Phono preamp or preamp with phono selection ????

Hopefully after 16 years, the OP made a decision...

OMG! The difference with a $2k phono preamp will be huge! I have a Musical Fidelity M6 Vinyl. It can handle multiple turntables with MM and MC. Has memory for settings for up to 4 turntables. It costs $1,800. 
 Here is a link:

https://upscaleaudio.com/collections/musical-fidelity/products/musical-fidelity-m6-vinyl-phono-stage

used vtl 2.5 linestage tubed preamp with remote about 800/900...then send it to VTL and have them install a new/warrantied tubed phono stage for another 550...excellent unit and VTL remains to service it as required (hopefully not)

The Wright Sound Company WPL20 is a superb full function unit that competes favorably with some very expensive full function and linestage + phono preamp combos. It is hand-built and point-to-point wired. It can be purchased directly from Wright in the Pacific Northwest for less than $1500. They give you 15 days to evaluate it free of charge. Well worth checking out.

I second the Hagerman Trumpet phono pre; however, it won't do low output cartridges. You must use a step-up or a cartridge that is high output.

I owned a Black Cube (w/PWX power supply) for some time. Some say it is "dry." I never experienced that at all. It also allows cartridge loading and, I think, 60 db of output--enough for any cartridge. Used, they are a great deal.

Then a decent line stage--I go for tubes. The AES DJH Super Preamp is outstanding (use NOS tubes).

The Aesthetix stuff is very good; it is also very, very expensive for even their entry level model.

Also a very good value are the Conrad-Johnson preamps, particularly the PV-9A or Evolution 20 if you can find either one. In my opinion, these were the best of the PV-series full function preamps c-j made. After these two, the need to build to a lower-cost price point in the PV-series had its impact. And, the Premier 7 set its own standard.
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Also,,,used Audio Research SP9 and SP9 Mk II units are great values. You must assume you will put material money in servicing them since they are 15 years or more old. The MkII brings materially more money but I have no idea if it is worth the extra money. The AR fans can chime in on this one.

At your stated price point, the VPI Scout is a great buy with excellent sound. For a bit more, the VPI ScoutMaster is an even better turntable. To my eye, these are attractive turntables, but perhaps more appealing to those who value the "form follows function" design aesthetic. You sure can't beat the sound quality, reliability and ease of use, though.

As to phono preamps, as C123666 comments "Both ways are excellent". A full function preamp with integrated phono is more cost effective to manufacture and eliminates a set of interconnect cables from the equation. The tradeoff is that there is more design execution freedom (e.g., for a more massive power supply) when the phono stage is in a separate chassis.

A case in point is the Aesthetix Saturn series of preamps. All are excellent at their respective price points. The Aesthetix Janus full function preamp with phono is very very good. Its higher priced sibling, the phono stage only Aesthetix Rhea combined with the separate Calypso line stage is better. (To some extent the improving sonic results are the result of being able to build the units at a higher price point with more expensive components. Clearly it's not just the result of throwing the same parts into two separate boxes.)

You can take this design approach even further to the Aesthetix Jupiter series where separate power supply chassis are used (so each unit is two chassis, with the option to use two power supply chassis for a total of three), and the sonic reward is even greater.

If you already have a line stage you're pleased with, then without a doubt the most cost effective way to go will be to add a separate phono stage only unit. There are many options here all up and down the price continuum.

Good luck!

For someone just starting an analog adventure (vinyl, not tape) you can let your choice of cartridge determine the type of preamp(s) or vice versa.

My advice is: start simple. You can always get complex, and at the beginning, simple always gets you the best stuff for your dollar. In that spirit, go for a preamp with an on board phono section (or phonostage, as this feature is called.)

The thing about preamps with phonostages is that the phono preamp part of the preamp has only enough gain to amplify higher output cartridges like Shure moving magnet, Grado moving iron, or some of the high output moving coil cartridges like a van den Hul Two. That still leaves you a lot of choices in cartridges.

And as Dsremer indicated, their are some real bargains in preamps with phonostages. One of my favorites (and it has a universally regarded killer phonostage) is the Audio Research SP-14. I sold one last year for, I think $1150.

Maybe one day you'll want to try a lower output moving coil cartridge. At that time, you'll have to buy a separate phono preamp with more gain than the phonostage in your preamp. You may or may not want to change your main preamp at that time, but you don't have to. You just won't be using its onboard phonostage anymore.

I was in your shoes 2 mo.ago, after much research ( friends of mine who love vinyl,a local dealer) I bought a VPI scout with a CHANNEL ISLAND AUDIO phono pre and a seperate channel island power supply. I called Dusty at Channel Island Audio and he set up the cartridge and the tone arm prior to delivery ( he also suggested a dynavector 20x mc cartridge). This equipment is still breaking in but I like what I hear.

Both ways are excellent; the dedicated phono preamp might work out to more money but it might now. There is a used Hagerman Trumpet for sale that runs with just about anything short of units costing MUCH more. At 1195 it is a deal.

Add a line stage preamp with remote control such as the very good VTL 2.5 (about 900 used) and you have a state of the art phono section and a very, very good linestage. To move up from this line stage the money starts going up. The VTL 5.5 used is about 1700/1900 and a better piece as it is a true dual monaural design (no shared parts between channels).

This is about the best setup I've seen for under 2K. Another option is a used Audible Illusions Modulus 3A (NOT the 3 unless you only want to spend 750 or so; different animal) in the 1000 to 1300 range depending on options (moving coil option raises used price about 200), condition, and date of production.

For solid state phono preamps I would look at a used Spectral DMC6 or DMC10; excellent units with construction quality that is hard to rival. These have a dedicated power supply and are very quiet and have great performance.

If you wish something new for not a small fortune look to the Wright and Mapletree preamps. They seem a good value for the money and with plenty of people saying they like them.

Krell always seems to have a bunch of used phono preamps for sale; a KSL at 975 seems a deal for quality. Only familiar with reputation; never auditioned one. Plenty of Krell fans can help you out here.

Decware is another place to get high quality units for not a LOT of money (not cheap but not really expensive). A line stage preamp and a very good phono preamp can be had for around 2000 new and you get a 30 day period to try it.