A Couple of Qs for Audiophiles

SwingsitlikeHogan

SwingsitlikeHogan

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I have got my Dunlop Systemdek turntable back up and running with my vintage 1975 Rotel RX-402 Receiver. Couple of Qs.

I need a set of headphones, but is there any way I can go wireless, plugging some form of analogue to wireless converter transmitter thingy into the receiver‘s 3.5mm output (headphone) socket.

Similar to above…is there a wireless/Bluetooth thingy I can plug into the receiver (same 3.5mm socket?) to send the audio from the receiver to my Yamaha Soundbar. May be the same solution to my headphone question.

I‘ve done a bit of research but not found any definitive solutions - maybe for the first Q but not for the second so wondering if anyone has a working solution for either or both.
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
I have got my Dunlop Systemdek turntable back up and running with my vintage 1975 Rotel RX-402 Receiver. Couple of Qs.

I need a set of headphones, but is there any way I can go wireless, plugging some form of analogue to wireless converter transmitter thingy into the receiver‘s 3.5mm output (headphone) socket.

Similar to above…is there a wireless/Bluetooth thingy I can plug into the receiver (same 3.5mm socket?) to send the audio from the receiver to my Yamaha Soundbar. May be the same solution to my headphone question.

I‘ve done a bit of research but not found any definitive solutions - maybe for the first Q but not for the second so wondering if anyone has a working solution for either or both.
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I don't know but the Av Forums will be able to help.

AV Forums
 
Yes and yes.

You can buy plug in bluetooth transmitters. They are normally powered by a USB socket though so you may also need a phone charger plug and you may need a headphone converter if you have got the headphone jack size wrong, I would expect a 1975 amp to have a 6.35 (.25") socket.

They are quite cheap to buy.

My bluetooth transmitter also doubles as a receiver.

e.g https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/38559184...JVS7IfTK7h4+A7nl8FvKtdNKw=|tkp:Bk9SR_TFrprMYg
 
Interesting. Why not just use your speakers for an authentic experience?

My kit (Nad turntable, 3020 amp, Tannoy speakers and about 200 LPs) is in the loft, must get it out at some point.
 
KenL said:
Interesting. Why not just use your speakers for an authentic experience?

My kit (Nad turntable, 3020 amp, Tannoy speakers and about 200 LPs) is in the loft, must get it out at some point.
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We live in a semi with elderly neighbours and sometimes of an evening I’d just like to listen nice and loud.

Besides, I need to do quite a bit of sorting out of the speaker cabling (and checking the phasing) plus my Mrs is not happy with speakers being prominent in our front room and will prefer them tucked out of the way and out of sight if possible - not exactly conducive to the best listening experience.

I‘d also like to be able to put a record on in our front room and listen to it in our back room through our tv Soundbar (no chance of me getting another pair of speakers in the back room unless wireless so same issue)
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
We live in a semi with elderly neighbours and sometimes of an evening I’d just like to listen nice and loud.
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Just keep in mind that the thing which most influences the feeling of "nice and loud" is the impact of bass on the body, rather than what's entering your ears. Which means that if you're using headphones, to achieve a sense of "nice and loud" generally requires turning it up to a potentially damaging level. Be careful.
 
cliveb said:
Just keep in mind that the thing which most influences the feeling of "nice and loud" is the impact of bass on the body, rather than what's entering your ears. Which means that if you're using headphones, to achieve a sense of "nice and loud" generally requires turning it up to a potentially damaging level. Be careful.
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…by which I suppose I mean ’not deathly quiet’…but yes…your point is taken 👍
 
KenL said:
Interesting. Why not just use your speakers for an authentic experience?

My kit (Nad turntable, 3020 amp, Tannoy speakers and about 200 LPs) is in the loft, must get it out at some point.
Click to expand...

The experience of listening to music with a set of really good headphones is another experience in itself. You get to fully appreciate the stereo effects in much more detail .

Last night I lay in bed listening to Tangerine Dream - Force Majeure and I think headphones are the best way to listen to it.
 
I don't have anything more helpful to add (sorry), but I do have a Dunlop systemdek in my loft...
It's the one that looks like a pressure cooker (2?). I'll have to dig out out one day, but I wonder if the bearing will need oiling and I haven't the foggiest idea where to start. Belt is probably a bit ragged by now as well. Also will have to get a dust cover , as it's pretty impractical without one. Vintage 1982 iirc.
 
jim8flog said:
The experience of listening to music with a set of really good headphones is another experience in itself. You get to fully appreciate the stereo effects in much more detail .

Last night I lay in bed listening to Tangerine Dream - Force Majeure and I think headphones are the best way to listen to it.
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Listening through headphones and speakers are two entirely different experiences.

Headphones reveal inner detail that is far more difficult to hear on speakers.
But if you want to experience the "structural impact" of the music (can't think of a better term), you need to move serious amounts of air, and that only comes from a good set of speakers.
 
