Connecting turntable via pre amp then thru sonos Port

Why do you have the Yamaha Amp in the mix here - it has no speakers attached as far as I can see and I’m not understanding the reason for using it?

Where are you trying to output your TT audio to? Is it a case you want to output its audio to other Sonos speakers around your Home? 

If we assume that the speakers are not connected to the Yamaha amp simply to make the wiring easier to see in the photo, it looks OK to me (once speakers are added).

You would then need to go into the System section of the app and enable Line In on the Port shown in the photo. Line-In should then be visible as one of your music sources (I should add that I’m looking at this in the pre-mayhem version of the app - 16.1 - but it should be similar in the current chaos version as well).

The missing speakers is what confused me - but yes, if the plan is to output to the Amp and ‘other’ Sonos products … but then again, why not use the TT connected direct to the Amp’s phono input instead and do away with the pre-amp🤔? Anyhow, It is still a bit of a confusing picture, I think.

I think because the turntable has no pre-amp built-in? So the separate pre-amp is there to do the RIAA equalisation (and extra gain stage if it’s a MC cartridge)?

[Edit: the pre-amp appears to be MM cartridge only, so hopefully that’s what is fitted to the turntable.]

My research reveals that the Yamaha AX-350 has a built-in phono stage and Tape Loop to accommodate a Sonos Port (click here). Therefore there should be no need for a pre-amp.

The Pioneer PL-12D appears to have been extremely modified based upon the images below. The images probably differ slightly due to country of sale. So question: Will the unit operate properly even if connected through the Yamaha?

That TT uses a MM cartridge, the stock cartridge is the Pioneer PC-220 (tracking force for this cartridge is 2.0±0.3g) it would be fine linked (direct) to the Amps phono input.

As said, it should work with the Yamaha’s phono stage, but there is no reason why it would not also work connected as shown, via the Yamaha’s CD input - but that does involve an unnecessary extra unit.

And, although the original cartridge might have been a PC-220 when it came out of the factory 40-odd years ago, there’s a good chance that it will have something different in it now! So it would definitely be worth the OP checking to be sure that it really does have a MM cartridge of some sort fitted...

@Ken_Griffiths​@Antifon 

Maybe you guys are ignoring my comments 😂😂. But seriously, there seems to be a lot going on with the connection process that is not required??? Again with all the modifications done to the TT I question its operation.

I can’t see much sign of heavy modification? Someone has added phono sockets where the original had a fixed cable with phono plugs on the end. Someone has made a mess of the strain relief on the mains power cable. That’s about it, isn’t it, as far as we can see?

I agree that it’s not the most elegant way to do it, but in terms of proving that it works, it should be OK provided the OP selects CD on the Yamaha, rather than the Phono input?

OK...Obviously you guys are more phono savvy than I. 😊 The modifications shown are beyond my reasoning so I must respectfully backout of this thread. However, I still question the need for a pre-amp given that the Yamaha has a phono stage. Good luck to resolve the OP’s issue/question. 👍

I don’t think it would have been too unusual to mod a deck to have sockets rather than a fixed cable - I did something similar to at least one of mine, because the cables are thin and rather too easy to damage - so it’s better to have the ability to just replace the cable easily.

Hopefully the OP can establish with the current setup that it works OK, and then consider doing it with fewer boxes (as you say, simply using the phono stage that’s built into the Yamaha).

@Antifon .. we still don’t yet know what the OP is trying to achieve with their setup. Let’s wait to see what they say, but I’m still curious why there are no speakers attached to the Amp and think the OP is attempting to perhaps play their TT audio on other Sonos speakers, in which case there may possibly be no need for the Amp - if it’s anything else, other than that, the setup should at least first be tested without the pre-amp it maybe unnecessary if the phono-input pre-amp is able to do the job, which I believe will work fine, but let’s wait and see.

Agreed - the photo doesn’t make sense without some assumptions (either that speakers will be added, or that playback will rely on other Sonos speakers not shown in the photo).

As AjTrek1 has said, it can be rationalised, depending on those assumptions, and a significant re-wire would be needed to use the Tape Loop, as described in his link.

But there’s not much more that can be done until the OP comes back to clarify...

Hi 

Thanks for the replies correct the pioneer does not have a pre amp and as it was my dads it is sentimental value to use it. And yes looking to play the music thru Sonos speakers.  

If it’s just to play the TT audio through your Sonos speakers, then you don’t need the Pioneer Amp in the mix. I’m assuming you do not intend to use ‘other’ passive speakers attached to the Pioneer.

Connect the TT RCA cables to the ‘pre-amp’ input and then connect it’s output to the Port line-in.

In the App, select the line-in source to play on your chosen Sonos Speakers. See this link too, which should hopefully assist you aswell…

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/play-line-in-on-your-sonos-port