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KAB PHONO PREAMP PARAMETER COMPUTER

OUTPUT LEVEL CONSIDERATIONS
   To maintain the best signal to noise ratio your phono preamp gain should compliment the output of your phono cartridge. The table below is a good guide to follow. Higher gains than necessary will reduce the overload margin and increase hiss.

  Try our gain computer below (Courtesy of KAB Electro Acoustics). Look up your cartridge output and type it into the space provided. The optimum gain of your phono stage will be calculated.

  The optimum gain is based on achieving 325mV rms output at 5 cm/s. For the current crop of CD recorders, 300mV is required for 0dB recording level with the recorder's level control set at max. Aiming for 325mV gives a little margin.

  If you want to know the gain of your existing preamp and all you have is a Sensitivity specification, type that into the second line and the dB gain of your preamp will be computed. The Sensitivity calculation is based on an output of 250 mV. That is still the standard for this specification though it really doesn't reflect the real world requirements when it comes to digital recording.

  If you know the gain and the maximum output, you can compute the maximum input overload. This is the maximum output generated by the phono cartridge, that the preamp can properly amplify without distortion.

  The Gain Factor is the maximum amplification produced by the preamp at the lowest RIAA frequency 25 Hz. It is an impressive figure to behold. It should give you a greater appreciation of your record player's sensitivity to seismic energy and the importance of vibration isolation.
KAB PHONO PREAMP PARAMETER CALCULATOR   
 
 OUTPUT(@5CM/S)
  mV
 SENSITIVITY
  mV
 GAIN            MAX OUT
  dB           Vrms






 
OPTIMUM GAIN    GAIN FACTOR
 dB@ 1kHz    X @25 Hz
GAIN       
 dB  
OVERLOAD
 mV@1kHz
KAB ELECTRO ACOUSTICS
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http://www.kabusa.com
 
Chart of Typical Gain Values
Output                  Gain
3 - 6 mV                36dB
1 - 3 mV                43dB
0.3 - 1.0 mV            53dB
0.15 - 0.3 mV           60DB
Turntable Drive MethodsTurntable SpecsRIAA Preamp DesignTurntable Setup

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