James Williamson Is your turntable or record player so quiet or sound low even after turning the volume knob to the max?
I see many people looking for solutions to fix the low sound problems on their turntables but all I see in other articles and forums is that everyone is telling them to turn on the phono preamp.
Well, I agree that the phono preamp is the major reason but leaving it aside, there are still many reasons why you could face record player low sound issues.
So, in this article, we have shared all the major issues responsible for low sound problems and their solutions so that you can fix your record player or turntable in no time.
Why Is My Turntable or Record Player So Quiet or Sounds Low & How to Fix it:
To determine the reason behind your setup, I recommend you follow all the solutions until you find the real culprit.
Now, let’s fix your unit.
Reason 1: Phono Preamp Issue
We have talked about this many times and also shared an individual article talking about why phono preamp is required in turntable setup. If you are still confused about the phono preamp then I recommend you to check out the article.
In almost all the articles and YouTube videos, people are putting a major focus on resolving this because, in almost all cases, a turned-off phono preamp is the reason behind the record player being so quiet problem.
Solution:
You just need to turn on the phono preamp. As you know, there are two types of phono preamp:
- In-built Preamp:
- External Preamp:
You first need to check whether your turntable has an in-built preamp or not.
How to Check If Turntable has Built-in Preamp or not:
Look at the backside of your turntable, if you see a “PHONO/LINE” switch then your turntable has an inbuilt preamp but if you don’t see any switch on your turntable then it doesn’t have a built-in preamp.
How to Turn On Built-in Phono Preamp:
1) You just need to switch the PHONO/LINE switch to the line. That’s it, your in-built phono preamp will start working.
2) Take the output from the turntable and connect it to the line-level input of your stereo receiver, powered amplifier or powered speakers.
That’s it.
How to Use External Phono Preamp:
Note: If you are using an external phono preamp and your turntable also has an in-built phono preamp then you first need to disengage your turntable’s phono preamp by switching the “PHONO/LINE” switch to the phono otherwise, the issue of over-amplification of phono signals will arise and you will start hearing weird sound from your record player.
Steps:
1) Use RCA cables or 3.5mm auxiliary to RCA cable depending on your turntable output terminal.
2) Take the output from the turntable
3) Connect the RCA cables from the turntable to the input of the phono preamp by simply matching the red one with the red terminal and the white one with the white terminal.
4) Use another RCA cable and connect it to the input of the phono preamp
5) Connect the RCA cable (output from phono preamp) to the line level input of your powered speakers, stereo speakers, or powered amplifier.
That’s it.
Precautions You Must Take While Using Phono Preamp (Important):
Well, there are 4 types of turntable setup:
- Turntable -> Phono Preamp -> Receiver or Amplifier (Line Input) -> Passive Speakers
- Turntable -> Receiver or Amplifier with Built-in Phono Preamp (Phono Input) -> Passive Speakers
- Turntable with Built-in Preamp -> Receiver or Amplifier (Line Input) -> Passive Speakers
- Turntable with Built-in Preamp -> Active or Powered Speakers
In all these setups, you will see that amplification is not done twice on audio signals.
The reason behind sharing this is that I have seen a lot of people, who already have built-in preamp enabled in their turntable and then they transmit their post-amplified signals i.e. line level signals to the phono input of their receiver which amplifies the turntable phono signal twice and this simple mistake can blow your speakers very easily.
You should understand this concept:
The stereo receiver or powered amplifier line level input excepts the audio signals at 0.316V while the turntable outputs signal at between 0.0003 V to 0.006 V (depending on the turntable cartridges).
So, we use a phono preamp to amplify the turntable output signals to 0.316V and then we simply connect the output of the phono preamp to line level input of the stereo receiver or powered amplifier.
Or just remember matching the switches i.e. Phono to Phono or Line to Line.
That’s it. You should strictly follow this.
Reason 2: Using MM (Moving Magnet) Compatible Phono Preamp With MC (Moving Coil) Cartridge
Although the working concept of both MM cartridges and MC cartridges is the same but the MC cartridges output very low signals as compared to MM cartridges.
