Phono Stage w/Pot for analog only rig


I have a McCormack DNA-2 Deluxe driving Vandersteen 3A sigs. I am listening to less and less CD on my Rega Jupiter in favor of vinyl on my Nottingham Hyperspace. I would like to sell the Rega and then buy a lesser CD deck and relatively cheap SS line pre for that independent use. I will cross that bridge later.

What I want to do now is get a higher quality tube phono stage with a volume pot so that I can run directly from TT to phono stage to amp.

What are suggestions in the $2K used range. All input appreciated and considered but I am not really interested in other CD deck or line pre suggestions at this time.
motdathird
Add a Dact Attenuator, and even a Dact phono pre-amp I think it's the 101.

If you have tube power stages, you may want to go with a SS a (goodun) for the pre-amplification of the phono stage.

Just a thought. I use a Chamelot into a Threshold pre-amp into a Cary and it's just right, not too tubey, not too SS.

Also on the CD, consider a HK burner dual unit. The DA stages is pretty darn good, and you can burn those precious vinyl albums for the car and those times when your just too tired to mess with the vinyl. Or those times when you tend to fall asleep listening to vinyl and wake up a couple of hours later to that thump thump thump of the stylus going round and round in the same groove.

just a different thought.

jeff
The Art Audio VO is/or can easily be configured for one set of outputs direct and one set via the volume control (it has two sets of RCA outputs). Tom_nice is right, but it will set you back a bit for the better ladder-type or transformer VC. Good luck.
I worry about anything correctly describable as a volume pot (as opposed to a ladder stepped attenuator), since in my experience even an potentiometer with an audiophile rep, like Alps Black Beauty, say, degrades the sound and can take away some of the quality you may be paying major money for elsewhere in the phono preamp. Can you build your own stepped attenuator, or get one from Goldpoint, say? Or even build one into a phono preamp, in the sense of putting preamp and attenuator(s) in a single DIY chassis? I did that with an AHT DM-P phono preamp and have never looked back. You can even get wild and use Audio Note Japan tantalum resistors, for a warmer, more tube-like sound.
Thank you for the repsonse. Now what if I decided to go with a line stage and separate phono and would then not need a pot on the phono?
I agree with Jcbtubes about the Art Audio Vinyl One. It replaced a Pass Aleph Ono and sounds much richer and lifelike, especially in the lower frequencies.
Check out the Art Audio Vinyl One on the used market (~1500). With NOS tubes, it is very good. Good luck.
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