Skip schiit mani. It sucks. Noisy and flimsy. Not sure about their skoll F phono stage but hope it’s better.
For $500 to get a musically engaging and good sounding phono stage will not be easy. May be try parks recommended above. Or try a used Sutherland KC Vibe Mk2, which I owned and liked. But again that’s a tough price bracket.
Phono Pre-amp for non-vinyl guy.
I’m not really into vinyl. But, I have an old direct drive Sony PS-T2 turntable with a Grado cartridge of some sort and 20-30 vinyl albums. I will occasionally buy new vinyl from new or emerging artists. Not really into vintage vinyl except what I have left from the 80s and 90s. My current phono pre is an ART DJ Pre II. And while I know nothing about vinyl hi-fi I am under the impression that this current phono pre sucks. It just sounds kind of flat and seems to be lacking at the high end. I have to turn the gain all the way up to get much out of it. I know it is not on the same level of my current system:
Audio Research LS-16 tube preamp.
Madrigal Proceed HPA2 (Levinson) amplifier
Aerial Acoustics 7B tower speakers
Transparent Audio Cables all around
To be clear, I am not looking for a phono preamp on the same level as the rest of the system nor I am I looking to buy a new turn table.
So my question is, what reasonably priced phono pre would be a decent step up from the ART DJ I currently have. I’d probably buy used.
Wondering about the Schiit Mani, the various Fosi models, Cambridge Audio Alva Solo and NAD PP2e.
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This should Pro-Ject fit the bill! https://www.audioadvisor.com/prnt-prtbs2-sil?sku=NEW-PRTBS2-SIL |
OP
your vinyl situation sounds a lot like mine. I have a Technics Direct Drive and about 20 LPs. I much prefer digital. My cartridge is a Ortofon 2L Blue moving magnet. My phono preamp is a Cambridge Audio moving magnet only. It cost around $400 4 years ago. It was a definite upgrade from a Pro-Ject phono pre that had a USB connection to digitalized vinyl, and it seems to do the job quite well. No doubt a $25K boutique tubed preamp would provide a more rarified experience but the CA is quite satisfying for those rare times that I spin an LP. Make sure that your Grado cartridge is a moving magnet if you are interested. For another few hundred CA makes a preamp for both mm and mc . |
@n80 if you slightly up your budget why not pick up an older Audio Research phono stage like this https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650315116-audio-research-ph3-phono-preamplifier/ If you are listening to vinyl and even buying new records, why should you settle for a subpar listening experience? Phono stage makes a huge difference and you probably didn’t hear what your analog setup is capable of. |
Thanks guys. $500 is more than I'm willing to budget on this. I just don't listen to vinyl that much and I have no desire to go down that road at this point. I will look into some of the lower priced ones recommended. @dekay when you say upping it on the LS-16 do you mean volume or is there a gain setting on the LS-16? To be honest I have seen the back of the LS-16 in years. |
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