Oh come on Vvrinc, I mean, I'm a big vinyl fan and have listened to almost nothing but since returning to it 6 months ago (just bought a Plinius M14 phono stage here on A'gon). My kids think my turntable is cool too but they are still downloading their audiofiles (pun intended) and we must all acknowledge that vinyl is gradually fading away as very little new stuff is released and vinylphiles prefer to search for the dwindling stock of old .... but I don't want to derail my own thread from the basic question I asked (and thanks to many above for your perspectives). As noted, I need a preamp because I will alway have vinyl but can't ignore the reality of cd. I asked about the future of preamps because I'm concerned if I lay out some big bucks for one,(looking at an ARC LS16mk2), it won't be a good investment as many people are turning to alternatives. What is a good longer term investment for $2K used?
Won't preamps become obsolete?
I'm in the market for a new preamp because I want to upgrade from my Conrad Johnson PV10A. I listen mostly to vinyl but some CD and hopefully SACD some day so I need a preamp to integrate sources. As I look at the used preamp ads on A'gon, however, I notice more and more people saying that they are selling their preamp because they are going directly from a cd player with volume control into an amp. As vinyl wanes (never with me!) will the preamp follow suit or become more oriented towards integrating home theatre digital video and audio sources?