Hidden Sound’s ECO and EVO sets are closed active 2.1 systems, to which you can connect a gramophone/vinyl player only through a RIAA preamplifier, which features the volume pot. An RIAA preamp is always used between a turntable and an amplifier which is not equipped with an RIAA/Phono input, like our Hidden Sound amplifier inside the Cube.
The RIAA standard is set by the Recording Industry Association of America, and is a standard for recording and playing vinyl records.
Why do we need it?
Because the music signal directly from a pickup is incredibly weak and requires both adaptation and additional amplification before being sent into an amplifier. For this, you need an RIAA amp to get the right sound from your vinyl records.
Alternatively, you can connect your vinyl player with any Hidden Sound set through a preamplifier, which features a "PHONO IN" line. You connect both options with an RCA red-and-white-jack-audio cable from the line out to the RCA red-and-white audio sockets on the back of the Hidden Cube. Please be careful, you cannot play a Hidden Sound set straight from a vinyl player, nor from a preamp without a volume pot.