Music Banter - View Single Post - Audio Amateur With a Turntable Needs HELP

omar · 07-27-2011, 08:53 AM

Hello,

Before I proceed with my questions, I need to ask that you pardon my ignorance of all things audio tech.

Here's my situation: I recently inherited an old record player (turntable) and a substantial record collection from my folks. My initial excitement soon gave way to (again, ignorant) confoundedness at the incompatibility of the RCA cabled-record player and my digital 1/8 inch speakers. I tried to find a cable at Radio Shack that would convert from the one technology to the other, but I was unable to find a converter that had two "female" ends, as needed. I was told by the clerk that no such converter exists, and many searches on the internet seemed to confirm this. My roommate then counseled that I could use a second converter (male to female) on top of the RCA-1/8 inch converter, but with the admonishment that it would drastically diminish the quality of the sound. I was informed, also, that even if I managed to hook up the turntable to a set of speakers, I might still need additional pre-amplification. The plot thickens...

Not wanting to part with these gifts, I have arrived at the conclusion that I simply need to buy speakers with "female"-ended RCA inputs and sufficient amplification. Not knowing whether such speakers are still made, or if they ever existed to begin with, I'm looking for something reasonably compact and not too expensive (certainly under 500 dollars). If you know of a website where I might find such a product, please let me know. If you think I need to reconsider going for ONLY speakers - and not additional pre-amplification devices - go ahead and let me know. Really, any expert advice would be most appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

07-27-2011, 08:53 AM	#1 (permalink)
omar Groupie Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 1	Audio Amateur With a Turntable Needs HELP Hello, Before I proceed with my questions, I need to ask that you pardon my ignorance of all things audio tech. Here's my situation: I recently inherited an old record player (turntable) and a substantial record collection from my folks. My initial excitement soon gave way to (again, ignorant) confoundedness at the incompatibility of the RCA cabled-record player and my digital 1/8 inch speakers. I tried to find a cable at Radio Shack that would convert from the one technology to the other, but I was unable to find a converter that had two "female" ends, as needed. I was told by the clerk that no such converter exists, and many searches on the internet seemed to confirm this. My roommate then counseled that I could use a second converter (male to female) on top of the RCA-1/8 inch converter, but with the admonishment that it would drastically diminish the quality of the sound. I was informed, also, that even if I managed to hook up the turntable to a set of speakers, I might still need additional pre-amplification. The plot thickens... Not wanting to part with these gifts, I have arrived at the conclusion that I simply need to buy speakers with "female"-ended RCA inputs and sufficient amplification. Not knowing whether such speakers are still made, or if they ever existed to begin with, I'm looking for something reasonably compact and not too expensive (certainly under 500 dollars). If you know of a website where I might find such a product, please let me know. If you think I need to reconsider going for ONLY speakers - and not additional pre-amplification devices - go ahead and let me know. Really, any expert advice would be most appreciated. Thank you for your time.