Turntable Help

 

New member
Username: Rappinrandy

Post Number: 1
Registered: May-11
I recently received a Sherwood ST-887R turntable and I need to buy a receiver and speakers but i dont know what to look for. My friend says i can take the red and white RCA cables and just plug them into an ordinary shelf system but I thought you needed phono inputs.
Another thing is that along with the 2 RCA cables my turntable has this other cable that i dont know what it is. Any help is greatly appreciated, I just want to listen to some old vinyls. Thanks
 

Gold Member
Username: Superjazzyjames

Post Number: 1332
Registered: Oct-10
Well Brandon, how much do you want to spend on a receiver & speakers? Is the other cable the ground wire?

Sony makes high powered (100+ watts per channel) shelf systems. The ones they made in the 90s had phono inputs. I don't know if they still do. These shelf systems IMO, are not the best approach. I suggest the receiver & speakers instead. More about this later.
 

Gold Member
Username: Superjazzyjames

Post Number: 1333
Registered: Oct-10
You are correct that the RCA plugs connect to a receiver's phono input. There should also be a ground wire that connects to a screw terminal on the receiver.


The shelf/compact system I refered to above is the Sony LBT line. Back in the 90s, these systems had phono inputs. I don't know if they still do. If they still have phono inputs, these systems are not your best option. When you get an entire system (minus the turn table) in a single unit for $400, you are not going to get the best equipment (source players, amp or speakers) said company has to offer. Not that Sony makes great amps or speakers, but even their $150 stereo receiver and a decent pair of shelf speakers will sound better. Also, if you listen to cds, a cd player built into a shelf system will have a 1 bit DAC (digital to analog converter). A stand alone cd player will have DAC with a bit rate between 16 & 32. In other words, the stand alone cd player will sound better. Other advantages are that you can upgrade as you choose and you get to pick which source players you want. With a shelf system, you get whatever the manufacturer feels like putting into it. I hope this helps.

James
 

Platinum Member
Username: Jan_b_vigne

Dallas, TX

Post Number: 16139
Registered: May-04
.

It looks like your table is 1989-ish vintage. You will need either a receiver/pre amp with a built in phono section as was common when the table was built or you will need an outboard phono pre amp. If you'll read a few of the threads in this section of the forum, you'll see this is a very common question. You should have more than a few options provided in those archived answers.

The "other cable" running from your table is a ground wire that needs to be connected to a "ground lug" on the receiver or phono pre amp. This too is outlined in the archives.



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Gold Member
Username: Superjazzyjames

Post Number: 1337
Registered: Oct-10
Some other questions, what kind of shape are the needle and cartridge in? How about the belt and bushings? Last time I was given a turn table, I brought it to a local shop. For $60 they basically refurbished it. Not a bad deal!
 

New member
Username: Rappinrandy

Post Number: 2
Registered: May-11
Alright, thanks for the input. I did some research and found this reciever http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MBUSD6 which appears to have everything i need in it.
 

Gold Member
Username: Superjazzyjames

Post Number: 1340
Registered: Oct-10
Good deal! Now, once it arrives you'll want to find speakers that sound good with it and witn your room acoustics. I suggest going to a physical store rather than online for these with a 30 day return policy. This way, if they sound good in the store, but not at home, you can bring them back.
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