Help with connecting system?

qlitten

New Member
Any help greatly appreciated. I'm new to putting together a decent system and hoping someone can help. I have a Pioneer SX 650 receiver, a UREI JBL 6260 power amp, JBL L100t3 speakers, and a Dual 1019 turntable. A Pro-Ject Phono Box MM preamp if needed. First, is there any reason why these components would not connect/go well together? Assuming they will, since I'm new, the only thing I'm sure about is using these specific components, unless there is a specific reason why I can't or shouldn't. I have reviewed online resources/posts specific to the separate components, but I literally need step by step direction/instruction on how to connect correctly/safely/in correct order, etc. Complicating matters is the UREI JBL 6260 is not conventional connection wise. I have all research done, I will pay someone to guide me step by step.IMG_20211022_134543.jpg IMG_20211022_134534.jpg
 
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Can't use the 6260 with the Pioneer. It will need its own preamp.

The Pioneer is a receiver with its own speaker connections. It does not have the needed pre out / main in jacks. You cannot connect the speaker outs on the Pioneer to the inputs on the JBL 6260. You will blow it up.

The 6260 needs a preamp (line level) input signal and its own set of speakers.

Keep the Pioneer and send me the 6260. :D
 
ql: Doesn't look like the SX-650 would sport pre-amp outputs. So you'd need an adaptor solution - i.e., basically a voltage divider (per channel), that would serve as a high-to-low-level adaptor to bring the loudspeaker output level down to pre-amp output level. Nominal output of the SX-650 would appear to be 35 W @ 8 Ohm, so that would be an output voltage of ca. 16.7 V(eff.) - and the nominal input level of the JBL amp is 1.1 V. So you could for example go for 3.65 kOhm to 255 Ohm. And from the output of the voltage divider you'd go with a shielded cable with two inner condcutors to either pin 3 of the XLR input, the tip of the TRS input or the + of the input terminal block on the JBL amp as well as to either pin 2 of the XLR input, the ring of the TRS input or the - of the input terminal block, while the shield of that cable would only be connected single-sided on either pin 1 of the XLR input, the sleeve of the TRS input or the ground of the input terminal block.

Would you plan to set the SX-650 and the JBL amp up within a pretty close distance - or rather quite a bit apart from each other? In the former case, I'd probably use TRS connectors and integrate the voltage dividers right into these.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
 
Can't use the 6260 with the Pioneer. It will need its own preamp.

The Pioneer is a receiver with its own speaker connections. It does not have the needed pre out / main in jacks. You cannot connect the speaker outs on the Pioneer to the inputs on the JBL 6260. You will blow it up.

The 6260 needs a preamp (line level) input signal and its own set of speakers.

Keep the Pioneer and send me the 6260. :D
Thank you for taking the time to reply/help. Much appreciated!
 
The Pioneer SX650 is a receiver. It provides three main functions in one box:
  • A tuner (radio)
  • A preamp section, which provides volume and tone control, source (input) selection, and a phono amp/equalizer (basically the same thing as the Project Phono Box...it boosts the low level input from a turntable, and equalizes it per RIAA standard). The preamp section feeds the power amp section.
  • A power amp section, which feeds/drives the speakers.
So, you can just connect the speakers to the Pioneer's speaker terminals, and connect the turntable to its phono input (including connection of its ground wire, if it has one, to the 650's ground lug). This will provide you with a complete system.

While the Pioneer's max power output is a modest 35 watts per channel, those JBL speakers are fairly sensitive. The higher the sensitivity of a speaker, the less power it needs to achieve a given volume (loudness). So, unless you want to be able to at least occasionally listen at very high volumes, the Pioneer may meet your needs.

As mentioned by others, to use the the 150 watt JBL power amp, you will need a preamp. While the Pioneer has a preamp section, it does not provide a means for easily connecting it to an external power amp. Some receivers do have this capability, via preamp output jacks, but the 650 does not. Preamp output allows you to use the receiver's internal preamp to control an external power amp.

If you get a preamp, it would feed the JBL power amp The speakers would be connected to the power amp. See this thread for info about connecting a preamp to the JBL amp:

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...-these-type-connections-jbl-urei-6260.639209/

I would go with the RCA to 1/4 adaptors for simplicity.

In either scenario (Pioneer or preamp+JBL amp), you can use the Project phono amp by connecting it to any input connection OTHER THAN Phono (for example, AUX, Tape, Tuner, CD, etc) using standard interconnect cables. The turntable is then connected to the Phono Box.

