I'm using a Technics turntable with a new Grado Red cartridge and a NAD PP2 phono pre-amp into my 1070's aux and have to run the volume to at least -5db or so to get any volume from a good quality disc. My cd and dvd players can be very loud at like -14db. I assume this is just the nature of the beast.
Anyone else experience this?
Everything sounds great, I just hate to have to get close to that magical zero db mark!

I'm not very familiar with the components in your signal path, so I'll offer one really basic question: can the output gain of the PP2 be adjusted at all?

Regrettably not. I think the level was a bit higher with my former cartridge so I suspect the Grado just has a low output. I guess there is no real problem running at -5db except when switching sources I'll have to be careful to lower the volume.
I may upgrade the phono stage in the future to a Belari tube unit anyhow.
Thanks for the response gonk.

I too have noticed a much lower output from my phono preamp...
with some recordings playing lower than others...

But...pretty much all my analog sources are a bit lower than than the digital ones...
I also noticed that some older cd's output at unusually low levels...
I'm starting to believe this is a by-product of blending analog and digital...

All this...
without forgetting the human factor...
different sound engineers will yield different sounds...
Still I don't mind....
the records will keep spinnin' !