Picking up this thread for another basic question for those who may have tried it out.

We are redoing the room I listen to my vinyl in. Trying to work out where to put the speakers my wife is strongly resisting stand- or wall-mounted as she hates exposed connecting cables and wires.

Do I lose the point of vinyl (analogue) sound if I try to go wireless from receiver (my vintage Rotel) to a new pair of wireless or bluetooth speakers (are wireless and Bluetooth one and the same by the way). May be that my vintage Rotel/Systemdek combination plus Dali Zensor 2 speakers isn’t up to much in any case…so little in the way of analogue fidelity to lose…I don’t have anything to compare it with.

Unfortunately I can’t think of going to such as the Cambridge audio EVO-150 suggested elsewhere by @GreiginFife - £1,999 is waaay beyond any budget I might find.
 
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SwingsitlikeHogan said:
Picking up this thread for another basic question for those who may have tried it out.

We are redoing the room I listen to my vinyl in. Trying to work out where to put the speakers my wife is strongly resisting stand- or wall-mounted as she hates exposed connecting cables and wires. Do I lose the point of vinyl (analogue) sound if I try to go wireless from receiver (my vintage Rotel) to a new pair of wireless or bluetooth speakers (are wireless and Bluetooth one and the same by the way)
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I'm not sure you "lose the point" as the bluetooth/wireless signal won't clean up the source, merely broadcast it so any pops, crackle and hiss will still be present.

The risk of any wireless solution is interference. Newer bluetooth devices give good connectivity in relatively close set-ups like any wireless, the further you go and the more obstacles you put in the way the worse it will get. But a receiver and speakers in the same room within 25m of each other should be fine.

Wireless and bluetooth are both the same concept and for the most part bluetooth will be described as wireless (as that's what it is), but always check the specs as wireless, in limited scenarios these days, can be used to reference RF signal (usually 2.4GHz) - you don't want that as it's terrible for music, I speak from experience here.
 
GreiginFife said:
I'm not sure you "lose the point" as the bluetooth/wireless signal won't clean up the source, merely broadcast it so any pops, crackle and hiss will still be present.

The risk of any wireless solution is interference. Newer bluetooth devices give good connectivity in relatively close set-ups like any wireless, the further you go and the more obstacles you put in the way the worse it will get. But a receiver and speakers in the same room within 25m of each other should be fine.

Wireless and bluetooth are both the same concept and for the most part bluetooth will be described as wireless (as that's what it is), but always check the specs as wireless, in limited scenarios these days, can be used to reference RF signal (usually 2.4GHz) - you don't want that as it's terrible for music, I speak from experience here.
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Thanks Greig…just wasn’t sure whether or not there was compression associated with going wireless - and I’ve added a bit about your CA EVO suggestion 👍😍
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
Thanks Greig…just wasn’t sure whether or not there was compression associated with going wireless - and I’ve added a bit about your CA EVO suggestion 👍😍
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It will compress the signal for transmission but it should still be a like for like transmit.

The Evo has a smaller sibling in the Evo 75 which unfortunately lacks some inputs and a little of the power of the 150.

But, and I get what you're saying about it being expensive, it's still one of the best things I've bought audio wise (aside from my Technics of course) and it gets used pretty much every day.
 
GreiginFife said:
It will compress the signal for transmission but it should still be a like for like transmit.

The Evo has a smaller sibling in the Evo 75 which unfortunately lacks some inputs and a little of the power of the 150.

But, and I get what you're saying about it being expensive, it's still one of the best things I've bought audio wise (aside from my Technics of course) and it gets used pretty much every day.
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The EVO is def a route I may well consider in time as life and the future unfolds as it will. Would be nice to be able to listen to my records in a ‘room next door’ to my turntable. Of course I may be as well dumping my Rotel/Systemdek combo and start anew with current stuff.
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
The EVO is def a route I may well consider in time as life unfolds as it will.
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I’ll add to caveat all of the above, I’m not an audiophile. I think the whole audiophile thing is a racket as we all hear differently and through DJing and attending hundreds of raves over the years, my hearing isn’t perfect so perfect audio makes little to no difference to me. But I know what I like the sound of.
 
GreiginFife said:
I’ll add to caveat all of the above, I’m not an audiophile. I think the whole audiophile thing is a racket as we all hear differently and through DJing and attending hundreds of raves over the years, my hearing isn’t perfect so perfect audio makes little to no difference to me. But I know what I like the sound of.
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This is what I struggle a bit with. I like what I hear from my setup but as I don’t listen to anyone else’s I have no idea how good or average it might be…and so I choose to just stick with what I’ve got - including my near 50yr old receiver and 40yr old turntable. I have no idea whether or not a new amp might improve things…and don’t know of any way of finding out.
 
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