I've embarked on a similar project to the one here:
In order to make things easier on myself I purchased this kit for the cartridge: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Stereo-Conversion-Kit-Fits-RCA-Victor-RP-168-RP-190-45-RPM-Record-Changers/133292756781 I know I could have gone the route in the video, but I figured the pre-weighted and aligned kit would be worth it in time savings. I believe this kit is made from the same Chuo Denshi cartridge used in the video.
When I put it all together and plugged it into the same preamp that I use with my other turntables, it sounded completely overdriven with a pronounced 60hz hum. I spent some time troubleshooting before I emailed the seller of the kit to ask if they had any suggestions. They told me that the kit doesn't need a preamp and suggested I plug it directly into the receiver. I tried this and while the signal is no longer overdriven, it has harsh highs and has absolutely no bass. I'm also confused because I've never heard of a turntable that didn't need a preamp of some kind. I've heard of turntables that have preamps built in, but never one could simply connect the cartridge directly to the output and use a standard RCA line level input.
Is this the nature of the Chuo Denshi cartridge? or do I need some kind of special preamp?