The MC cartridge outputs signals between 0.0003 V to 0.0015 V (depending on the MC cartridge variant) while the MM cartridge outputs signals between 0.003 V to 0.006 V.
So accordingly, the output from MC cartridges needs more amplification to reach the line level output i.e. 0.316 V and for this additional amplification, we need to use a head amp, step-up transformer, or a phono preamp compatible with MC (moving coil) cartridges.
Solution:
If you are using an MC cartridge then you need a phono preamp that is compatible with MC cartridges or you can also use a head amp or step-up transformer. These additional devices will solve the turntable low sound probelms.
In the image above, you will see there are 2 inputs i.e. MM (Moving Magnet) and MC (Moving Coil). The MM input is for the turntable with moving magnet (MM) cartridges while the MC input is for the turntable with moving coil (MC) cartridges.
Reason 3: Stereo Receiver or Powered Amplifier Problem
Solution:
The output from the turntable with an in-built preamp or the phono preamp is not inserted in the correct line input of your receiver or amplifier.
You can either switch the cables to the correct line level input or you can simply change the line level input in your receiver settings.
Reason 4: Issues with Stylus
There are 3 types of stylus issues you can face:
1) Stylus Guard:
I never thought that people would get issues with stylus guards until I saw people talking about this in forums online.
That’s the reason I have also added this problem here.
Well, the turntable comes with a stylus guard which is placed on the top of the stylus to protect it from breaking while in transit. Once people receive their order and try to play the turntable, they simply place the tonearm with the stylus guard on over the record which doesn’t play anything.
Solution:
Simply, remove the stylus guard before playing the record and put it back on once you are done playing to protect your stylus. You should see a needle at the end shown in the gif below:
2) Stylus Placement:
The record player is so quiet or sounding low can be caused when your stylus is not properly placed in its place.
Solution:
Remove the stylus and try placing it again in its place.
3) Stylus Worn Out:
Everything in this world has a lifespan and so does the stylus. The average lifespan of the normal stylus is around 1000-1200 hours of playing whereas a diamond stylus can last a little longer or we can say around 1800-2000 hours.
How to Check If Stylus is Worn Out Or Not:
You need a magnifying glass and a bright light. Place the needle on a white surface and try to see it using a magnifying glass. You can check for bents or cracks on the needle. You can also take the help of a microscope.
Solution:
Replace your stylus.
Reason 5: Power Adapter Issues
The power adapter can secretly affect your sound quality and what’s funny is that you can’t even imagine that the real culprit behind the turntable sounding low problem is the power adapter.
Well, if you are using a proper adapter supplied to you along with the turntable then you won’t find this causing problem but if you have misplaced your power adapter and using the power adapter of another unit then I suggest you buy yourself a new power adapter compatible with your record player model.
The reason behind that every turntable or record player is built differently and so their power requirements are also different.
Some record players need a 9V power adapter or some might need a 12V adapter so if you are using a 9V adapter on your turntable which requires a 12V adapter to function properly then you will face a lot of problems.
Solution:
Always use the power adapter which is compatible with your turntable or record player model. You can check the power adapter compatibility with the customer support of the record player’s brand.
I have seen a person talking about using the Crosley Keepsake record player with the power adapter of the Crosley Cruiser. The Crosley Keepsake requires a 12v adapter while Crosley Cruiser requires a 9v adapter.
So, unknowingly, he was supplying 9V power to a record player which needs 12V of power to function properly which results in low sound.
So save yourself from a lot of trouble, always use a power adapter compatible with your turntable or record player model.
Reason 6: Record Issues
Many people won’t agree with me that records can also cause low sound problems.
Well, it is not related to overused records or anything like that.
Here, I am talking about badly recorded sound. If the original sound is badly equalized before vinyl pressing then you will face sound issues with it.
Solution:
The best way is to try playing the record on a different setup that is properly configured. If that record player again sounds low or quiet then I recommend you to buy a new copy of the record.
I hope you have fixed the record player so quiet or sounds low issue. If you have any kind of query or want to share different reasons for sounding slow issue then please comment below. We will back get to you as soon as possible.
