I've been dabbling in audio for a few years, predominately vintage solid state gear. I've been hesitant to jump into the tube arena because I realize that once I jump in I'm probably WAY in and will dive deep into the rabbit hole. Not that it's a bad thing, I just have a limited audio budget and try to keep it from advancing from a hobby to an obsession.
I recently bought some speakers from a local AKer which he demo'ed through some tube gear (Rogue, I think). They sounded very good and I bought them. I took them home and ran them through my Pioneer SX-1050. They still sounded good but not as good as on the tube gear. This was the first time I had heard a back-to-back comparison of speakers on tubes and solid state gear so my interest in tube gear rose significantly.
I spoke with the seller and asked if he had any recommendations for a reasonably priced tube solution for a newbie. He had an Onix SP3 integrated amp that he was willing to sell for a reasonable price. After doing a bit of research I bought the SP3 from him.
Before hooking it up, I have a question regarding phono input options. The SP3 has two inputs, marked 'CD' and 'Aux'. I'm guessing these are both line level inputs suitable for any line level device. I would like to run a CD player and turntable through the SP3. If I'm understanding the inputs correctly this means I need a preamp of some sort to run a turntable through the SP3. I don't have a standalone phono preamp but I do have a Kenwood Basic C2 solid state preamp. Can I connect a turntable to the Basic C2 then connect the output to one of the SP3 inputs? I believe this would be fine, just like connecting a turntable to a preamp then to an amp. I'd just like some reassurance that the SP3 inputs are no different than a standalone amp's inputs before I connect everything and damage something.
Please let me know if my understanding is correct or incorrect.
Thanks,
Joe
I recently bought some speakers from a local AKer which he demo'ed through some tube gear (Rogue, I think). They sounded very good and I bought them. I took them home and ran them through my Pioneer SX-1050. They still sounded good but not as good as on the tube gear. This was the first time I had heard a back-to-back comparison of speakers on tubes and solid state gear so my interest in tube gear rose significantly.
I spoke with the seller and asked if he had any recommendations for a reasonably priced tube solution for a newbie. He had an Onix SP3 integrated amp that he was willing to sell for a reasonable price. After doing a bit of research I bought the SP3 from him.
Before hooking it up, I have a question regarding phono input options. The SP3 has two inputs, marked 'CD' and 'Aux'. I'm guessing these are both line level inputs suitable for any line level device. I would like to run a CD player and turntable through the SP3. If I'm understanding the inputs correctly this means I need a preamp of some sort to run a turntable through the SP3. I don't have a standalone phono preamp but I do have a Kenwood Basic C2 solid state preamp. Can I connect a turntable to the Basic C2 then connect the output to one of the SP3 inputs? I believe this would be fine, just like connecting a turntable to a preamp then to an amp. I'd just like some reassurance that the SP3 inputs are no different than a standalone amp's inputs before I connect everything and damage something.
Please let me know if my understanding is correct or incorrect.
Thanks,
Joe
