Radial Engineering J33 User Manual - page 4
True to the Music
3
Radial Engineering
J33 User Guide
To connect to professional balanced systems, the Radial J33 is
equipped with a pair of male XLR connectors. The active bal-
anced drivers convert the signal to a low impedance (600Ω),
microphone level, stereo signal. The J33’s balanced XLR out-
puts can drive turntable signals well over 100 meters (328 feet)
without appreciable loss or noise. This makes the J33 ideal for
driving turntable signals through a snake system on stage and
through the patchbays and complex wiring systems that abound
in the professional studio.
The Radial J33 may be powered with 48V phantom or with the
included 15VDC power supply. The J33 will automatically select
the power source and the two LED on the front panel will illumi-
nate, indicating power is present.
This is the RIAA EQ curve that the J33 applies to the turntable
signal. The exact opposite curve was encoded into the signal
when the vinyl LP was pressed.
RIAA PREAMP
An RIAA phono preamp is a device that boosts the signal
from a turntable and applies a pre-defined equalization
curve. The RIAA equalization curve is applied as pre-em-
phasis EQ during the cutting of the metal master, and as a
de-emphasis EQ on playback. In other words, a record is
cut with the low frequencies reduced and the high frequen-
cies boosted (pre-emphasis), and on playback the opposite
occurs (de-emphasis). The RIAA preamp in the J33 pro-
vides this required de-emphasis EQ.
The result is a flat frequency response, but with noise such
as hiss and clicks arising from the surface of the record it-
self reduced (or “attenuated”). The RIAA equalization curve
has operated as a global industry standard for the record-
ing and playback of vinyl records since 1954.
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