Your choice for budget analog to digital converter

I have been intrigued with the HRT LineStreamer +, although I have not actually tried it. It is $350. You can get it with a 30 day trial for Music Direct and Amazon. One drawback people have mentioned is that it does not have any volume capability so it may be at the wrong level for some systems.

Al - insightful, as always. I have a Cary SLP 05 with a headphone amp output. How do you think it would match with the Line Streamer? What characteristic are you looking at to match the Line Streamer? I think most headphone amps have pretty low impedance compared to the Line Streamer input. Thanks.

Johnsonwu - that is a DAC, not an A to D converter.

Al - thanks, that all makes sense. I am aware of the high impedance of the main outputs, but it is not problem for my Levinson 432. Actually, I would probably want the mains on when recording if possible. That would depend on output levels.

I really wanted a Korg MR 2000s but I procrastinated too long and they have been discontinued. I am also looking at a Korg MR 2, partially because of its DSD capability. Unfortunately, the Ayre is a little rich for my blood, at least at this point. The idea was to use the Line Streamer as a starter unit to test the process, but I have not pursued it because of the lack of volume control. You headphone amp suggestion is a good one that may get me back on track. Thanks.

Thanks Al. Will do.

You might want to call Grado to try to figure out the output range, since both your cartridge and your electronics come from them. Also, how is the output of the phono preamp compared to a CD player, if you have one. If it is pretty comparable you might be in the 1 volt to 2 volt range already. You might check the CD output capability also.

Another option I have considered is the Korg MR 2. It is a portable recorder than can be used for mics and line level inputs. It records to a SD card in either wav, flac, AIFF and DSD (SACD) format. The wav can be edited with Korg software (AudioGate) or Audacity. It does have line level volume controls. Unfortunately, it s $500. Just thought I would mention that option. Once again, I have never used it, but it does look intriguing. Korg is a well known professional brand.