I have an old Pioneer quartz PLL Full Automatic PL-7 that I'm trying to hook up to my much newer Pioneer DVD/CD receiver and I'm not having much luck. I got a MCM phono pre amp, hooked the record player up to that, and hooked the pre-amp into the aux. I'm still not getting any sound, any idea what's going wrong?
First, are you getting no sound or low volume sound? Second, are you sure you should be getting sound with your current connection and switch position?
If you are getting low volume sound, you have a problem in the phono pre amp. If no sound, procede to the next step.
Try this, first, make certain the receiver is passing signal from another source. Play a DVD for a moment. Then switch to the input where the table/pre amp is plugged in. Turn the volume control down to a very quiet level. Unplug the phono pre amp cable at the phono pre amp end. With the receiver's input switch set to the appropriate input (aux?), touch your finger to each of the center posts of the RCA connectors at the end of the interconnect which would normally plug into the phono pre amp. Got any sound? If not, this is where your problem exists. If so, plug the interconnect back into the phono pre amp.
If you have sound so far, we need to check whether the phono pre amp is working properly. Plug a standard RCA interconnect into the input side of the phono pre amp and once again touch your finger to the tip of the RCA's at each end of the interconnect that would normally plug into your turntable. Got sound?
If you have a slight buzzing sound when you touch the ends of the interconnects, you have verified that the signal is getting through the phono pre amp and the receiver. As long as you have sound from where the turntable plugs in, you have narrowed the location for most of the problems that could exist.
Let us know what the results of these tests turn up. We'll procede from there.
I'm getting low volume sound with a buzz and some radio noise coming in as well. If I plug the turntable straight into AUX i get no sound. Do I just have a bad pre-amp? If I need a new one, what should I be looking for?
I'm not clear on this. You get a low level buzz when you do as I instructed above? Or you get a low level buzz when you've plugged the table into the pre amp and then into the receiver?
Have you done as I suggested above? What are the results? "Sound" suggests you are hearing music. Yes? No?
The low level buzz and very quiet sound (music) come when I have the turntable hooked to the preamp and the preamp hooked to the receiver. I'm also hearing a radio station as well when I turn the volume to hear the music. I can't do the cables test you suggested, because I don't have an extra set of RCA cables, but I'm working on borrowing a pair.