I've search the forum and can't see if the following issue was discussed. I have the 990 and a Music Hall MMF-5 turntable with the standard Goldring cartridge. I have to turn the volume up to -20 for reasonable listening level. Would a separate phono preamp be in order? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Which model Goldring cartridge do you have?

1012GX

According the the Goldring web site that cartridge has an output of 6.5 mv. That falls within the range of most moving magnet cartridges. I believe my Shure V15VXMR has an output around 5 mv. I have not hooked up my turntable since getting my 990 in January so I have no idea where the volume settings would be. There's no room on the rack. I have to build a new one. If I find time to hook up the turntable temporarily somehow I'll report back to you on my findings.

Maybe gonk will find this thread and have a ready answer.

Thanks!

My system is devoid of any vinyl, so I've never actually tried out my 990's phono input. It's very possible that -20dB is a common level for listening to records, though - I often get into that range for DVD listening. Keep in mind that CD's (and TV broadcasts) tend to include a fair bit of extra gain (the old "louder is better" principle), while DVD went back to the old ways (which would include vinyl among other things) and lowered the gain to provide more dynamic headroom. DVD and vinyl will both probably need to be set to a higher volume than CD's and TV to achieve a comparable level.

Also, when you calibrated your 990, do you know what you ended up setting the trim to on your left and right channels? If they are set to a negative value, that's impacting phono playback as well in most cases (although analog bypass would skip the channel trim settings).

Update!
Curiosity took over so I quickly hooked up my T/T (setting it on the floor!). At -20db the volume levels were noticeably lower than most CD's and DVD's. I got curious and pulled out the dual trace 'scope and turned up the volume while watching for any clipping of the output waveform. It got pretty loud when I stopped. My vinyl is mostly stored away so I didn't try a test record. I think it's safe to say the volume differences aren't of any consequence.

BTW, although my main amp has more power output than yours that shouldn't make any difference in this case. I was looking for visible distortion in the 990 output waveform, not the amp output. I realize with music it can be very difficult to tell when amp saturation just begins. I had the volume up to -5 and it was plenty loud...the floor was moving. I wish I hadn't sold my last SoundTech 1700. I could be a lot more helpful with this. But I really believe you are okay cranking it up higher than -20.

Gonk - I ususally keep the mains at -13, so I have them pretty high.

I too have a turntable connected to my 990 (wouldn't have bought anything without a phono input) and have also noticed the lower volume level than CD or Tuner, though it's not lower than the levels for cassette play (Sony deck), DVDs, or HD television (Scientific Atlanta cable box). I've remarked on it here earlier and wished the 990's phono preamp had about 10db more gain. So I'd say your 990 is working normally, Woj. At 6.5 mv your Goldring's output is higher than most of the MM pickups I've heard of, so changing it for something else is not likely to make your LPs play louder.

Bobzoom - Just a little nervous cranking it up that high.