How do you ground a turntable preamp?

Category: home and garden home entertaining
4.9/5 (299 Views . 12 Votes)
If there is a ground wire, it needs to be connected. If the preamp instructions state not to connect it, then you will need to connect it to the mini system. If this has no ground connector, then you can ground the turntable by simply placing the ground wire/connector under a screw on the back of the mini system.



Furthermore, does my turntable need to be grounded?

Turntables that do not have a built-in preamp need grounding. Turntables that need grounding feature a cable that needs to be attached to your preamp (whether it's an external preamp, mixer, amplifier). Turntables that are not grounded will produce an obvious humming sound.

Similarly, how do you ground a turntable without a ground wire? Re: How to ground a turntable that has no ground wire Then attach one end of the wire to the chassis of the amplifier, NOT to a speaker terminal, but rather to a shiny screw in the bottom of amp. Then take the other end of wire and attach it to a shiny screw in the metal chassis of the turntable.

Also to know is, why do you need a preamp for a turntable?

What we need is something that will boost that PHONO signal to Line Level. In simple terms, Line Level is a type of signal which your speakers and other audio equipment can read. A preamp is what converts or boosts a PHONO signal to Line Level. However, not every preamp is good in doing so.

Where do you connect the turntable ground wire?

Locate your turntable's grounding wire. It is typically connected to the underside of the metal turntable chassis and has an unconnected copper spade connector. Most turntable grounding wires are green, although yours may be a different color.

32 Related Question Answers Found

What happens if you don't ground a turntable?

This particular Ground is not a safety issue, it's there to avoid a Ground Loop. If you have inter-connected equipment, of any kind, with more than one electrical path to the Ground, a Ground Loop can ultimately cause extra noise. A turntable suffering from a Ground Loop will produce a hum through your speakers.

Is phono or line better?

Firstly, a PHONO signal is much weaker than a LINE signal. A PHONO signal is typically 0.005 Volt and a LINE signal is typically 0.3 Volt. Secondly, the lower tones (bass) of a PHONO signal is significantly reduced (RIAA equalized) while this is not the case for a LINE signal.

What can I ground my turntable to?

In general, a single turntable ground wire should be attached to the ground post or a chassis screw and the turntable on the back side of the amplifier or the receiver as well.

Can you use speaker wire to ground turntable?

The ground wire does not carry audio signal. Any insulated wire will do. It doesn't have to carry an audio signal.

Why does my turntable sound quiet?


If the sound is still way too low after you have verified that a phono preamp is connected correctly in your system, it might in some rare cases be because your turntable cartridge is a moving coil (MC) type and your preamp is set up to work with a moving magnet (MM) cartridge.

Does vinyl sound better?

Vinyl Sounds Better
Vinyl sounds better than MP3s ever could. Most of the music is broadcast in some lossy format, where details are missed, and the overall quality is reduced. It happens because audio files get compressed to make them small enough to store thousands of them on the phone, and to stream online.

Does a preamp improve sound quality?

Conclusion. The sound contribution of preamps is not so much in its frequency response but in the texture it imparts on the sound. However, a preamp shapes the sound to a much lesser degree than one would think. Usually, its sound character only becomes obvious at high gain settings or when you drive it into distortion

Does the preamp matter?

No they do not matter. The real conclusion. Every piece of gear you use will sound subtly different from any other piece of gear. Preamp "choice" makes a difference, positive or negative.

Why you need a preamp?

The purpose of a preamp is to amplify low level signals to line level, i.e. the “standard” operating level of your recording gear. Microphone signals are usually way below the nominal operating level, so a lot of gain is required, usually around 30-60 dB, sometimes even more.

Do you need a preamp if your receiver has a phono input?


If your turntable has a LINE output, it has a built-in preamp. And if your amplifier/receiver has a PHONO input it also has a built-in preamp. If you are using powered speakers they might have a built-in phono preamp as well.

What is the best preamp for turntable?

Best phono preamps 2020: budget to high-end
  • Rega Fono MM MK3. The MK2 was already great.
  • Cambridge Duo MC/MM. With moving magnet and moving coil compatibility, a headphone amp and corking performance, this is a solid effort.
  • Edwards Audio Apprentice MM.
  • Rega Fono Mini A2D.
  • Graham Slee Gram Amp 2 Communicator.
  • Arcam rPhono.
  • Musical Fidelity LX2-LPS.
  • Rega Aria.

What does a preamp do for home audio?

A Preamplifier (preamp) is a device in which the user can connect all audio or audio/video source components (such as CD, DVD, or Blu-ray Disc players). The preamplifier can be used to switch between sources, process audio and/or video, and also supply an audio output signal to what is referred to as a Power Amplifier.

Do phono preamps make a difference?

A moving coil (MC) input is needed only with a moving-coil cartridge that is low-output. A good phono preamp can make a major difference in sound quality. Then it must adjust the signal from the cartridge so it does not sound distorted.

What is a preamplifier vs amplifier?

The basic difference between a preamp and amp is: Preamp is used for boost the input signal to match the line level signal and an Amp or amplifier is used to amplify the line level signal to get sound on speakers. Preamp built -in guitars and other aquatic instruments.

How does a preamp work?


A preamplifier (preamp or "pre") is an electronic amplifier that converts a weak electrical signal into an output signal strong enough to be noise-tolerant and strong enough for further processing, or for sending to a power amplifier and a loudspeaker. Without this, the final signal would be noisy or distorted.

How do you extend the ground wire on a turntable?

You could use any electrically conductive wire, preferably one with an insulating outer sheath (even speaker wire). You'd strip both ends of the extension wire, connect one end (just bare wire) to the small spade on the ground cable, and connect the other end (just bare wire) to the grounding pin on the receiver.

How do you ground a tonearm?

A) Attach the ground wire to arm tube (or base of tonearm) which then connects to the phono pre? B) Attach the ground wire to the shielding of the cable itself (on the tonearm end)? Check for continuity from headshell and arm base. If it is ok,attach the ground wire on the arm base,so that the arm will be grounded.