Ready for Vinyl Speakers with a built-in Phono Preamp / Stage - Roth VA4
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- čas přidán 1. 02. 2017
- These active speakers contain a phono stage so they can be connected directly up to a turntable without an in-built phono stage. ....CONTINUED....
This means fewer wires and power plugs.
Additional audio devices can be connected via bluetooth, optical, RCA or mini-jack. It is a compact system suitable for a bedroom, dorm room, study etc.
The Roth VA4 speakers are Available from eBay refurbished for just under £100 off ebay.to/2Je6ESj and new from AMAZON in the UK
RED amzn.to/2kQjAS7
BLACK amzn.to/2jUgCYI
WHITE amzn.to/2jCaOC5
In the USA - KANTO sell speakers with the same features
BLACK: amzn.to/2jVA3CO
RED: amzn.to/2jBR2qC
WHITE: amzn.to/2kqGj6k
GREY: amzn.to/2kqP805
Obvious Statement: The pre-amp works with the normal Moving Magnet (MM) cartridges rather than the less common high-end MC (moving coil) system.
QUESTIONS
Where are the camera reviews?
Apologies to the people looking for new camera reviews - due to a run of ill health and bad weather I've been unable to get out and shoot the footage I need to finish off a couple of these videos - hopefully I'll get them done soon.
Where is the Minidisc video?
Back in January on the DAT video I mentioned that MD was going to be the subject of a future video. These format videos take me months to assemble so the MD one should be along *sometime later this year*...probably within a couple of months.
Where are the puppets?
I try to make one of the muppet outros a month, but they don't fit in with every video, so I wait until a suitable subject comes along that could benefit from their input.
Where are the Outro Videos?
In this playlist • Comedy
What's that black turntable?
The black turntable I used in the video is a Pro-ject RPM 1.3 Genie (It’s my old turntable and I don’t recommend it. Here's my 'review'
I really don't like it...it's been in the attic for a couple of years. It's too flimsy, every part on it moves whether it's supposed to or not, it cost me too much, is susceptible to picking up hum, it has a stupid anti-skating weight hanging on a piece of string that falls off all the time, the belt gets knocked off easily and is a hassle to put back on. I was so happy to replace it with my retro automatic Sansui XR-Q7, one of the best automatic direct drive turntables ever made and it cost me less than the Pro-ject RPM 1.3 Genie. I only kept this abomination in the off-chance that I might be able to use it in a future video. It does look good though - I'll give it that.
Why not use classical music if you want to play something that's copyright free?
Because it's not necessarily copyright free. Ok so Mozart and Beethoven are dead...but if an orchestra gets together in the Albert Hall and together with recording engineers record some of their music and put it out on a CD then that recording is copyright. They spent considerable money, time and effort to make that, so deserve to earn some money for it. Mozart might get jack-all but somebody who spent twenty years learning to play the violin and the record company and engineers etc etc all need to get paid. I once tried to use a section of Ode to joy - Beethoven symphony No. 9 and the video was auto-flagged for copyright infringement within seconds of being uploaded. This is why I WILL BE ORDERING A CUSTOM VINYL RECORD consisting of music from the youtube audio library czcams.com/users/audiolibrary... from a company like vinylify.com at my earliest convenience.
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----INTRO----
Special thanks to Jerobeam Fenderson for the intro animation. oscilloscopemusic.com
---INFO---
Amazon Links are affiliated.
I bought these speakers with my own money and have had no association or contact from representatives from either with Roth or Kanto - I thought these were a cool product that needed sharing..and since I was buying them anyway it makes sense to make a video.
-----AFFLIATED LINKS/ADVERTISING NOTICE------
All links are Affiliated where possible.
When you click on links to various merchants posted here and make a purchase, this can result in me earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network & Amazon.
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to AMAZON Sites (including, but not limited to Amazon US/UK/DE/ES/FR/NL/IT/CAN) - Věda a technologie
Rather elegant solution for testing out turntables quickly!
