NAD PP2 VS RC995 onboard

[johnandchris]

Hi folks.
I really should be ashamed of myself. I am currently using my RC995 onboard phono stage to run my Sondek/ittok through. There is some hum coming through the speakers when the volume is turned up (increases proportionate to the amount of turn). It is constant and does not change when you touch the arm. I have tried a couple of cables and it is exactly the same with all of them.
My CD and tuner also go through the RC995, no problems when the cd is turned right with no cd playing.
I am wondering if it is the phono stage of the RC995 that is causing the hum.

I have an old NAD -PP2 with a power supply (poor quality supply but it would do for starters).

My question is this - Would the NAD be better than the inbuilt phono stage? I know i could just try it, however i thought i would gain opinion first.
Thanks for any help
John

 

[markinuk]

Hi,

Don't know whether this will be helpful, but I used to run a Rotel 820BX2, and used the internal stage. I did once begin to suffer noticeable hum, which turned out to be caused by the power supply for my headphone amp. This was sitting underneath the rack, with the amp on the shelf above. The phono input was in fact directly above the transformer.

Moving the mains extension (into which the supply was plugged) out from under the amp cured the problem. So, perhaps you should check whether something is causing hum induction into your phono input. Also, check your deck's earthing arrangements. Phono stages are more vulnerable than other inputs, because of the extra gain required, and the low frequency boost from their RIAA equalisation.

Having said that, the NAD PP2 has a decent reputation, and ought to give performance at least as good as the Rotel pre-amp. Definitely worth trying!

Mark