I had a cheap antique sound labs phonolux and preferred it over an aesthetix rhea. Coupled with a good SUT it kicked a$$
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I have found that that even budget external preamps will out perform many built in phono sections of most mainstream integrated amps/receivers. Also, and most importantly, they are much more quiet. Here is a simple test. Are you getting any discernible hiss, before signal, from your speakers with your current phono stage? I have used many budget models that were very near silent even when ears were pressed against the speakers. Once the needle meets the vinyl, the music will flow much better emanating from a black background. Your not talking a lot of money here - try one and hear for yourself. |
I agree with Paraneer, there are some excellent low priced phono preamps out there. I was so intrigued by this phono preamp that I had to try one. I had never heard of this one until Tone Audio reviewed it. It's a killer little unit. For $300, probably the buy of the century. Can you do better? Sure, but at a much higher price. Highly recommended! |