Budget Phono Preamp? revisited

Haven't heard the NAD, Creek or Parasound, but I did own a Rotel phono pre-amp which did not sound as good as the Project I'm now using. I'm really impressed by the little Sumiko Project! (I'm using a Music Hall MMF-5
TT)

I have the Sumiko Project Phono Box SE, the upgrade of the little phono box, and I like it a lot. It supports both MC and MM; have not tried it with MC, but will be as soon as my upgraded rb250 arrives.

Currently using it on an old Ariston TT, and rebuilding a Planar 2 (upgrade motor, and Express re-wiring and JA Michell Technoweight for the arm) which I can't wait to try it on.

Do you like the music you hear? If so, then it's a decent setup. I don't think that going with a "slightly" better phono pre amp is going to do you much good. Save your money until you can make a major step up (probably involving your amp).

I just picked up a Parasound PPH-100 on ebay. It seems to
work well, and supports both MM and the higher-output MC. It
eliminated the hum that I was getting with the other AC-based
preamp I tried.

Mark