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One Fix Changes Everything You Hear

8.0K views· 556 likes· 8:17· Mar 15, 2026

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Gain staging isn't as difficult a concept to grasp. Once you play around with it, it's like unlocking the next level. *Sign up for my free weekly newsletter* ➡️ https://joyofvinyl.com *Contact Me* ➡️ https://joyofvinyl.com *PSVane Tubes*: https://psvane.co/?ref=JOYOFVINYL 🎶 *Stylus Tracker App:* https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stylus-tracker/id6743324771 🎶 *Vinyl Speed App:* https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vinyl-speed/id6744256154 🎶 *Vinyl Vibrations App:* https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vinyl-vibrations/id6744256783 🎶 *Vinyl Notes App:* https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vinyl-notes/id6744258093 Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more videos on vinyl records, audio gear, and accessories. *My Current System & Equipment (as of this video)* • Thorens TD 160 Super w/RB880 Tonearm • Hana MH cartridge • Aric Audio Super MM Phono Stage (NOS RCA 5751s & NOS MAZDA 12AU7, NOS RCA 5U4Gb, NOS Raytheon OD3s) • Aric Audio Transcend Amp (NOS RCA 6SN7s, NOS National Union 6SN7, NOS Mullard EL34s - Blackburn) • KLH Model 5 Speakers • Stack Audio Auva EQ Absorption feet • Stack Audio Serene Stabilizer • Transparent PLUS RCA Interconnect • Transparent PLUS Speaker Cables • Transparent High Performance Power Cords • PowerWave conditioner with Performance Power Cord • Dedicated Electrical Outlet & Breaker from Main House Feed ---------------------------------------------------------------- *Recommended Products* *AudioQuest Anti-Static Brush:* https://amzn.to/3UYjTue *Boundless Stylus Cleaner:* https://amzn.to/3OL0eK8 *Spin-Clean:* https://amzn.to/3UGDEFj *Anti-Static Inner Sleeves:* https://amzn.to/4aq94pi *Record Doctor X:* https://amzn.to/3WFQZAk *Zerostat Anti-Static Gun:* https://amzn.to/3WzwSUl =========================== Footage Used in the Video: Video by Martina Tomšič: https://www.pexels.com/video/a-woman-walking-on-a-tree-log-maintaining-her-balance-3562083/ Video by Kelly : https://www.pexels.com/video/a-man-running-on-the-road-2910036/ Video by Miguel Á. Padriñán: https://www.pexels.com/video/high-angle-view-of-a-vinyl-in-a-turntable-5983037/ Video by Alessandro Nofi: https://www.pexels.com/video/close-up-view-of-a-turntable-with-vinyl-record-playing-4799189/ =========================== My mission here at the Joy of Vinyl is to bring together a community of vinyl record enthusiasts and to introduce a new generation to the "joy of vinyl". Some product links are affiliate links, which means if you buy something, I'll receive a small commission (Which will help keep the show running!). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. More about me and my portfolio at https://RickCoste.com #AudioGear #MusicLovers #HifiAudio #VinylCommunity #VinylCollection #RecordCollection #vinyl #turntable

About This Video

Have you ever noticed that little hiss under the music—almost like a faucet running—especially between tracks? Or maybe your system gets harsh and strained when you turn it up, and you start blaming cables, the cartridge, the amp, or even the speakers. In this video I walk through the real culprit I see all the time: gain staging. It’s not some mystical “setting.” It’s simply managing how loud the signal is at each step in your chain—from cartridge to phono stage to amp to speakers—so no single component is working too hard (or not hard enough). I use a simple relay-race analogy: if one runner is sprinting and the next is jogging, the handoff gets sloppy. Same thing in audio. If your phono stage gain is too low, you crank the amp and you boost the whole noise floor right along with the music—hello hiss, reduced dynamics, and less headroom. If the gain is too high, you can overload the amp’s input and get clipping, harshness, and fatigue (and hot-cut records will push it over the edge). My quick test: with a record playing at a comfortable level, your volume knob should typically land somewhere around 10 to 1 o’clock (10 to 12 is even better). Tweak gain so your sources match reasonably close, avoid double-amplifying a built-in preamp, and let your ears tell you when everything snaps into balance—because it really can change everything you hear, and it won’t cost you a dime.

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