Making powered speakers wireless with Mini

[Mr Ee]

What gain have you set on the pro-ject?

 

[Raphaz]

Gain? There’s no gain setting on the Pro-Ject phono preamp, as far as I know and see, just an on/off button. Did I miss something?

 

[Mr Ee]

I was assuming the 'Pro-Ject Phono Box S2 Phono Preamplifier'.
Wrong assumption???

 

[slartibartfast]

Gain? There’s no gain setting on the Pro-Ject phono preamp, as far as I know and see, just an on/off button. Did I miss something?

According to this the gain is switchable.

Pro-Ject Phono Box S

Pro-Ject Phono Box S Available in Black or Silver This new phono preamplifier offers unrivalled performance and unique flexibilty, which never before was available at this price! Sonic quality of Phono Box S is extremely impressive, a big improvement and a perfect upgrade for most analogue hifi...

www.analogueseduction.net

However the minimum is 40dB which should be OK.

 

[slartibartfast]

Try connecting the Project Box to a line in on your receiver. Also try removing the 4-way RCA switch.

 

[Raphaz]

Oh my! I think you’re right. There are tiny dip switches on the bottom of that thing. Didn’t see them. Bought it used without instructions.
I’ll study tho unit a bit more careful asap. Thank you!

 

[Mr Ee]

Oh my! I think you’re right. There are tiny dip switches on the bottom of that thing. Didn’t see them. Bought it used without instructions.
I’ll study tho unit a bit more careful asap. Thank you!

Unplug EVERYTHING before changing them!

 

[Raphaz]

I feel mighty stupid but I think I need help again with setting up the Pro-Ject Box S.

The cartridge is an Ortofon Concorde Pro S - see specs below.

The recommended load resistance is 47 kOhm so that seems obvious, right?

But the load capacitance is 200-600 pF. That’s a range not a set value. How do I determine the input capacitance settings on that one?

And what do I look for to figure out the input gain settings?

Ortofon Pro S specs:
Channel balance at 1 kHz
2 dB
Output voltage at 1 kHz, 5cm/sec
5 mV
Channel seperation at 1 kHz
20 dB
Channel seperation at 15 kHz
15 dB
Frequency response 20 Hz - 20 kHz
+/-2 dB
Tracking ability at 315Hz at recommended tracking force
70 μm
Compliance, dynamic, lateral
7 μm/m N
Stylus type
Spherical
Stylus tip radius
R 18 μm
Tracking force range
3.0-5.0 g (30-50 mN)
Tracking force, recommended
4.0 g (40 mN)
Tracking angle
20°
Internal impedance, DC resistance
750 Ohm
Cartridge weight
18.5 g / 5.0 g
Recommended load resistance
47 kOhm
Internal inductance
450 mH
Recommended load capacitance
200-600 pF

 

[Mr Ee]

The recommended load resistance is 47 kOhm so that seems obvious, right?

Right.

But the load capacitance is 200-600 pF. That’s a range not a set value.

Correct, so it's recommending a preamp that is somewhere in that range.
The s box is configurable, so maybe someone else can advise if lower or higher is 'better'.
All 4 the s box supports are in that range, so maybe it's not too important for now?

gain settings?

Well, what you had it on was too quite, so I guess gradually increase it.
The manual recommends removing all connections, incuding power, before changing the switches.

 

[slartibartfast]

@Raphaz
May be I am a bit too pragmatic, but some thoughts might help.
The Concorde S was built and called by Ortofon an "entry level DJ cartridge". So my suggestions for the values which are not clearly given by Ortofon are
- of course 47 Ohm for an MM.
- if there are "ranges" for the impedances and so on choose whatever is possible. Or the medium value, it will not make audible differences. This system is not very bitchy.

Recommended tracking force is 4g

 

[Mr Ee]

not very bitchy

Is that a technical term?
Don't recall ever having seen it in Stereophile.

