Getting a new table what pre-amp to get

12-11-11: Billybob7088
What about a plug in board for my Creek? Anyone have experience with one?

Excellent idea. Creek has always been committed to the LP market even when it wasn't fashionable in the mid-'90s. I hadn't noticed you had a Creek integrated in your original post. You'll get the most for your money with the plug-in board because you're only paying for the phono preamp parts, not the power supply or casework. It'll also save you a set of interconnects and you know it'll be an ideal impedance and output match with your amp.

I've heard Creek phono and integrated amp rigs and they sound very nice.

What about a plug in board for my Creek? Anyone have experience with one?

12-07-11: Audiofeil
>>12-06-11: Rccc
Buy the best table/tonearm you can afford and upgrade the cartridge later....
Buy as much pre as you can afford as well. Its importance equals, perhaps surpasses, the table/tonearm.

I don't have as much turntable rig experience as Audiofeil, but I agree based on my personal experience. After 3 years living with a Cambridge 640A phono stage, I moved up to the Jolida JD-9A. For just $200 more, I'm getting an entirely different level of musical satisfaction--fuller, smoother, warmer, lusher, yet with more clarity and better dynamics.

Three things this unit bring to the table are a big boy's power supply (and a socket for aftermarket power cords), a wide range of gain, resistance, and capacitance settings, and a tube-buffered output stage. Whatever your cartridge is now or in the future, it has a setting to optimize it for the rest of your system.

Go for your Clearaudio TT or similar performance level (as opposed to something under $500), but it'd be a shame to strangle the signal through a single-setting wall-wart phono stage when the JD-9A is available for so little more money, and future proofs your rig for cartridge upgrades.

OK let me give this example. I put a CA Stradivari on my Cosmos IV/SME V it sounds great, I mount the same cart on my Technics 1700 mk 2 it still sounds great just not quite as great. I mount a Digitrac 300 se (medium quality technics) on both tables same difference. The 1700 with the Strad sounds significantly better than the Cosmos with the Digitrac. The 1700 /Strad combo is substantially less costly but sounds better in direct comparison. The better the pre the more you will get out of the cart. That is why I would upgrade the table last. Ive done this comparison with several table, cart, pre combos, always the same outcome.

Thanks for the all the advice. The V-LPS seems like a perfect solution and maybe get a Sutherland for an upgrade at a later date. I just love the looks and quality of construction of the Clearaudio. My major upgrade coming next year would be speakers over anything but thats for another day.

For a phono stage, I'd just pick up a Musical Fidelity V-LPS for now. I think they're $99 right now, and they sound pretty good (search for the review at stereophile). You could always get one of the Creek OBH-8SE used, but I actually like the V-LPS better. It should last you a while (it's working for me).

>>12-06-11: Rccc
Id say get a competent table and the best cart and pre you can afford<<

Rccc is both right and wrong here.

Buy the best table/tonearm you can afford and upgrade the cartridge later.

A good table/tonearm and average cartridge will outperform an average table/tonearm and good cartridge every time.

Buy as much pre as you can afford as well. Its' importance equals, perhaps surpasses, the table/tonearm.

It depends on whether this will be your last purchase in your vinyl quest. If so, then Inna's recommendation is a good one. If you are intending to upgrade in the future, then pick the one item you are not likely to upgrade, and get the best you can for that item.

Id say get a competent table and the best cart and pre you can afford. Later if you decide to upgrade the table youll be able to hear the difference. I look for a pre that lets me hear clearly any adjustments I make to the cart during set up and subsequent fine adjustments. Which C.A. and what cart are you considering?

Yes, get the best table you can and some $200 or so used phono stage to begin with. And good interconnects.

Are you talking Phono stage or preamp or preamp with phono stage. If you are really into vinyl I would get the better table and upgrate phono stage and preamp later. You will still enjoy your system even with a less expensive preamp