I'm really curious about that Pioneer PL-530 you showed briefly. It's one of my most-wanted players, but the prices these days can get absurd for a nice example.
That's not one of mine unfortunately, just an old picture I found. It looked a bit worn around the edges so it seemed to fit in. There are some beautiful old turntables, and since most of us only have room for one proper set-up, it's usually worth holding out until the perfect one comes along.
When are you and Matt going to do a collab video? The internet wants it
@@transfo47 We still want it
I recently got my first premium turntable and the guy I got it from informed me I’d need a pre amp so I got one on eBay for $17 after taxes
A phono preamp input is different because it reverses the RIAA curve which was used during the cutting of the record.
Cutting a groove on a record takes up space.
A bass note would require a very wide groove, leaving little space for multiple songs.
So they moved up all the frequencies (RIAA curve) to create a smaller groove.
That is why it sounds thin when you use a standard phono input (no low bass).
A dedicated phono input has some extra electronics behind it (an RIAA reverse equaliser if you will).
This brings down all the frequencies to where they belong so you can hear the original music again (including the bass).
This is of course a very simplistic explanation.
+nmeunier Well, I said it was simplistic :-)
Thanks for the add on.
+nmeunier Yes, I put that warning there for the nitpicking community :-)
As for K-Tel. Well yes, I am old enough for that. Probably still have some in my collection now.
nmeunier I still have a K-Tel, Chart Action 1983
I knew there must be something sub-standard about K-Tel! I remember being unable to contemplate buying one without shuddering, but it was mainly because of their lack of taste, with (to my mind, of course!) lamentable combinations of a few good numbers with a lot of dross. Finally, I am justified for technical reasons as well!
Thanks for reminding me how horrible the covers were, I had forgotten that was another factor that turned me off. :-)
Agreed though, sometimes compilations can be good value.
No matter what I always seem to learn something new with your videos. I just discovered your channel so I'm hitting a lot of your older videos. Hope you still read the comments on these. Just wanted you to know you're very appreciated for the service you are providing.
I love how you like vinyl without being a fanatic. You like all formats, even ones that don't always deserve it.
Tak Wolf Are you saying that perhaps DAT and Laserdisc are not deserving of love?
Also Klipsch R-15PM has a phono setting! I own a pair of those, they are pretty killer!
Thank you for the review on these beauties! Having recently acquired a Sony P-HX500 turntable I needed some active speakers. Since watching this video I bought them. Sound quality is really good.
Once again Techmoan teaches me the answer to a question I had over twenty years ago. I always wondered what the phono sockets were on the back of speakers and amps etc, and now I know...as always a great video.
Very informative! I am 63 years old so I knew all of that, but many don't, so VERY GOOD video!
Always love eating to tech moan vids :)
PrincessZoey97 I just woke up!!!
PrincessZoey97 what country are you in that your eating at that time?
Same here. Having some breakfast
just went to sleep like 5 mins ago
Raman noodles and Techmoan is the best
I love your videos. I recently subbed, having come across your channel several times. I ordered myself a big sleeve bluray of Aladdin the other day from Amazon, after seeing your video on them. I struggle to explain to my friends, but I think you get it. Something about having the large sleeve is really nice. I'm 25 and grew up listening to my parents vinyls as a kid and have a few of my own. I've always felt like they are better when it comes to value. You don't get a little plastic case, you get a large square picture that is typically really nice looking. It's a much more personal and unique experience. Since I grew up downloading all my music, it's almost something of a special occasion to pull out the vinyl.
Anyway, love your stuff, look forward to more.
