Hi,
There are several factors to consider. On the one hand you have to make sure that the onboard phono stage in a pre-amp has sufficient gain for your phono cartridge. If you are talking about .5 mV and up, you will probably be fine with the on board MM stage you'll find on your average pre-amp. A good outboard phono stage can sound better than an onboard stage, and if you work with lower output cartridges it's practically a necessity because of the required gain.
The Lehmann Black Cube is one example of a phono stage you might want to look at. It sounds better than many on board stages and is MM/MC switchable. Very quiet - excellent value.
Cheers,
--Evan Trent
Symphony Sound
There are several factors to consider. On the one hand you have to make sure that the onboard phono stage in a pre-amp has sufficient gain for your phono cartridge. If you are talking about .5 mV and up, you will probably be fine with the on board MM stage you'll find on your average pre-amp. A good outboard phono stage can sound better than an onboard stage, and if you work with lower output cartridges it's practically a necessity because of the required gain.
The Lehmann Black Cube is one example of a phono stage you might want to look at. It sounds better than many on board stages and is MM/MC switchable. Very quiet - excellent value.
Cheers,
--Evan Trent
Symphony Sound