If you choose to get a preamp to use with the JBL power amp, be aware that some have an internal phono amp, while some do not. If it does, you have the option of using either the internal phono amp or the ProJect. If it does not, your only option will be to use the Project Box.

You can find the manuals for the Pioneer receiver and JBL amp at hifiengine.com. You can find the manual for the turntable at vinylengine.com.
 
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The Pioneer SX650 is a receiver. It provides three main functions in one box:
  • A tuner (radio)
  • A preamp section, which provides volume and tone control, source (input) selection, and a phono amp/equalizer (basically the same thing as the Project Phono Box...it boosts the low level input from a turntable, and equalizes it per RIAA standard). The preamp section feeds the power amp section.
  • A power amp section, which feeds/drives the speakers.
So, you can just connect the speakers to the Pioneer's speaker terminals, and connect the turntable to its phono input (including connection of its ground wire, if it has one, to the 650's ground lug). This will provide you with a complete system.

While the Pioneer's max power output is a modest 35 watts per channel, those JBL speakers are fairly sensitive. The higher the sensitivity of a speaker, the less power it needs to achieve a given volume (loudness). So, unless you want to be able to at least occasionally listen at very high volumes, the Pioneer may meet your needs.

As mentioned by others, to use the the 150 watt JBL power amp, you will need a preamp. While the Pioneer has a preamp section, it does not provide a means for easily connecting it to an external power amp. Some receivers do have this capability, via preamp output jacks, but the 650 does not. Preamp output allows you to use the receiver's internal preamp to control an external power amp.

If you get a preamp, it would feed the JBL power amp The speakers would be connected to the power amp. See this thread for info about connecting a preamp to the JBL amp:

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...-these-type-connections-jbl-urei-6260.639209/

I would go with the RCA to 1/4 adaptors for simplicity.

In either scenario (Pioneer or preamp+JBL amp), you can use the Project phono amp by connecting it to any input connection OTHER THAN Phono (for example, AUX, Tape, Tuner, CD, etc) using standard interconnect cables. The turntable is then connected to the Phono Box.

If you choose to get a preamp to use with the JBL power amp, be aware that some have an internal phono amp, while some do not. If it does, you have the option of using either the internal phono amp or the ProJect. If it does not, your only option will be to use the Project Box.

You can find the manuals for the Pioneer receiver and JBL amp at hifiengine.com. You can find the manual for the turntable at vinylengine.com.

Thanks for your help. I have a Yamaha AV receiver - RX V667. Can I use this, or do I buy a stereo preamp? After reading your reply, it seems there are plenty at the $500 range. Any specific ones you would recommend? I'm looking for the best, full, rich sound given these components. Obviously the bar is not high, nor the knowledge level, but I continue to learn. Will the RX V667 achieve that, or do I need to buy the preamp? Thanks in advance.
 
why don't you start with what spark said and see how you like it before jumping in with both feet. there is such a thing as the point of diminishing returns, particularly since you don't mention different speakers..

Once you get used to the sound, you can then evaluate what difference the 'upgrades" made. You might be surprised.
 
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It appears to have preamp outputs. I have no idea about its sound quality.

EDIT - I agree with the Skipper. Try just using the SX650 first and see what you think. Can't hurt, and may well meet your needs. In any case, it gives you a way to try out the speakers and the turntable to be sure they are in good working order.
 
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It appears to have preamp outputs. I have no idea about its sound quality.

EDIT - I agree with the Skipper. Try just using the SX650 first and see what you think. Can't hurt, and may well meet your needs. In any case, it gives you a way to try out the speakers and the turntable to be sure they are in good working order.

My bad. I forgot to point out that I did try the SX 650 and at lower volumes the sound is ok. But when I turn volume up, 650 not enough. Click on about the 7 minute mark of
This is what I'm after with the 6260. It's highlighted in video and I'm guessing the preamp not an AV receiver is what is missing to replicate set up in video.
I'm not looking to "crank it up" just for maximum volume. I'm looking for quality sound. In your opinion, what should I do to achieve what you see/hear in video? I will be the first to admit that as a newbie I probably shouldn't even have the gear that I've acquired. Kind of like giving a 16-year-old a way too fast car. But I have it and I think that I can achieve the quality in the video. And I can't tell you how much I appreciate the response and patient help. I've read posts on here for years but didn't want to post until I was semi-educated and ready.
 
