Hello folks,

I have just received (after several recommendations) a GF9494 and on initial testing would have to agree that it has a very nice sound to it indeed. I am pleasantly surprised after trying a few other Sharp's.

Anyway; the only inputs are microphone or Phono and the Phono is most definitely the very sensitive type designed for MM Turntables and it won't cope with CD or MP3 line levels. Is there any device out there that can attenuate line levels down to Phono levels? I already have Phono stages that boost a turntable up to line levels (for amps that don't have specific turntable inputs) but these don't work in reverse.

There is a 5 pin din but this is an output for an external amplifier.

Otherwise this fine sounding machine will just have to play tapes and radio for the rest of it's life; which seems a shame.

Any guidance would be highly appreciated.

Nick

Hi to everybody. Joined S2G today - just now, though I have been an avid "reader" for some time now.

Here is a way to connect line input to any radio/stereo - learned from my childhood friend Benny (I learn that he is sadly no more now).

Find out the earthing and input pin of the Volume control pot of your radio or stereo.

Connect the Line-out terminal from any external device to these two points. The radio will play the input as long as it is on. It doesn't matter whether it is Radio, Tape or Line in/Phono is in on position. Only thing is that the input will get mixed with what is playing within the stereo. Hence use either Phono or tune to no signal area with radio. Don't use the tape, as the motor will be always running, wearing out.

Earth terminal is common throughout the chasis/pcb. Hence it could be connected to almost any earth point near to the pot. You can find the input terminal by trial and error. If you connect to the output, radio will play at full volume, that's all. 

Being a stereo, you will have to connect to the Left & Right side potentiometers separately.

If you can find out a schematic for your stereo, you can even trace out the PCB path to the potentiometer legs and connect the inputs on the PCB itself.

I have successfully done this with my Sony MHC-1200 mini deck and I am using it as the amp for my HT rear channels. It is having only Phono input. What I did was, I isolated the Phono input RCA socket pins from the system circuit by cutting off the PCB (make a groove on the PCB with a sharp blade!) and then used jump wires from the RCA socket legs to a point on the PCB leading to the L/R pots. Thus I am able to use the same Phono sockets for Line-In now.

hi Nick, sorry i can be of no help on the input issue but congrats on a great box, the 9494 does sound great and is built like a tank

also welcome aboard AE stereo, your contributions will be appreciated, enjoy the mad house lol

Dead easy answer...it has a mic input on the top.  Plug in your mp3 into it using a 3.5mm cable, set the 9494 to phono just so you have no other input and flick the mixing switch to on and the level knob all the way to mic.  You need to lower the volume on the mp3 to prevent distortion but get it right and it works perfectly.

Thats how I use mine and its an awesome and beautiful box!!

Thank you kindly for the suggestions. I will dig out a lead and try the less intrusive one first!

My machine was a bit expensive for a non minter, but it should clean up nicely and everything works as it should so that's a good start.

I am picking up what looks like a mint Philips D8734 tomorrow and am pretty excited about that. Before the end of the week I should also be in posession of an Aiwa 950 and that is even more teriffic. The collection is coming along nicely. All I have to do now is detach myself from the Toshiba RT bug that has been afflicting me for so long. I have several RT120s machines and can't make one good one out of them yet! Just can't rest until I have my teenage machine again! I know; idiot.

The 9494 is an expensive box to be fair as it is a real looker...mine is shown on my avatar ...mine was traded for a box that cost me £18...hee hee

That Philips is a bloomin big box and the Aiwa is a corker.  That Tosh is a bit of a  cheapie tho!...I did the same and got my teenage machine which was a Sharp GF4646 which is even punier than that Tosh...it was a big disappointment, still have it tho

don't want to dissapoint here Nick but don't expect too much from the philips.

they sound just ok, not much bass, also it's a 3 piece unit and not the best quality one sadly

on carrying it feels as though the speakers could drop off anytime.

still it looks great and has some nice features so you may like it.

the 950 though is a great box, has the look, the build quality, and sounds great so it should fill the gap on the philips.

be sure to come back with your verdicts on the 2 of them

not at all! that's precisely what it's all our passion about: no more idiot and no less grandiose than marcel proust's recherche (of bygone days). by the way, may i suggest that the tosh is your madeleine -or your one and only grail, if you will? 

Samovar; 

The Tosh is more like Nicolas Cage's Eleanor. It will be the ruin of me!

good result on your 9494 nick ,  the philips looks the part but turn the volume up with any bass and things get ugly also if the decks play and there is no fw/rw broken gears for sure .

Hmm.

Following your recommendation of the D8614 I thought I had struck lucky and got it's big brother with the D8734!

No more assumptions from me!

or like keats' belle dame sans merci. "each man kills the thing he loves" according to oscar wilde. and the reverse is true too. because passion devours

the 8614 in my opinion is by far a better box as it's one piece and performs great for it's size.

remember this is only my opinion, you may love the 8734 and i hope you do

nick,

you need to get yourself down to maplins and purchase a fm transmitter, there's all types you can get but mines a tiny device that plugs straight into the bottom of my i-phone.....works really well,i use mine all the time plus you can have as many boxes going at one time straight from your i-pod!

I have ordered an attenuator from CPC for about £7 and the same device was £16 on Amazon! I will try that tomorrow. Also I like your thinking stereo mad. All of them playing the same tune! Awesome, and that will help me decide which sounds best; or which has the best tuner anyway!

I read on another thread here that there was some improvement to the bass from the D8734 by damping the speaker enclosures, so I was going to shove some accoustic matting in there anyway. We will see.....

that's like my one si..... works really well

I had also tried with the FM transmitter before opening my Sony deck, but set aside it for poor sound quality. If Audio Quality is no concern, FM transmitter is the best solution.