Connect Amp, Technics SL-1200 MK2 and Phono Box MM

What is a Phono Box mm?

@jdelmon 

I see another community user has recently reported low volume with that pre-amp too… see here:

So maybe borrow a different pre-amp from a friend/colleague/family member and try that. By the way is it a moving magnet cartridge? I couldn’t find the answer to that in an online search? Only a moving coil cartridge often requires a bit more gain and I guess that might ‘perhaps’ be the issue here…er maybe🤔?

thanks! Ordered a dofferent phono preamp and will try that. So to be clear - it should be as loud as the digital music is through sonos? Or pretty close? I can max the volume out and it is equal to the volume at 25% for digital music. 

Thanks again. 

Josh

My own rule of thumb (keeping things simple) is if the line-in TT audio at 100% volume-level, has distortion, then I lower the source-level in the Sonos App accordingly, until I no longer hear any distortion. For my old turntable I used a setting of source level 8. I’ve seen some though have things loud enough with source level 2 with their setup, so these things do vary. 

If you want things a little more complex and have purchased a pre-amp, like the Mani 2, for example, which allows for adjusting gain etc; then you may find these three links below perhaps useful too…

https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/g6q6ua/calculating_linein_level_for_turntable/

https://en.community.sonos.com/components-and-architectural-228996/using-a-turntable-with-sonos-6769426

https://darko.audio/2022/02/the-schiit-mani-2-is-your-next-phono-pre-amplifier/

This next link is less intense, but also worth reading as it supplies a lot of good information about using a Turntable with Sonos speakers…

https://www.sonos.com/en-us/blog/listening-to-vinyl-with-sonos

I hope the above assists.👍

Thanks again Ken. To answer a few questions - The Project Phono MM is a phono preamp. I inherited my turntable when my brother in law passed away. He was a DJ. I don’t know if the cart is MM or MC. It is a Craz D 5200 Sk. It is probably 15 to 20 years old. 

I have a lot to learn about the turn table world. The problem I am having is that turntable volume is super low even through the project phono mm. If I turn the volume up to full volume it is audible - pleasant background sound but not much louder. I have ordered a Pluto 2 phone preamp from uturn - recommended on SONOS website to see if that gives me more volume. I have the line level set to 10, the audio set to uncompressed with a 2000ms delay. I don’t get any distortion just low volume. 

Will let you know what I learn. Am also interested in whether or not I should consider replace the cartridge and or stylus to see if that improves the volume issue. Happy to hear recommendations on cart/stylus if there are any.

Thanks again!

Josh

First and foremost I’m sorry to hear about your Brother-in-law, my condolences.

I would first see how the new pre-amp performs, if it allows switching between MM & MC, then try that. My guess is, it’s an MC cartridge and needs a pre-amp with a bit more oomph.

If no improvement, then post back here and then I’ll try to help search for an alternative cartridge, but I’m no expert in these things and you might get better advice on an alternative cartridge from the Technics website, or perhaps a Turntable discussion forum, like this one…

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/recommend-a-cartridge-for-a-technics-sl1200mk2.831696/

Went looking for that cartridge and found a few things.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/stanton-cartridge-craz-520-sk-question

You are probably talking about signature DJ Craze cartridge made by Stanton about 20 years ago. You can use it if the stylus is not worn out. This is a professional model for DJing. "SK" is most likely Skratch, well it must be conical tip designed for high tracking force as most of the professional carts. However, make sure the stylus is in perfect condition and try it. Do not expect "amazing sound", this is entry level professional cartridge, the goal of professional carts is high durability, sound is ok, but nothing special. You can try a different stylus on your cartridge, Stanton styli are interchangeable.

https://www.kabusa.com/520sk.htm

Can someone help me understand why this is the case? When I hook my technics SL 1200 MK2 turntable, a Stanton Craze cartridge (I have been told by KAB that this is an MM cart and he recommended a different stylus which is on its way) and D5200 SK stylus to the phono input on my Yamaha RX-497 receiver and it plays through klipsch speakers the volume is loud and sound is great. When I hook the same turntable up to a project phono box mm preamp into my sonos connect:amp the volume is very low. It is low compared to the same turntable through the receiver and it is low compared to the volume coming through sonos when playing spotify.  When I hook the turntable into the receiver (phone input) and the receiver (from the tape monitor out) into the sonos the volume is also low (what am I missing here?). Line in on sonos is set to 10, uncompressed with 2000ms delay.

It only seems to be low when it comes through sonos. Why is that and is there a fix? I have a uturn pluto preamp arriving tomorrow that I plan to try to see if it has something to do with the preamp I am using.  

This doesn’t make sense to me. 

Is everyone listening to a turntable through sonos limited in their volume when compared to the digital (e.g. spotify) content playing in sonos?

Thanks again for the help!

Josh

@jdelmon, 

I haven’t got the old Connect:Amp here to help test (sorry), but I do use a Sonos Port with a 1Mii B03 Pro Bluetooth TX/RX and if I set that as a Receiver into the Port Line-In with ‘source level’ 10 and pair it to my iPhone XR, the audio playback on any Sonos room (Era 300 stereo pair) at centre/sweet-spot position (approx 6’ to 7’ from speakers) with volume level 15%.

Same track used for the volume-level test here (Panopticon - Peter Gabriel)

• Sonos Port line-in = Vol. level room average = 70dB (screenshot attached) 
• Spotify Internal Service = Vol. level room average 67dB (screenshot attached)

So the line-in is just a touch louder when set at 15% playback volume on the Era 300’s - I can’t test any louder at the moment, as it’s late-ish here where I am.. but I would say the line-in is about ‘on par’ with the volume level of the Sonos internal Spotify service.

Perhaps this is not an ideal comparison to your setup, but it was the best I could do this evening. Maybe some others here in the community with a Connect:Amp will perhaps kindly do a similar test too.

Anyhow, If you perhaps have reason to believe the Connect:Amp is not performing as it should be for the line-in audio, then maybe go onto reproduce the issue and within 20 minutes submit a Sonos system diagnostic report from within your Sonos App, note the reference and contact/chat with Sonos Support Staff via this LINK and see what they perhaps say about the low-volume issue, but maybe first see what happens with your other pre-amp tomorrow.