Turntable and Speaker Setup Help

[Bville]

Hi, new to the forum and new to turntables...so if I don't sound like I know what I'm talking about...I don't. With that said I have two hopefully easy questions. I recently acquired an AT-LPW40WN turntable, Kanto YU6 speakers, and Kanto Sub8 subwoofer.

I see that both the turntable and speaker have selectable phono preamps. So if I want to use the phono preamp included with the turntable should I set both the turntable and the speaker to "LINE"? Alternatively, if I want to use the speaker phono preamp, I would set both the turntable and the speaker to "PHONO" - correct? I believe I have that right after reading the manual that came with the turntable but I figured it would be best to confirm.

Second, I see that there is a place to attach a ground wire on both the turntable and the speaker. I gather from reading the turntable manual that if I use my speaker preamp (set turntable and speaker to "PHONO"), I need to use a RCA wire with a ground wire. However, if I use my turntable phono preamp (turntable and speaker set to "LINE") I don't need to use the ground - is that correct? If I need to ground I am going to need to get a new RCA cable with a ground since the one that came with the turntable is too short (need about 8-ft). Any recommendations on a good/reasonably priced RCA cable with ground?

Thanks in advance!

 

[dmar]

Just make your own. Make sure the wire going to the table is connected to any metal surface.

 

[Bville]

Hi dmar, thanks for taking the time to help me out, I appreciate it. So it doesn’t need to be a self-contained RCA with ground wire. And all I need to do is attach a separate ground wire from the turntable to a metal surface and use any RCA cable.
Thanks that is really helpful. And do I have the phono preamp selection correct? I just read that if I get it wrong it could damage/overload the speaker.

 

[jrtrent]

Hi dmar, thanks for taking the time to help me out, I appreciate it. So it doesn’t need to be a self-contained RCA with ground wire. And all I need to do is attach a separate ground wire from the turntable to a metal surface and use any RCA cable.
Thanks that is really helpful. And do I have the phono preamp selection correct? I just read that if I get it wrong it could damage/overload the speaker.

Since you need 8 ft. of phono cable, I would use the AT's built in phono stage. The RCA cable going to your powered speakers has a certain amount of capacitance per foot, so the capacitance will increase with longer lengths of cable. Your cartridge is already designed for a low capacitance value (100 to 200 pF), and extra capacitance from long cables will likely adversely effect the frequency response of your phono cartridge. Using the phono stage in your turntable avoids this issue since the only capacitance the cartridge will see is in the tone arm wire and the built-in phono stage; once the cartridge's output is amplified to line level by the turntable's phono stage, the capacitance of the RCA cable connecting to your speakers is a non-issue.

My reading of the owner manuals for your two products is the same as yours. Your speaker manual says, "If your turntable has a built in Phono Pre-Amp, use the “Line” setting on the Phonoswitch." So if you opt to use the turntable's phono stage, set the speakers to "Line." And your turntable manual says that for a "Device without phono input," or, in your case, not using the speakers' phono input, you also set the turntable's output selector switch to "line."

Your speaker manual also says, "Some models of turntables include a built-in Phono Pre-Amp. If your turntable has a built in Phono Pre-Amp, DO NOT use the Phono setting on the RCA switch. Doing so will void your warranty and could cause severe damage to your speakers." So the line setting on the speakers is the safe one, and only using both the turntable's phono stage and the speaker's phono stage simultaneously will cause overload.

 

[Bville]

Since you need 8 ft. of phono cable, I would use the AT's built in phono stage. The RCA cable going to your powered speakers has a certain amount of capacitance per foot, so the capacitance will increase with longer lengths of cable. Your cartridge is already designed for a low capacitance value (100 to 200 pF), and extra capacitance from long cables will likely adversely effect the frequency response of your phono cartridge. Using the phono stage in your turntable avoids this issue since the only capacitance the cartridge will see is in the tone arm wire and the built-in phono stage; once the cartridge's output is amplified to line level by the turntable's phono stage, the capacitance of the RCA cable connecting to your speakers is a non-issue.

My reading of the owner manuals for your two products is the same as yours. Your speaker manual says, "If your turntable has a built in Phono Pre-Amp, use the “Line” setting on the Phonoswitch." So if you opt to use the turntable's phono stage, set the speakers to "Line." And your turntable manual says that for a "Device without phono input," or, in your case, not using the speakers' phono input, you also set the turntable's output selector switch to "line."

Your speaker manual also says, "Some models of turntables include a built-in Phono Pre-Amp. If your turntable has a built in Phono Pre-Amp, DO NOT use the Phono setting on the RCA switch. Doing so will void your warranty and could cause severe damage to your speakers." So the line setting on the speakers is the safe one, and only using both the turntable's phono stage and the speaker's phono stage simultaneously will cause overload.

Thank you! This was really helpful. I will set the phono preamp switch to “Line” on my turntable AND on my speakers and I should be good. Once again I really appreciate your time and patience to answer my questions.I was worried about screwing this up and you have alleviated my concern.

 

[Bville]

Okay, I have finally got my turntable and speakers set up…thanks to everyone so far with the great advice.
I was hoping I could describe my set up to get thoughts and advice. My system consists of the following:
AT-LPW40WN turntable
Kanto YU6 speakers
Kanto SUB8 subwoofer
I have connected the left and right speakers with the 16-ft speaker wire provided with the Kanto speakers.
I have the turntable RCA and ground connected to the speakers RCA and ground by a 3m American Recorder Hi-Fi Turntable Cable with ground lugs. I am using the turntable phono preamp so I have both the turntable and speakers switched to “Line”.
I have the speaker and the subwoofer connected by a 2m SKW RCA Y-Splitter cable, Low-Pass Filter control set to 60Hz, and Phase Switch set to 0 degrees.
While I don’t have much experience, I think everything sounds great. However I have one question. I noticed I’m getting a lot of static when I put on or take off a LP. To help alleviate the static I’ve tried the following:
- Use Boundless anti-static brush
- Swap record sleeves for MoFi Original Master Sleeves
- Hudson HiFi acrylic turntable mat
- Set dehumidifier in basement to 45%
All those steps has helped a little, but still experiencing static. Anything else I can do? Should I try a leather or cork turntable mat? I’ve read mixed reviews about anti-static guns. Is there any other way to reduce/eliminate the static?
Thanks again for taking the time to read this over and I appreciate any advice on my set up and/or static issues.

 

[Bville]

Here are some photos in case those are helpful.