The AT-PL120 uses a magnetic cartridge to extract a music signal from the record. Magnetic cartridges all put out a very weak electric signal, and so their output must be strengthened, or amplified, to where it is as strong as the input from, say, a CD player. This amplification is provided by a pre-amp. If your receiver has dedicated "phono" inputs the pre-amp circuits are already in the receiver. If you do not have dedicated phono inputs you must either buy a pre-amp, or buy a magnetic cartridge turntable with a pre-amp built into itself. The AT-PL120 has a built in pre-amp. You can switch the AT-PL120's preamp on or off. The switch is located under the platter at the back side of the turntable. Take the platter mat off and turn one of the platter's holes to the back and you should see the switch through the hole. If you push the switch to LINE OUT the preamp is turned on and the turntable sends an amplified cartridge signal out the cables which MUST be connected to a receiver inout suitable for a CD player (a "high level" input). If you push the pre-amp selector switch to PHONO OUT the turntable sends the weak unstrengthened cartridge signal out the cables which MUST be connected to the receiver's dedicated PHONO inputs so the signal can be amplified with the receiver's own pre-amp circuits.
If everything is set wrong (i.e. LINE OUT (pre-amp on), and connected to phono inputs) you are applying two steps of strengthening to the turntable's signal which is too much. The resultant sound will be garbled. Try not to do this!
The other way to do everything wrong is set the pre-amp switch to PHONO OUT (pre-amp off) and connect the turntable's cables to a high level input. If this happens the turntable signal receives no amplification and the resultant sound will be thin and weak.
It sounds like your turntable is over-driving volume into your receiver. If the turntable has a volume control, turn it all the way down first, then turn your stereo volume up to the level you would normally listen to and slowly turn up the turntable volume until the music sounds right to you. Use the volume control on your receiver to control over-all volume. If your turntable does not have a volume control, make sure the cable you have connected it with is running from the "line out" jack and not the "headphones" jack. Let me know if this helps :)
It sounds as though the turntable has an preamplifier built-in. The Phono input of the Sansui is probably matched to an unamplified magnetic cartridge. If that is the case, yes, it is terribly overdriven. Try connecting the turntable output to the Tape or Auxilliary input to see if that helps.
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wikkid420,
Thank you very much for your response, unfortunately after looking high and low on my player i was not able to find a volume control knob, and i also verified that the cables were properly connected to the correct jack, but it still did as it was doing before. But i noticed now that even when i turned down the volume on the reciever, the sound was still crunchy and distorted when it was playing very softly through the record player, you know how you can still kinda here it even when the reciever is turned off/down. Thank you once again, and if you have any more possible options i would love to know.
Did you set the weight to correct setting?
My technics is balanced then add 1.5, yours should be listed if not just heavy enough to prevent skipping.
Did you clean record?
speed setting? does it have a strobe?
needle not in stylus correctly, maybe twisted slightly?
check closely to see if any paper from the album sleeve has started to stick to the record.
And do remember after listening to cd's for years records do sound scratchy and as eddie murphy once said hey this sounds like s***!.
Hope this helped
Bill
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