Audio Systems: All-In-One Stereo?, phono preamplifier, line level input

Question
I had a system that had cassette, turntable and 8-track(a really strange tape medium).

My system was recently hit during a lightning strike.

I'd like to find an All-In-One system with turntable, cassette (double deck). Am/Fm, and turntable. Can you advise me as to where to find this system?

Cliff Smales

Answer
Dear Cliff,

I have not seen an "all in one" system that included a turntable in close to 20 years. And that one was in a department store's "hi fi" section. It was made by Fisher.

What you can get is everything but the turntable, and you can get them in all sizes and styles at Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears, Target, and so on.

If you need a turntable, I'd suggest getting an inexpensive one (check www.needledoctor.com--some good ones as low as $100) and make sure the "all in one" system you get has a PHONO input. If it doesn't have a PHONO input, you can get a small phono preamplifier at www.phonopreamplifiers.com, plug it into the AUX input on the "all in one" unit, and plug the turntable into the phono preamplifier. Don't forget to ground the turntable, or all you'll hear is hum. The phono preamp should have a grounding screw.

Whatever you do, don't plug the turntable into a line level input (AUX, TUNER, CD, etc.) without a phono preamp. All you'll get is wispy, unsubstantial sound.

BTW, I was around when 8-track was all the rage. It had replaced 4-track, and was replaced itself by the cassette. Yes, it was a very, very strange medium, mostly because it would change tracks in the middle of a song: "Oh my darling please [THUNK] surrender..." What were they thinking?

Good luck. And thanks for choosing allexperts.com!

Kindest regards,

Kevin