 

[harkpabst]

But the load capacitance is 200-600 pF. That’s a range not a set value. How do I determine the input capacitance settings on that one?

It means 200 pF ideally, but don't exceed 600 pF. The cable further contributed to the input capacitance (in a very meaningful way, usually in the 150-200 pF range), so just set the Pro-Ject Phono Box to 100 pF and you're done.

As for gain, go with the advice already given. If 40 dB isn't load enough try 43 dB next.

However, the fact alone that there's a volume knob on that 4-way RCA switch tells me that it's crap. If anything it should be set to 100% at all times and even then it might introduce all kinds of unwanted effects. It makes absolutely no sense to increase the gain (and as such the noise) in the phono pre just to use a lousy and cheap pot to attenuate that signal again.

 

[Raphaz]

Thank you all for your help and advice. I appreciate it. I’ll look into that asap.

And thank you for pointing out the cheaper components in my current system. I’m aware. Don’t worry about it - upgraditis is always lurking.
To use a cheaper switch box (similar to the one I picked) was recommended further up in this thread. This one supposedly won’t introduce added noise, but who knows. Happy to listen to suggestions for a better one l in the near future, when this whole system starts to work to my liking.
I owned different TTs (Thorens, Lenco, Technics, Wilson…), and tried different systems on them over the years, and yes, the Concorde is a DJ system, sure, and I may upgrade the system and the stylus in the future, but it already is one of the better sounding combos I owned - to my ears that is. And you know how that goes: once you start upgrading the system/cartridge/stylus you have to wonder about the TT itselve, and with the upgraded high end TT the desire for a better amp and pre will increase, and so forth…

 

[harkpabst]

Don't get us (I hope I can use this "us" here) its not about cheap or more expensive. It must be possible to get reasonable results with your existing setup!

Exactly.

There is no reason why the existing system shouldn't sound more than just decent, if set up correctly. That's what it's all about.

 

[Raphaz]

I went with 47 and 200 with the phono pre. Sounds about right but will do some more intensive listening soon.
The CD works as well.
I turned auto sensing on on the Pro+. It senses/switches automatically from line-in to WiFi when I play a CD and then start playing Spotify. But if I try the reverse (hitting the CD play button while Spotify is playing), it won’t switch back. What is this meant to do exactly?

I have to think about the tape deck next and how to wire rec out and play back.

But I feel like we’re getting somewhere!

 

[Raphaz]

And then I’ll need to find a second set of remote WiFi speakers to replace the second pair of wired Minimus 7s in the office mezzanine loft - they have to be even smaller, and cheaper. They’re currently hanging on a wall, not too far from my desk, and they don’t need to fill a big space.
Maybe one of the smaller Kantos or even the JBL 104 BT, maybe the Vanatoo T0…

 

[harkpabst]

I went with 47 and 200 with the phono pre. Sounds about right but will do some more intensive listening soon.

Why 200?

 

[Mr Ee]

But if I try the reverse (hitting the CD play button while Spotify is playing), it won’t switch back.

I think this is by design.
e.g. some people have tv connected via optical, and don't want the input to switch if they are currently playing music just 'cos they turned the tv on.
I guess without a million options you can't please all the people all of the time.

 

[Raphaz]

Why 200?

Maybe because it was set to 100 before I was made aware that there is a mouse piano I can play with. With other words, the reason we got here was that it did not sound right when set to 100 - all this given my reconstruction of events past is accurate that is.
I think the next number would be 300. I don’t think it goes below 100. I’d have to check again though. I was tired when I did that.

 

[Raphaz]

I think this is by design.
e.g. some people have tv connected via optical, and don't want the input to switch if they are currently playing music just 'cos they turned the tv on.
I guess without a million options you can't please all the people all of the time.

I’m afraid you may be right.
I want to find a work around. I’m definitely not a lazy person, but I’d love if someone else in this household could just hit play without an instruction booklet to my custom HiFi kingdom. I mean we’ve come this far!

Oh, and did I say thank you again?
I mean it!