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Be very careful with the SX650.

The outputs power packs are very hard to find and expensive IIRC!
 
My bad. I forgot to point out that I did try the SX 650 and at lower volumes the sound is ok. But when I turn volume up, 650 not enough. Click on about the 7 minute mark of
This is what I'm after with the 6260. It's highlighted in video and I'm guessing the preamp not an AV receiver is what is missing to replicate set up in video.
I'm not looking to "crank it up" just for maximum volume. I'm looking for quality sound. In your opinion, what should I do to achieve what you see/hear in video? And I can't tell you how much I appreciate the response and patient help. I've read posts on here for years but didn't want to post until I was semi-educated and ready.

Well then your only simple option is to get a preamp. There are plenty of threads here about preamp choices. Use Google to search...for example, "preamp under $500 audiokarma", or "preamp recommendation audiokarma".

You might want to test the JBL amp before investing in a preamp, unless you are sure of its condition. I or others can tell you how to do so, if necessary. You will need RCA to 1/4 inch adpators (or RCA to XLR adaptors...but this gets just a little bit trickier due to variations in XLR pin configurations). You will need the adaptors anyway to connect the preamp to the power amp.

To connect speakers to the power amp, you can use bare wire (insulated speaker wire, stripped at the ends), banana plugs or Y connectors (soldered to the speaker wire).

Keep in mind that while the SX650 may indeed not have enough power to meet you demands for loudness, it could also be that it is not working correctly, or that the speakers have an issue. What is occurring that makes you think the SX650 is underpowered for your needs?

I am not doubting that this is the case, just pointing out that it could be something else.

EDIT - You might take a look at the Emotiva BasX PT1 preamp. It includes a built in tuner and DAC (digital to analog converter), as well as a phono amp. Reviews seem to be pretty good, and price is right. I have no experience with it...just thought it was interesting. The built-in DAC would be handy for streaming high-quality music from the web, using a smartphone, tablet or laptop. It also provides Bluetooth connectivity, a subwoofer output, and both low pass and high pass filters to optimize use of a subwoofer.

On the other hand, simpler is sometimes better.
 
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Do you have the manual for that JBL amp because honestly it looks like there are three different kinds of inputs on it. But I am not sure what I am seeing in that photo. It looks like XLR, then 1/4" jacks and then two screws that appear be inputs. So I am confused and the manual could tell us what is going on there...
 
I did track down an instruction manual over at manualslib and here is what is says. It is calling that one connection for inputs a "barrier strip". I have no idea what that means.
Screenshot at 2021-10-24 18-09-06.png
 
Well then your only simple option is to get a preamp. There are plenty of threads here about preamp choices. Use Google to search...for example, "preamp under $500 audiokarma", or "preamp recommendation audiokarma".

You might want to test the JBL amp before investing in a preamp, unless you are sure of its condition. I or others can tell you how to do so, if necessary. You will need RCA to 1/4 inch adpators (or RCA to XLR adaptors...but this gets just a little bit trickier due to variations in XLR pin configurations). You will need the adaptors anyway to connect the preamp to the power amp.

To connect speakers to the power amp, you can use bare wire (insulated speaker wire, stripped at the ends), banana plugs or Y connectors (soldered to the speaker wire).

Keep in mind that while the SX650 may indeed not have enough power to meet you demands for loudness, it could also be that it is not working correctly, or that the speakers have an issue. What is occurring that makes you think the SX650 is underpowered for your needs?

I am not doubting that this is the case, just pointing out that it could be something else.

EDIT - You might take a look at the Emotiva BasX PT1 preamp. It includes a built in tuner and DAC (digital to analog converter), as well as a phono amp. Reviews seem to be pretty good, and price is right. I have no experience with it...just thought it was interesting. The built-in DAC would be handy for streaming high-quality music from the web, using a smartphone, tablet or laptop. It also provides Bluetooth connectivity, a subwoofer output, and both low pass and high pass filters to optimize use of a subwoofer.

On the other hand, simpler is sometimes better.
Thanks again. I have a few other receivers, speakers I can test in order to comment more thoroughly on the SX650. Either way you've clarified the need for a preamp if I'm going to achieve what is in the link I provided. I will reach out for help testing the JBL amp, buy the correct connectors, and buy the preamp. Once all in hand I will reach back out with details/help with it all.
 
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