Polling Integrated Amp & Vinyl Users


Just curious how many of you use a separate Phono pre-amp vs. the Phono section of your Integrated? I have an Anthem STR IA which has turntables plugged into both the MM & MC Phono inputs. I have a myriad number of cartridges. I have no complaints with the sound. To my ears, it’s a really nice Phono stage that does include some adjustable gain. 

The compactness of an IA is what I like about them. No fuss, no muss. Less of everything. And yet! I do think about getting a separate Phono pre just for grins. Always wanting to compare. Wanderlust. 

I’m going to resist the urge at this point in time. Perhaps another day. Not that hard a decision when I’m happy with what I’ve got. 

Are you using your Integrated as intended? Or are you using separate boxes, i.e. phono, DAC’s etc. to complement your sound? 


lmnop
So much of my equipment is modded its hard to say I’m using anything as intended. My integrated didn’t come with a pre out for example, but it has one now. You can see my phono stage, system, and a few of the mods here https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 It didn’t come with a phono stage either. The advantages in terms of sound quality from a good stand alone phono stage cannot be exaggerated. It will cost a lot more. Especially considering you need a pretty good interconnect to take full advantage. But once you do- wow! You will never go back.
I use the built in phono stage on my Yamaha A-S2100 with great results.  It lacks some adjustability, but the MC section sounds really nice with my AT 0C9XSL.  No built in DAC on the Yamaha, so I use an external one.
I use the built-in MM phono pre-amp in my Rega Elicit-R. Seems to work well with my Ortofon 2M Blue. I think it sounds great, and no fuss........
my integrated amp is just that..no dac no phono
the way I like it.....upgrade dac/phono as I see fit..int amp is fine
I use a rega phono amp with my rega P3..but will be going to an EAT petite glo next
I bought an integrated amp (Bel Canto c5i) for one of my systems to keep things simple and compact. No reason to do otherwise.  
I connect to the phono jacks on my Rotel RC-990BX preamp, which is switch-selectable  for MM or MC cartridge. I just bought a Marantz Model 1060 integrated amp for an all-vintage basement system, and I'll connect to the phono jacks there as well.
My 30 year old Creek 4140's phono preamp allows for either MM input or MC input down to  0.1mV. The amount of gain is switchable between MM and MC. Everything sounds great though I'm sure something could be better if I threw enough money at a new amp and phono preamp. Better to spend that time listening to music!
My tube integrated amp doesn’t have phono stage so I had to buy a stand alone phono preamp.
If I had your integrated amp I’d use the built in phono stage until I felt I need to upgrade from dissatisfaction with the sound of it. But first try to determine if your turntable and cartridge offer better performance than the capabilities of the Anthem’s phono stage.