The Roth speakers are fairly impressive! Good to know they’re available, thanks for sharing!🎧
I modified my Sony PS-212A turntable from 1979 by building a powered preamp into it. I removed the RCA wires, soldered them straight onto the preamp PCB, then put the line out through a 3.5mm female jack on the back so you can use a bog standard 3.5mm to RCA jack straight into the aux input of an amp or audio player. It can also easily be played through the PC's line-in using a standard car style 3.5mm to 3.5mm jack. Power to the preamp comes from a disassembled 9v power supply, I soldered the mains connectors through the relay on the turntable. So the second you move the tonearm to engage the motor, the preamp turns on. It's quite simple but it works marvelously. Looking at the turntable you'd never know it didn't come with preamp. Another modification I did is I replaced the mains lead with a grounded mains lead, and ran the ground from the turntable, through the wall plug using a resistor. Since most amps these days don't have a ground pin on the rear
"... and now I just put the preamp in the phono position..."
Your description of this process reminded me of an old SNL Dan Akroyd sketch where he did a parody of an evening television commercial with a bunch of contrived jargon that obviously only a specialist in the engineering field would ever understand.
New favorite episode! Techmoan is the the best retro tech channel around!
Bought the Kanto 4 speakers on your recommendation. They look, work, and sound great. Thanks for your vids!
Just bought some of these due to your vid, they are excellent, thanks! :-)
You're by far the best CZcamsr.
My receiver had a built in pre-amp. It's a newer receiver, too, so it does everything I want without needing a pre-amp. I love it!
Nice. The intro sound is much better now
Red looks nice. Very retro looking, it reminds me of the 60's and 70's laminex kitchen counter tops. I'm actually amazed these haven't existed before and that they're so expensive, but they do what you want so sometimes that's how it goes.
That O-Scope intro is awesome!
Perfect! just what I need to fit around the small space in my living room for TV and vinyl!
These are arriving today to be paired with the project 3a essential, thanks for the video, it pointed me in the right direction!
Thank you so much for this video! I've been trying to find the same solution, as my vintage amp set-up gave up the ghost not too long ago. Since then I've really missed playing my records but didn't want to invest in a whole new system and also really wanted to cut down on all the wires. These speakers look great...I'm definitely going to give them a shot!
I'm amazed that this is the first time someone has made speakers with this feature. Then again I frequently look for a product for a particular need of mine, thinking "somebody must have invented X which does this particular function X by now, it's such an obvious requirement" and not been able to find one anywhere! I should have gone into product design haha.
WHERE THE HECK DO YOU GET THESE WONDERFUL TOYS!? DUDE YOU'RE THE MASTER OF THIS STUFF!
Very nice review. This makes a lot of sense for someone like you eliminating all the wall warts and dongles!
nice choice of turntable to demonstrate, happens to be the model I bought the wife for her birthday last year!
These speakers are great and I highly recommend them to anyone and not just for use with a turntable.
I have a Pro-Ject turntable that came in a set with nearly identical speakers. They do sound really good.
Those are really nice speakers, audio quality seems great. I think I know for what to look out in the future.
Really love your channel due to your dedication to old tech. Yeah I still use vinyl ,cassettes and mini disc . Yeah mini disc
more portability than cassettes a long with the player . Thank you very much
Yes - definitely want to see the red!
Very neat solution, thanks for the video, my brother has been looking for something like this
*Somebody get this man some royalty free vinyl... and CDs and cassettes and 8-tracks and MP3s! PLEASE!!!!*
Hmmmm.... something obscure. How about "Jose He Say" by Linda Laurie?
Wow this is exactly what I needed yet not for a vinyl record player but, with so many connection possibilities, to amplify old shortwave tube radios used for SWL. Should work with mono inputs. I'll need a volume pot right on the speaker for my purposes so I'll check the video again to make sure this has that. Brilliant techmoan!
Radical AM Just realize that a phono (record) preamp input designed with a record in mind has the RIAA equalization curve engineered into it, which will distort the audio by greatly accentuating bass response while heavily suppressing treble since that is what is required to play a record properly. You won't hurt anything if you try it, but it may not be the best solution for other applications host demand a high impedance input. You will likely find such remains acceptable for voice but not so much if music is of interest.
