OT - phono preamps

[jeff_free69]

i recently upgraded to a decent turntable - Pro-ject Debut III (for $350). One system I want to listen on has a Sony ES HT receiver and it has a phono preamp. It may be decent, or being HT oriented, it may be just an afterthought. My other system (NAD) that i would also like to listen on from time to time has no phono preamp at all. So I'm thinking a decent preamp is justified (but nothing exotic please).

I'm considering these in the $150 neighberhood:
NAD
Pro-ject
Cambridge

Any others you have experience with?

[fastbike1]

Re: OT - phono preamps

Get the Cambridge. Don't look back.

[jclin4]

Re: OT - phono preamps

The phono stage of my Yamaha HT receiver blows. A dedicated phono pre-amp is in order.

I have the NAD PP-2 and I cannot complain from a sound quality perspective. It is also switchable between MM and MC, so something to think about when you choose (you need to make sure the pre-amp supports your type of cartridge).

My only beef with it is the grounding. I have to disconnect and reconnect the grounding wire every few records, to prevent hum. But I'm not sure if this is an issue with the pre-amp or my turntable and its grounding wire (it is very old).

Second hand PP-2's are going for under $100. Get the PP-3 if you want a UBS connection to your computer.

[johnastockman]

Re: OT - phono preamps

i recently upgraded to a decent turntable - Pro-ject Debut III (for $350). One system I want to listen on has a Sony ES HT receiver and it has a phono preamp. It may be decent, or being HT oriented, it may be just an afterthought. My other system (NAD) that i would also like to listen on from time to time has no phono preamp at all. So I'm thinking a decent preamp is justified (but nothing exotic please).

I'm considering these in the $150 neighberhood:
NAD
Pro-ject
Cambridge

Any others you have experience with?

I'm with fastbike...get the Cambridge. They have a couple different models. Check out these folks, recommended by some of the guys on this forum:

http://www.spearitsound.com/specials.htm#Turntables

Looks like they have a new 540P for $99. If you get it, let us know what you think.

John A.

[markparsons]

Re: OT - phono preamps

Take a look at what Musical Fidelity has to offer. I think they have one around $200.

[terryo]

Re: OT - phono preamps

This subject comes up on several forums from time to time. One of the best "Bang for the Buck" phonoamps around is the Hagtech "Bugle" which can be built, depending on where you source components, for less than $100.

Our Audio Club had a phonoamp shoot-out last year and the winner was a custom built $10,000 phonoamp. It was really nice sounding, as it should be given the price.

However, someone brought in a Hagtech "Bugle", more as a joke I think, but it ended up being voted second, over the rest of them which cost from about $1,000 to $2500. They were used with several Linn TT with all the mods and highend cartridges through the Club's system.

I'm now using a battery powered "Bugle" in my own system with the Well Tempered "Amadeus" prototype TT and Grado Silver cartridge. I like the sound that I'm hearing and while I'll probably try some other cartridges in the future, the "Bugle" will stay.

Best Regards,
TerryO

[Face]

Re: OT - phono preamps

I ran a 640P for a while, it sounded surprisingly good.

[jeff_free69]

Re: OT - phono preamps

I ran a 640P for a while, it sounded surprisingly good.

The cambridge 640P , with its "passive" topology, looks interesting thats for sure . I've only ever heard of this (if its the same thing) on very expensive studio EQ's (eg Manley Passive ).

What was it that you found that was better?

[Face]

Re: OT - phono preamps

A modded Jolida JD-9. And to tell you the truth, it's not that much better overall. It just sounds a little more open up top and dynamic.

[WmAx]

Re: OT - phono preamps

A very low noise, transparent unit for low cost is the Music Hall PA1.2. MM and MC modes and multiple loading options. It offers no coloration, so if you want something with 'character'(a.k.a. coloration), this is not your ideal option. The other units suggested above such as the Cambridge and Pro-Ject are also very good low coloration units for MM carts. Mega-buck phono preamps are inline with just about every other mega-buck hardware; they = snake oil products. You may have to pay around $2000-$3000 for a new turntable/arm combo that has excellent characteristics(minimal colorations for a vinyl extraction device + this price assumes very wise/careful selection of product), since it's a purely mechanical system that is of low volume production. But the electronic end of it is nothing special and nothing dictates any requirement to put out any significant amount of money on this part except for reasons of pride of ownership, cosmetic appeal or psychological bias(which I suspect is the primary reason). Some cartridges may require unusual loading to achieve a proper transfer function, and a highly variable loading option on the pre-amp input may be ideal in this case. In some cases, using low output MC carts, one may want to use a step up transformer interfaced to a MM input phono preamp input. However, a high quality step up unit will cost at least as much as the phono preamp.

-Chris

[mgrabow]

Re: OT - phono preamps

I have been happy with my creek, but I always wanted to get a tube pro-ject...

[pres589]

Re: OT - phono preamps

I really like the sound quality and features of the Audio ART USB Phono Pre that I have running behind a Philips 406 Automatic. Here's a link to a vendor;

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/USBPhonoPlus2/

Note: I have done anything with the digital bits that this offers so I can't comment on how that side of things works, but I find the analog nice and the controls easy to deal with.

[jeff_free69]

Re: OT - phono preamps

thanks for all the input..

I decided to go with the cambridge 640P ($179).

Its got a pretty good amount of praise and within budget. I don't need USB and prefer to concentrate the bucks on where it counts. I'm intrigued by the passive design, and its not an outrageous amount more to spend on possible snake oil.

[exojam]

Re: OT - phono preamps

Jeff,

I have a 640P for my Rega Planar 3 with 2M Blue and am very happy with it.

If you ever decide you want to try and mod it, go over to the Vinyl Engine, there is a huge thread on mods for it.

James