Scott 299 phono stage, some questions on gain

[Shade]

Hey folks, been a while. Hoping to get some input re: the Scott 299A phono stage. Recently fell back in love with my 2 channel setup, hasn't seen much use the last few years. Have a Scott 299A, RF-7s, Rega P3, and a Shure V15vxmr cart (MM). Recently added a Raspberry Pi with DAC for streaming.

 

Anyway, noticed a significant difference in volume between the phono & line inputs (phono is quieter). For comparison, 1/2 volume is pretty loud on phono, while the line in I'm probably around 1/4 for the same output. I remember talking to Craig about the phono stage several years back, and it sounded like the amp was good, but I think that was related to some noise I was getting at higher volume.

 

My memory's a bit fuzzy (been a while) so I've been reading up a bit. I think the volume difference might be due to my Shure cart only putting out 3mv, read somewhere the Scott was designed around something higher (I am using mag low input). If my line of thinking is right, my options would probably be to get a new MM cart with more output, get a new phono stage, or just live with it. It does sound great as it is, but I think not having to lean on the volume so much would give a cleaner output.

 

Hoping for some reccomendations from folks with experience here. Is my cart probably the issue? If it is, would I be better off going for a different cart (guessing this is my best option), or maybe a separate phono stage? 

[jimjimbo]

Talk to Craig yet again?

[Shade]

Not yet, thought I'd check in here first.

[NOSValves]

You should not worry at all about leaning on the volume for LP's having any degradation to the sound. The Scott phono section low input is centered around about 5mV from the cartridge but 3mV is not that bad at all. What really makes the difference between CD's and LP so obvious is that CD's and most other high levels sources today have about 4X the signal the Scott was designed for... So those sources are getting way louder at low levels of the volume control... 

 

The only way turning up the volume control could cause problems is if the actual sound reached a point where it was over driving the available power of the Scott! You'll never do that with any cartridge made in recent years. You could easily with CD's though! 

[Shade]

Thanks Craig. I hadn't even considered that the modern sources would be sending a higher signal than the Scott was designed for.

 

I'll keep enjoying my system as is. 

[Jim]

Shade,

 

If you are anal like me, you could try using the Graham Slee Elevator. It allows you adjust the ohms input which can also give a little more louder sound levels without turning the knob up that much, or the Acession or similar model. It allows you to use an adjustable output or standard output and level out the sound to match the higher output stuff on cd..

 

You could also try an ADC XLM MKII or similar cartridge as they have about 5mV output.

[Shade]

Jim,

 

The Elevator looks pretty nice, but I don't think I could justify the cost just to normalize volume. Would probably be better off putting that money in a new cart, and maybe some table upgrades.

 

I'll probably re-evaluate carts when the needle on my Shure goes. Replacement needles are out of production sadly, and while the JICO SAS is available I've heard it's a bit bright.

[NOSValves]

Trying to raise the level of the phono stage with such a device to make it match the CD player would result on over driving the phono section anyway... you could step it up some but not to the point where you could reach the level of CD's or similar sources...