Radical AM very good to see an old HAM radio guy here, long b4 I worked in the digital realm, I was immersed in vinyl, cassettes & other analog tech 🚀,, fortunately I still have some of my old cassette tapes and a small percentage of my vinyl collection.
Amazing speakers, amazing record player, amazing video! If only DAB digital radios like a Ruark or Revo had pre amp built in, although some models are mono it would still be pretty neat.
thanks I never knew about phono preamps and the importance for records.
It is sad people would rather comment on the power connectors of different countries, rather than the subject at hand. I like the idea of a powered speaker system with the phono preamp built in. It makes a nice alternative for playing a turntable vs the old options of either using an old Receiver or Amp (which many people dont have these days) or the separate phono preamp connected to a modern receiver that doesnt have the phono stage.
those roth speakers i like how they look. small but look like it gives good sound. i want to try to streamline all my things i have hooked up in the living room. less wires running everywhere and just a discrete looking setup but still has a good amount of power to run music playing in there or just helping make the audio sound better when watching movies or television
I bought these because of you!... not dissapointed :) keep up the good work!
new intro is awesome!
Good find. I'm going to go take a look at my current half-disconnected amp and such and see if these speakers are a better solution.
Been thinking about buying a turntable to play my old vinyl again, and I'd also need an amp (was thinking the Pioneer A400 I never got to own, but now they're decades old and probably failing) and also speakers. These look perfect, so I can spend more on the turntable. If I do go for these I'll use your link. Thanks for the great video.
Lovely new intro!
I just recently acquired a small CRT from an old door intercom surveillance system used previously in one of my family's houses.
It's an old half local half chinese manufacture 4~5 inch black and white CRT with analog input "RCA composite", I might try to implement some sort of visualization circuit similar to a one used in a oscilloscope that sends the visual signal in analog composite.
exactly what I was looking for in a speaker system
very nice speakers handy for having a small music setup elsewhere
those are some nice looking binding posts!
Your videos on audio equipment always make me want to build an elaborate hi-fi system but I don't really have the money or space at the moment.
Those speakers look great
After seeing your review of the Roth VA4 active speekers, i was so impressed with then went out and bought a pair. If you want an inbuilt preamp and speekers for your desktop i could not recommended them more. As to the complaints. The Bluetooth is basic at best and the remote control is the cheapest thing i have ever had the misfortune to own, for the price I would have expected better. Just be careful when changing battery as the pin broke off with the lightest pressure. All those complaints aside these speakers are a nice allrounder overall
Thankyou techmoan for making me happy
The amplifier that we use at home is made by Rotel and it works very well with our Technics SL-B21. The amplifier was part of a HiFi system that my dad got when we was 21 and it is only thing from the system that is working. there was a Dual turn table.
Intro was so awesome!
Blimey...They look great value for the money. great video mate
Wow! I love that new intro!
This is such a damn good channel. Really enjoy these videos. ^-^
Very cool speakers.
Great informative video and those speakers look pretty smart.
Very nice. Of course nothing compares to a nice traditional setup through a good quality amplifier. But sure, a simple affordable solution.
i love your vids man, im a huge fan!
YAY! A video on my birthday!
happy birthday!
Keep up the quality videos!
Of note, my circa 2005 Denon receiver does have proper phono inputs. Incidentally just the other day I snagged a cheap late 60's / early 70's turntable with a built in preamp, so yeah, there's always that random find.
Easy way to tell if you need a preamp or not would be if you have a ground wire / post on the turntable - if so, then some kind of preamp is supposed to go in the mix.
love the new intro!
great video, thanks, my issue was the pre amp
Thank you Techmoan from watching your video just bought these speakers for myself. I am really happy, shame there is not a headphone jack.
leetylr you can always buy an RCA to headphone jack 3.5mm adapter
awesome... want one asap, thanks for the information.
Awesome video. Thanks for uploading
Great job Techmoan
Love the new intro.
