A phono preamp is that necessity a lot of us do not even know we need. We try to amplify our music to the highest because we want it high and intend to feel the bass and give it a resounding and groundbreaking sensation. Often, it is almost impossible to achieve our desired result or get the sound that we long for with just our device’s inbuilt or external speakers as they are usually not built to be loud enough to attend to our need for a perfect and loud sound. This is where the importance of a phono preamp comes to play. In our contemporary world, where audibility and high quality are valued, it is almost impossible not to need a phono preamp.
What Is A Phono Preamp?
A phono preamp, also known as a phono stage, is a total necessity when getting your vinyl set up off the ground. A phono preamp provides equalization and compensates for sonic imbalances left over by the manufacturing process. It also helps in boosting the weak signal from your deck’s cartridge to a certain level that allows you to connect it to your stereo via standard AUX sockets. If you were in a situation where you had to plug your turntable directly into the same place, and you decide to skip the phono stage, any sound produced would be very reedy, very little or thin, and extremely quiet. This small device connected to the turntable’s output is used to amplify its sound output to normal levels and eventually sends the audio signal to the inputs on your Hi-Fi amplifier so that the speakers can reproduce it.
Why Do I Need A Phono Preamp?
There are several reasons why a phono preamp is necessary. First, a lot of people tend to put up an argument that many modern record players have built-in preamps and this is not exactly wrong, but then, the bad thing about a built-in phono preamp is usually the fact that they have to be scaled down to their minimum barest for them to be able to fit inside the record player.
Better Sound Quality
Internal phono preamps are usually made with smaller, lower-quality components that will not produce desired results as against a real phono preamp. In addition, they are of much lower quality than an external preamp as there could be irregularities in the sound quality.
It is unarguable that an internal preamp is much more convenient and generally much cheaper than an external phono preamp. However, it is important to note that an internal phono preamp rarely ever has good quality. Hence, the probability of it generating or giving you good sound quality is very low. On the other hand, although an external preamp is much more expensive, it is very sure that it will sound much better and provide you with the results you desire. Therefore, it is easy to say that the cost is directly proportional to your results. It is also important to note that an external phono preamp may require some setup.
Louder Volume
Attempt to play vinyl records on a stereo that does not include a phono preamp. The output of the music will be extremely low, the volume will be almost inaudible, and it will be bass-free. If you haven’t had this experience, avoid it by all means because the sound is pretty horrible. A preamp basically amplifies the music signal coming from the turntable to make it louder and easier to hear. Most of the powered speakers around will still require a separate phono preamp to attain this level of audibility.
A phono preamplifier is used to connect the record player with the amplifier. During the golden age of vinyl recording, phono preamplifiers usually had receivers and amplifiers integrated into them so they could connect directly to a turntable. As a result, the sound contribution made by a built-in preamp is not very significant. It does not have a consistent frequency response, nor does it impart a lot of texture to the sound. However, with an external preamp, the sound is shaped to a much lesser degree than one could even think of. Usually, its sound character only becomes evident at high gain settings, allowing you to regulate the sound how you want it.
Suppose you are a lover of good and loud music, or you just need audibility because it is essential for your lines of work or business, such as music production or disk jockeying. In that case, a phono preamp is undoubtedly essential for you as it will help you obtain your desired results without connecting to many speakers.
