Dedicated phono stages are better than built in ones, whether it is worth the money to you is another question. If you go with something like the Project Tube Box 11 SE or the Dynavector P 75 [ I am a dealer for the Dynavector] you will notice a considerable difference; these sell new for around $700 . If I didn't want to spend this much I would get the Blue Circle "Thingee", cheap, no looks, but sounds good. I sold Blue Circle in the past. In my own system I spent twice as much for the phono stage as the line stage but I have a lot of vinyl.
Pre-amp newbie question
Hi,
I've recently returned to vinyl after a long hiatus. Please excuse my naiveté on the subject of pre-amps but back in my younger days I couldn't afford such equipment and never really researched it. Now, I constantly have the upgrade bug. My question is: Would I hear a big difference by by-passing my stereo pre-amps phono stage and going with a dedicated phono pre?
I currently have a Rega P3/24 with a Dynavector 10x5. Further down the chain is a Parasound P7 pre-amp and Parasound A21 Amp. The phono stage of the P7 is MM/MC with input impedence of 47k and 100 ohms respectively. With the high output Dynavector the sound is remarkably good but could it be better with a dedicated phono pre-amp?
I'm looking at a Musical Surroundings Phonomena II which has multiple settings for impedence and gain and is compatible with both MM and MC (high and low) carts.
Embarrassingly, the whole subject of ohms, loading and gain confuses the heck out of me so any input would be greatly appreciated.
I've recently returned to vinyl after a long hiatus. Please excuse my naiveté on the subject of pre-amps but back in my younger days I couldn't afford such equipment and never really researched it. Now, I constantly have the upgrade bug. My question is: Would I hear a big difference by by-passing my stereo pre-amps phono stage and going with a dedicated phono pre?
I currently have a Rega P3/24 with a Dynavector 10x5. Further down the chain is a Parasound P7 pre-amp and Parasound A21 Amp. The phono stage of the P7 is MM/MC with input impedence of 47k and 100 ohms respectively. With the high output Dynavector the sound is remarkably good but could it be better with a dedicated phono pre-amp?
I'm looking at a Musical Surroundings Phonomena II which has multiple settings for impedence and gain and is compatible with both MM and MC (high and low) carts.
Embarrassingly, the whole subject of ohms, loading and gain confuses the heck out of me so any input would be greatly appreciated.