Solid integrated pre amp for beginner?

I seaqrched Ebay and was suprised to see the wide selection of Integrateds under 200$.
Marantz, Yamaha, Kenwood, Mcintosh.. even an early Sugden Class A.

Hello
I agree with Hoopster, Older Yamaha ca-600 or ca 800, I own both and they are very good, dont get the Ca-610 or ca-810 they are just ok, not great, In that price range a pioneer sa-737 reciever is good too, no ic chips and the sound is real good. If you can spend 400 to 500 get an Accuphase e-202 it will SHOCK you.
oh and theres the nad 3020
good luck!
mcgarick

The room is actually quite small, so I took knownothing's advice and bid on and bought a Kenwood KA-3500 for cheap. Hopefully it'll do the job.

I recommend an older NAD integrated like a 3020, 3220PE or 3225PE. Check NAD's website for archived product info. This will make it clear which models have phono stages (most all if not all of them did up until a certain year). These usually go for your price range on eBay. For speakers, there's a nice pair of PSB Alphas up for $100 on Audiogon today. Or look for Paradigm Atoms, Paradigm Titans, or Athena's bookshelf models.