Love the new intro!
Just did a quick search for 'turntable amplifier' on amazon UK, there's a denon and a pioneer (there may be others), both have phono, the Denon is cheaper than those speakers but you will need to add speakers to each.
Though for testing, your solution works great, nice and neat.
(I was thinking that searching for phono amp may not have brought up results)
I have a Marantz PM6006, last years model, and it has a built-in phono pre-amp. That's one of the reasons I got it. Cost a lot too, like 500€, but for music? Anything!
I like that new intro!
That was a sick intro, great video too
I replaced my old JBL Control Ones with some passive Roth Oli speakers, and I must say, I love them for the price. My amp, a Denon PMA-520AE, while quite entry level, does me just fine, has a phono input and all the other inputs I would need
Incredible intro
They all coexist in my household.... I like that.
Those are pretty nifty! I like that. Might work perfect for my mother actually (and no that's not a knock on them, the feature set and appearance would be right for her I think)
Great idea. Manufacturers need to come up with better alternatives to the Cheap Crosley decks, for people not raised on multi box systems. I applaud Roth for this. A further refinement would be a MONO switch on the back and the ability to buy the single powered speaker alone. A lot of modern sources and sounddocks are only mono anyway and it provides a cheaper entry point with a smaller footprint. You could upgrade to stereo as you went . maybe a soundbar version that you could lay in front of the deck ? Basically a modern Dansette that does your vinyl justice, lasts and doesn't track at damaging levels
Klipsch R-15PM came out last year and have a built in phono pre-amp. They look very similar on the back to those roth speakers
The new Kanto YU6 speakers look great too and don't cost all that much extra compared to how much extra power they pack AND they have more input ports.
I'm guessing you are in the US - in the UK they are £190 more than these speakers (almost double the price).
Some companies kept phono pre-amps in their receivers for a long time.
The last receiver I bought was a Kenwood VR-6070, introduced in 2002. 5.1 THX etc. AND a phono pre-amp.
2002 wasn't quite the nadir of LP sales (1.3 million units, or 1 million more than in 1993, which I believe was the nadir). Kenwood kept the pre-amp right to the very end, about 2005 or so
ooooh you *did* use that as a new intro! neat
Hey Techmoan thanks for this video. I couldn't figure out why my record player was having humming in the background. Turns out I had forgotten to attach the ground wire thing.
Beautiful turntable :D
I love the new intro vid!
I use Kanto Yu6 (Bamboo) and with AT-LP60XBT which is no fuss, looks great and sounds excellent in my opinion 🙂
I'm in the vinyl camp, now that I have every Rush album on vinyl. I have a Planer 3 and S.E.E. Revolver turntables to play over 800 records on.
new oscilloscope intro is badass
I'm just gonna throw this out there: vinyl is better by definition because often times it's the original master being written directly to the vinyl. That's what's really good.
I found the ps-audio sprout to work very well indeed and I can use whatever speakers I like with only 1 extra speaker cable over this solution :D
Wow, I made it early. Awesome intro!
Great content, love the videos.
How Do you know how to fix all these things??? You are the MASTER!!! I worship you!!!
I typically don't like the sticky feet option. They tend to unstick themselves overtime. My preferred isolation mechanism for bookshelf or desktop speakers is to use thick mouse pads. They are just about the right size for many of the speakers that I have had and of course they are easy to come by. One time, I had a pair of speakers that were too boomy, so I doubled up the mouse pads under each to ease the vibrations.
Glad you put your authentic music along with the new intro, last week music was way off!!
#OldButGold
If you have a tape recorder, you can use the mic inputs with RCA to 3/4 mono plugs to play a magnetic cart turntable
I Like the new intro
I started with Vintage Audio Equipment. Mostly due to the affordability. There are so many advantages with vintage amplifiers etc. Especially not needing a pre-amp, not I can afford modern equipment but still stick to the stunning vintage HIFI.