Phono preamp worth it with MM cartridges?


I've had conflicting advice from dealers so hoping for some clarity here. How much do phono preamps offer with sound quality and MM cartridges? (I understand they have a huge impact on sound quality with MC). 

My current setup is Rega P3/Neo/Exact/Groovetracer RS, Rega Elex-R amp, and Spendor A4 speakers and I mostly listen to classical, jazz, and light rock.

Will buying a Rega Aria phone preamp (or  iFi iPhono 3? Avid? Graham Slee? in the sub $2k range) make a worthwhile difference or should I wait till I buy an MC cartridge before splurging ? 

Thanks, Roger
wqgq_641

Showing 3 responses by jjss49

i agree as mm's go the at ml150 is excellent

need a loading kit to make the treble sound right though... it did not like 47k iirc
@samzx12

jjss49 you bring up a good point. I did try a few different settings. What did you decide on worked best in your setup?


iirc i settled on 22k ohms for the at ml150
good phono stage still matters, for sure

it is still absolutely critical amplification, earliest in the signal chain

the rega aria is a very good $1500 phono stage but its mm portion is actually relatively ordinary... people buy the aria for the flexible and very high gain mc stage it provides

suggest you consider a lehmann black cube or graham slee - not too expensive, very quiet, superbly clean and non-editorial to the sound of the signal being fed in ... then make sure you are running a damn GOOD mm cartridge