When I was getting back into vinyl, I tried a bunch of entry level phono stages. Some were quieter than others, but I didn't find a substantial difference between them. IMO, they all sounded somewhat similar.
You might want to check out this TNT review that liked the Cambridge 640P:
http://www.tnt-audio.com/ampli/3_phono_preamps_e.html
My suggestion is to buy whatever you can afford right now and get your feet wet. Parasound zPhono is a perfect place to start for about $100. I see one listed in the classifieds right now. When you're ready to jump to the next level, I strongly recommend a tube-based phono stage. If you're handy with a soldering iron, and willing to build a kit, you can get killer performance for a very small price. Here are three well respected kits:
Bottlehead Seduction kit $294 includes all the parts.
Juicy Music Tercel kit $395 includes all the parts.
Jim Hagerman's Cornet2 kit is a giant killer. $119 for the circuit board, plus all the other parts (approx $400).
You might want to check out this TNT review that liked the Cambridge 640P:
http://www.tnt-audio.com/ampli/3_phono_preamps_e.html
My suggestion is to buy whatever you can afford right now and get your feet wet. Parasound zPhono is a perfect place to start for about $100. I see one listed in the classifieds right now. When you're ready to jump to the next level, I strongly recommend a tube-based phono stage. If you're handy with a soldering iron, and willing to build a kit, you can get killer performance for a very small price. Here are three well respected kits:
Bottlehead Seduction kit $294 includes all the parts.
Juicy Music Tercel kit $395 includes all the parts.
Jim Hagerman's Cornet2 kit is a giant killer. $119 for the circuit board, plus all the other parts (approx $400).