A decent preamp to complete my setup?


Hey everyone! I'm absolutely new to the hobby and am coming along with a turntable setup and have everything besides my preamp. So far I have a Technics sl-1200mkd3 turntable, two svs ultra bookshelf speakers, and a NuForce STA200 160 watt amp. I'm loving the setup so far because apparently the NuForce will do well with the SVS speakers, but I've been cautioned to use a preamp that has as low gain as possible since apparently the NuForce has a lot already (I admit I'm not too sure if this is a big deal or even much of an issue, but initially it makes sense). I've heard somewhere in the 2-3db region is great, but have no idea where to look for something like that. My budget is $300-$350 so I'm hoping that's enough to get something decent, do you guys have any suggestions? I don't want any bells or whistles like streaming, DAC, etc. Just a good preamp with volume control that's simple to run from my turntable to my amp. If the perfect piece of equipment for me is a little outside of my range I suppose I'd have no problem saving up a bit more to get it, but I'm hoping something that gives me the bare bones I'm looking for will be decently in my range.
bacom15

Showing 2 responses by lowrider57


From the Absolute Sound...
The STA200 is a Class A/B amp with 80 watts of output into 8 ohms, 34.4dB gain.

With some preamplifiers, the STA200’s high gain could mean that the preamplifier could be operating in a less than optimal gain range.
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/optoma-nuforce-sta200-power-amplifier/

SVS Speakers...
freq. response: 45-32,000 Hz (±3dB)
recommended amplifier power: 20-150 watts
sensitivity: 87 dBnominal impedance: 8 ohms
bass-reflex cabinet with rear-firing port

Your speakers are 8 ohm so they should be a good match in terms of sensitivity and power with your amp.
As you stated, the NuForce has a high gain and would match well with a preamp of approximately 12 to 15dB.
The 2 or 3db quoted to you may really be 12 or 13dB.

Since your source is TT, the gain of the cartridge and phonostage also must be considered.
Do you know what cart you will be using?


The following website is pretty popular for calculating gain between cartridge and phonostage...
https://www.kabusa.com/pregain.htm

FYI, the volume setting on the preamp will never be exactly the same as a digital source.