preamp do the job? If that’s the case, would a fairly basic (read cheap) preamp be sufficient without having a negative impact on the sound?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I'd have thought that a small line level studio preamp should do just fine as long as it has the ability to cut its output level and to tweak the input sensitivity to match the source signal.

Behringer is usually a go-to for inexpensive preamps and small mixers. However, there may be some better choices that match your specific needs at a lower price than the Behringer Xenyx 802 at roughly £50. Have a look at the SubZero SZ-MIX04. This has both the input sensitivity adjustment and the ability to cut the output down to zero if you need. £40. LINK
 
Thanks for the explanation @lucid
I did not know that there was so much more to those inputs. Had very little experience with vinyl.

Could OP not use the bluetooth connection instead? His amp has bluetooth connectivity AFAIK, shouldn't it connect the same as a bluetooth speaker.
 
It's an idea, @Toothy1911. It depends whether the level difference is from the source. My guess is it probably is, so both the line out and BT out will be affected the same. But it could still be tried to check.
 
Thank you for the replies. I’ll have a look at the suggested devices.

I have tried Bluetooth but it suffers the same feature. It is also susceptible to noise with noticeably poorer quality.
 
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