dumb question...I apologize

While there are ways to make this unimaginably complicated, here's a straightforward answer to get things going: You'd plug the RCAs from the turntable into the inputs of your external phono stage of choice, and then plug the outputs from that into one of the line inputs in your preamp. And you'll be good to go. With that many albums, I'm betting you'll have lots of fun with this.

ok....that is helpful. Any gain issues to deal with or will the pre look at this input as just another ? I think I am remembering all of this. Jeez....LPs.....turntable. Am I too old for this?

Derbim, what you're proposing is exactly how stand-alone phono stages are designed to work. A phono pre bumps up to 'line' voltage suitable for a line pre-amp, just like, say, a CDP.

Almost none of them have a vol control anyway so you could not go direct to amp.

No need to apologize -- as the saying goes "the only dumb question is the one not asked."

Phono stages are typically designed to work into line-level inputs of line stage preamps. Occasionally situations will crop up where mm cartridges have greater than average output and all of the electronic components have greater than average gains or sensitivities, resulting in mismatch problems, but those situations are unusual.

Your Bryston amp does not appear to be unduly sensitive, and in fact gives you some flexibility by providing sensitivity that is selectable between two settings. I think it's very unlikely that you'll have a problem, but for added confirmation you might want to post back indicating the model of your preamp and cartridge, and your candidate phono stage(s) when you've selected them.

Regards,
-- Al