How would i correctly setup a Pro-ject debut carbon with preamp, amp or receiver?

Question

I plan to purchase a Pro-ject debut carbon w/ usb in the near future, but which should i buy along with it? Aside from speakers, i've been thinking of getting an amp/preamp combination, as i've heard this works well. But I've also heard the "preamp" in the usb turntable messes up this setup.

Is there a way around this? Which of the two is more important in terms of audio quality coming out (just curious)? Should I just go for the receiver? If so, what ones are strong quality and reasonably priced?

I'm new to the technical aspects of sound systems, turntables, amps/preamps, etc. Anything helps.

Thanks,
Lars G.

Answer 1

In addition to what Chrsi said I would like to add that you should place the turntable on a solid base...many people complain that they can hear motor noise from their project turntable while playing records or just turning...I atribute this more to a set up problems than the motor itself.....the turntable needs to be set up on a very solid base that will not vibrate when music is being played....If you are stll getting motor noise on a solid platform then you might need to isolate the turntable more....I have miy turntable separated from the platform by a piece of 1/2 inch MDF...On one side I have felt glued to it and on the other I have a thin piece of foam the kind used for shipping...In the past I have also used sorbathane also floor tile and brick...but the current set up seems to work the best for me...what works for you depends a lot on where and what you place your turntable on and also what type of flooring the room has that your putting the turntable in...Also how close the speakers are to the turntable. The closer the speakers sit to the turntable the more likely it is to pick up feed back; also how the speakers are placed....these are just some things to keep in mind, you might not experience any of it or it might take a while before you notice,,,,Take a look at stereo receivers by Denon and Onkyo also Harmon Kardon another good brand is NAD...NAD can be quite expensive new but I have seen units on the used market that are marked down greater than 60% off the original retail price....another great brand on the used market is Nakamichi...they no longer make stereo receivers but when they did they made some really good ones, and a lot of those are available on the used market for tremendous discount....

Answer 2

The Project Carbon USB has both a built in phono preamplifier to be plugged into any line input on any stereo system, and or you can hook up the USB output to a computer to record or listen to music on a computer. So that is certainly convenient, now I understand the reason to connect the USB to a computer to convert it to digital and put the music on your ipod, but to listen to records through your computer and onto a stereo system makes no sense. The great benefit of listening to records is to get the great analog sound they produce. To put it into a computer, convert the analog music to digital, and then output it to a stereo system makes no sense and only compromises sound quality. Although the Project is one of the better "entry level" turntables, for me honestly for a little more you can get a much better turntable. REGA is making the best entry level turntables in my opinion, but are a little more expensive, do not come with a phono preamplifier which vary greatly in sound quality and price. So the phono-preamplifier contributes a huge amount to the sound quality so understand that.



Understand that all turntables do need to be setup and calibrated properly to get good sound, and to assure they are not damaging your records. So with that said some setup tools are really needed to set it up properly. First thing is that its important to put any turntable on a good solid stand to minimize and try and eliminate vibrations getting back to the turntable, even turntables that have suspension will benefit hugely from this. Turntable must be perfectly level, cartridge properly aligned ( cartridge overhang, azumith, and zenith) Tracking force, and antiskating. There is a good dvd video by Michael Fremmer which can be purchased on Amazon on turntable setup.



For about $100 you can purchase all that is needed to calibrate a turntable properly, stylus force gauge, and alignment protractor.



These entry level turntables also come with very cheap and honestly poor sounding cartridges. So you will definitely want to eventually upgrade the cartridge. Yes typically better cartridges get more expensive, but there are some exceptional sounding budget cartridges "if" you choose carefully.



So before you decide on components understand what is needed for turntable setup.



A good entry level system, would consist of a Integrated amplifier as they are a much better option and upgrade in sound to receivers, and not quite as expensive as separates. There are some really good sounding integrated amplifiers at all different price points.



Your best bet is to go and discover your local independent high end audio video store in your area, as they carry the better brands of speakers and equipment and the salesmen at these stores typically have many years of experience to help you design a good sounding system at just about any budget. There you can listen to speakers and equipment and design a system that sounds good to your ears, your budget, and with the help of the salesmen at one of these stores be assured it will work well together.



Kevin

40 years high end audio video specialist, analog turntable expert.

Answer 3

Buying a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Phono USB means that you don't need a phono pre-amp. It is already built in to the turntable. The turntable can connect directly to any amplifier with a line level input. These are the sockets on an amp marked as AUX, CD, Tuner, DVD, Line etc. The only socket not suitable on an amp for this turntable is the Phono input.



A conventional Hi-Fi system would comprise of:



1x Project Debut Carbon USB

1x Hi-Fi stereo amplifiers (for source selection, volume control and to power the speakers)

1xpair Hi-Fi speakers

plus interconnect cables and speaker wire.



This type of set-up would potentially be the best quality from that particular turntable.





The signal direct from a turntable cartridge (A.K.A. "the needle") is very low power. It needs boosting and also correcting for bass/treble balance. A Phono Pre-Amp does this. Without a phono preamp you would have to turn the volume up all the way to max just to hear a signal, and the sound would have no bass.



Buying a turntable with a phono preamp built in means you get up and running at minimal cost.



The alternative is to buy a turntable where the phono preamp is either an extra outboard box sitting between the TT and the Hi-Fi amp, or buying a Hi-Fi amp with the phono preamp built in to that. Hi-Fi amps with a pair of sockets marked as the Phono Input are the ones with the phono preamp built in.





Phono preamps range in quality quite widely. Any budget Hi-Fi amp with one built-in will use quite basic circuitry. It will work and it won't sound totally awful. But it will always be a bottleneck on quality. The same is true but to a lesser extent with the built-in phono preamp on the Debut Carbon USB.



Where you'd notice this limit is when it's time to replace or upgrade the cartridge. The one supplied is a £35/$60 Ortofon OM10. It's a decent basic cartridge but you can do better. The nice thing about the Ortofons is the ability to replace just the stylus (the needle bit) rather than the entire cartridge body. You get slightly better bang for your $ buck this way, but the OM20 and OM30 stylii are a massive jump up in price even for the stylus alone. I'd be temped to go for the Ortofon 2M Red at around £80/$130. Anything much better and I think you'd hit the ceiling of what the built-in preamp can handle.



The flip side is convenience. Having a USB output means the ability to hook up to a PC or Mac and archive your vinyl. So in the end it's a choice between ultimate quality with a Debut Carbon + external phono preamp, or good quality + convenience with the Carbon Debut USB with its built-in preamp.





Whichever way you go on the turntable, you'll need an amplifier somewhere in the chain to drive the speakers.



The best music quality without blowing thousands will come from Hi-Fi speakers driven by an external Hi-Fi amplifier. The alternatives are some active monitor speakers where the amp is built in to one speaker. These type are often used for in-studio monitoring but there's a lot of cheap stuff kicking around designed for PC use. They're not in the same league as the studio stuff, so it's definitely true that you get what you pay for.



At the bottom of the quality list are PC speakers. Those sub $100 stereo speaker kits with an "subwoofer" and a pair of desktop cubes really aren't up to it for Hi-Fi. Even the more accomplished Logitech z906 kit (£240/$330) isn't Hi-Fi grade. It's just more boom and tizz for gaming or playing Dubstep really loud.





If this was me putting together a first time system then I'd go with a pair of Dali Zensor 1 speakers, some budget speaker stands, and a Yamaha AS500 amp. Round it off with some reasonable quality speaker cable an interconnects and enjoy.





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