Best budget phono preamp?


Title kind of speaks for itself. SS stongly preferred. Needs to be able to handle either a MM or high output MC. Something that would work well with an AR ES1.
tonyptony
Trigon Vanguard II - $495

Solid state. Lots of gain and loading options to "dial in" your cartridge.

I don't have the Volcano II power supply (another $495) and mine still has an extremely low noise floor.

Tried Grado, Monolithic Sound, Rogue, and a few others and this is the one I kept.
Radio Shack battery powered $25 the "Little Rat" phono preamp. Buy two and use them as separate dual-mono premaps...
Riffer, what was about the Trigon that got you to keep it? What player, arm, cart do you use it with?
Trigon is clear, Dynamic.

VPI Aries Scout, VPI JWM9, Dynavector 20XH & Benz L2