Thanks to everyone who replied. I would expect no less given the breadth of expertise and points of view of AK members.
Hi, Your weakest link is the Rega Arm, then the cartridge, A more expensive phono amp will not be able to do much as the arm will be preventing the cartridge retrieving the information.
I'm sure this was meant to be helpful, but it misses the mark a bit for me. The R200 isn't a world beater, but it has just as many defenders as detractors. If I had access to tonearms under $100 I might consider something different, but I'm not looking to spend much at this point.
Think you weakest link is your integrated amp w/phono-stage. As you said, the caps are old (44yr is quite old for 'lytics and your Optinica will be full of them). A full recap of same is where I would start. You will be pleasantly surprised how much better all your music will sound, not just from your TT.
I completely agree that a full recap of my amp would be a rewarding project and would help more than just my vinyl playback. I have two sets of speakers that I definitely want to recap, and I haven't gotten to that much easier project yet.
I think a separate phono pre-amp would be a good move. The AT cartridges prefer a low capacitive load (100-200pF advised by AT), so choose one with low capacitance - there are quite a few with 100pF capacitance (you then add in the phono-cable capacitance to get the total load). The NAD has 200pF capacitance, so is a bit high.
I can't imagine why the R200 arm would be a weak link, apart from its disintegrating anti-skating belt, which means that your anti-skating is probably not adjustable unless you have replaced the belt. It's a very decent arm. I have used many different cartridges on it with oodles of detail!
Btw, what is doing the job of the phono-stage in the computer path? Also, how does the sound of your turntable through the Optonica amp compare with CD - do CDs sounds soft and imprecise via this path too? If so, a new amp may be warranted.
Thanks for reminding me about capacitance. I've heard people talk about matching that spec to their cart, but it's a consideration I had forgotten about. I have no idea what the capacitance of my amp's phono stage is, but it may be on the high side as well. I'll probably pass on the NAD preamp given its high capacitance.
We've talked before about the R200 (and I've read some articles from your website). I prioritized getting a line contact stylus and opted for the 95ML which has done wonders for playback of inner grooves, as well as records that exhibit sibilance. I have replaced the anti-skate belt and the tonearm wiring, and everything seems to be good there.
When the signal goes to the computer: turntable -> Optonica phono stage -> Tape out -> sound card. I do hear the same increases in brightness and tightness when playing back digital media through the computer's headphone jack versus the Optonica's headphone jack, so some of the difference is certainly the amp, just not sure how much if any degradation has occurred in the phono preamp caps.
If you google Rega arm modifications you will be overwhelmed by how many there are. Maybe peruse them because some modifications you can do yourself.
This is something I haven't really looked into, so thanks for the suggestion. Most of the articles refer to Rega RB series tonearms, but I'm sure there are modifications that can be done to the Acos made R200 as well.
One guess is that your soundcard uses an opamp, which will certainly sound different from a vintage phono stage.
Typically, phono stages don't have too many electrolytic capacitors, so it should be fairly quick and easy to change them out. The rest of the amp would probably also benefit from a recap. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't gain a lot by adding a separate phono amp.
The R200 has a reputation for being finicky but there is nothing wrong with it sonically, in my opinion.
I would absolutely expect the amplification to sound different between the sound card and the Optonica, even if both were built yesterday. If there aren't many degraded capacitors in the Optonica's phono stage, then maybe it sounds closer to spec than the rest of the amp as you say, and the sonic difference is due more to opamps vs discrete transistors. If I had a reasonable phono preamp to borrow from someone I might be able to answer this question fairly easily.
Interesting. I have compared the phono sections of my two vintage integrated amps (Kenwood 600 and Pioneer A91D) to my phono stage (Dynavector P75 gen1) and, while the Dynavector was slightly better, the difference was pretty small (using a Denon DP72L table with curved arm and the Denon DL-103r cart) . Granted, the two integrated amps were top-of-the-line in their day, but your amp also came from the days when the phono stage mattered . My gut feeling is the weak link is the cartridge in your setup. Of course, without listening and trying some other things this is just a guess.
Having said that, having a dedicated phono stage opens up the possibility of running mc carts as well. It also means you are not tied to any one integrated for the phono stage. That's why I bought one.
Another thing to keep in mind is the quality of the headphone out on your amp. This may well be affecting your sound in a negative way.
It's useful to me that you didn't hear tremendous differences between the phono stages of good integrateds and a standalone phono preamp. I'm guessing that the phono section of my amp would benefit from a recap, but as you say, there are other benefits to having a standalone preamp. As far as my cart goes, it may not be a heavy hitter in the grand scheme of things, but it's only a couple months old, and it was the only way I could afford a line contact stylus. I'm going to get my money's worth out of it
I have no idea about the headphone out on my amp.
I guess I need to get my hands on another phono preamp, one way or another, and see if that makes a discernable difference. If it doesn't, then the weakest link in my setup probably lies somewhere more expensive, and I'll just enjoy what I have and keeping buying more vinyl to spin!
