Hey all,

I've been doing some looking around, and perhaps I'm just too much of a noob to find it out there.

I have a Stanton STR8-30 record player and I'm trying to hook it up to my PC just to listen to it. I'm not trying to record or anything like that, I just want to listen to my old records.

What do I have to do in order to get the music going? All the record player has is RCA, so I'm assuming I need to get an RCA---> 3.5mm jack? Then do I need some sort of program to run the music, or will it just go from player to speakers?

Thanks for any help you can give.

Hey all,

I've been doing some looking around, and perhaps I'm just too much of a noob to find it out there.

I have a Stanton STR8-30 record player and I'm trying to hook it up to my PC just to listen to it. I'm not trying to record or anything like that, I just want to listen to my old records.

What do I have to do in order to get the music going? All the record player has is RCA, so I'm assuming I need to get an RCA---> 3.5mm jack? Then do I need some sort of program to run the music, or will it just go from player to speakers?

Thanks for any help you can give.

Magnetic cartridges, like the one in your turntable, have a relatively low output voltage, in the area of 4.6mv. CD players and portable music devices have much higher output voltages in the area of a volt or more (200 times more than a phono cartridge. For that reason preamps and receivers sometimes have a Phono input that provides greater amplification (200 times greater).

Normally the audio inputs on computers are line level. If you connectect a turntable you likely will not be able to get enough volume. Also phono cartridges have an elevated treble response and amplifiers must apply the curve to get a flat response.

So you need a sound card that has mag phono inputs and built in RIAA compensation comes with software that applies the compensation. But you can also look for a small mag phono pre-amp that will apply the curve and raise the signal to line level. Radio Shack has them starting a $20.

And on the PC connection: yes, you'll need a 3.5mm to RCA cable or adapter. Plug it into your line-in jack. Go into volume contros setup, you might need to go into advanced options in order to get line-in volume to show. Make sure it is not muted (sometimes it is muted by default) and adjust line-in volume to a level you like.

trekguy has it correct. You need a phono preamp that will then feed into your sound card. That preamp will also equalize the music to the proper levels so that it sounds the way it's intended.

If you have an old stereo receiver you could always use it, as they all had phono preamps. Just plug the table into the phono inputs, and use the tape monitor outputs to your sound card.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt