Turntable Help

[MasterSandman II]

I just found a turntable in storage inside my parents house so I decided to hook it up to my surround system to see how everything sounds. I have a few questions..

Does vinyl go loud or not? It comes through the speakers and everything but it's extremely quiet. It's pretty scratchy and stuff but I realize it is because the records are old and dirty but should the audio be sooooooooo quiet? I have my system cranked and it's definitely not as loud as I'd like. Do I need some kind of pre-amp for a turntable?

I have a Panasonic PL-7 Fully Automatic Turntable and the cartridge I'm using is this one:
http://www.thesource.ca/estore/Product.aspx?language=en-CA&catalog=Online&category=Cartridges+%26+Stylus&product=4208610

Is the record player just old or do I need something extra?

It has a red and white RCA output along with one that I've never seen before. It's a forked metal output. Maybe this has to be plugged into something but I'm not sure what

Edit: I did some more reading and I guess I need a Phono Pre-Amp, correct?

[TriState]

Correct. You will need a phono pre-amp for newer sound systems. I have one of these (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/BBE-FJB200X-Phono-Preamp?sku=801600) and it works just fine. You could also go with one of these (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Behringer-Microphono-PP400-Phono-Preamp?sku=187200) (I own one of those too but don't use it enough to have a strong comparison in my head).

The forked wire is for the ground. You will need to attach this to the phono preamp.

[GRC]

Correct again.

Also, when selecting your phono pre-amp, make sure whether it handles moving-coil cartridges, moving-magnet cartridges, or both. I can't tell from the link what type your Audio-Technica is.....

Regards, Graham

[jamroom]

For that price I would almost guarantee it's a moving magnet cart, which any phono stage will amplify.

If your phono stage doesn't have a binding post for the earthing / ground lead, you could attach it to a case screw on the back.

You probably also want at least to buy a brush to remove some dust from the grooves.

Good luck!