The BEST Phono Preamps Under $500!
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- čas přidán 14. 06. 2024
- Read the full article here: audioadvice.io/2VF5sNi | Chat with us online: www.audioadvice.com | Call for sales and support: 888.899.8776 |
At Audio Advice, we are loving the vinyl revolution. We started out in 1978 setting up turntables and never stopped! For those of you just entering the fun world of vinyl or those of you getting back into it, one item that may be a bit confusing is the phono preamp. This is a critical piece to your vinyl set up, but does have its technical side which without a proper education, can be a bit daunting. In this video, we’ll first explain why you need a phono preamp and then we’ll conclude by recommending 5 great phono preamps that won’t break the bank and come in under $500.
The first thing you should think about is that there are two main types of phono cartridges: Moving Magnet and Moving Coil. As a general rule, most entry level to moderately priced turntables come with a moving magnet cartridge. Moving coil cartridges have about 10 times less output than a moving magnet, meaning they need a phono preamp capable of amplifying the lower signal from a moving coil. However, these are preferred by audiophiles and music lovers because they are able to extract more information from the record grooves.
Audio Advice has over 20 options for phono preamps in this price range so there are plenty more options to check out as well. If you have questions on any of these products or any other audio gear, feel free to give us a call, chat on our website with one of our experts, or stop into our Raleigh or Charlotte, North Carolina locations.
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I just started seriously diving into vinyl and I'm hooked. Thanks for producing this video!
I'm about to dive into the deep end as well. What got you hooked?
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@Raphael Ali instablaster ;)
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Thanks for featuring two of our preamps!
but no Tubes!
I love my tube box DS2 together with my Debut Carbon DC.
No winner here...a phono pre is useless without a Mono/Stereo switch and more useless if its only set up for one table That said, if PJ and MH could get together there'd be a perfect phone pre.
@@hmrowland6114 That is the dumbest thing I've read today. Congrats!
Cambridge features a switching mode power supply to further reduce noise? Since when have switchers become quieter that linear regulators? No mention of RIAA equilization?
I am too poor for this hobby but I absolutely love learning about it. I have an extremely budget set up an would love a Rega Planar 3 one day!
Money helps, but the whole point of this hobby is to optimise your music enjoyment within your means. If you can't afford a new Planer 3 you could consider getting advice from a FB audiophile group? Lots of people post everyday completely in love with second hand budget builds that they've achieved by following good advice and having a bit of patience. Good luck!
get a used decent 80s (or earlier) receiver phono preamp + amp in one and those phono preamp are pretty good usually. If you're lucky you can find on for $20-40 on CL or FB. For a little more you might find decent systems for sale that include turntable and speakers. That's really the best (and cheapest way) to get started.
One word of advice: unless you know first hand how little the turntable was used, you will have to change at least the stylus. And do some comparison shopping (I found sometimes that buying a new cartridge can be cheaper than just buying a new stylus). This is really important to not damage your records. GLHF!
@Lance Bermudez Klipsch The Sixes speakers with a Music Hall Classic TT.
@@whenpiratesattack look on eBay for a vintage sansui amplifier , I had a sansui au-d22 and it was amazing , should cost no less than 100 and it will make you happy and get the ball rolling for you , I’m new to this myself
@@shanec6664 get the G33000 sansui and hook it up to spx 11000 🤣🤣🤣
I’m surprised any of the Schitt phono preamps are not on this list.
They don't sell that brand. Schitt sells its own products.
@@brandongaster Exactly. If you are just starting out, I don't think you can do better than the Mani, especially for the money. Doesn't break the bank ($129), sounds great, can do MM or MC, and it's a piece of gear you can keep for a long time while you are building your system.
Maybe they did not need to pay for this placement endorsement because they are already good as it is. 😎🇵🇭👌
Probably because the quality is Schitt.
I'm using the ART Precision Phono Pre and am quite happy with it.
Awesome!
like the video but i have a query! during the section on the cambridge audio solo unit you state that it has a "switch mode power supply to further reduce noise". since when did this type of psu reduce noise???? they usually induce noise, from what i have learned.
Yes we agree some of that type can be noisy, but in that price range the one they picked is quieter than what you would normally see. Cambridge Audio listens to all of their component choices first. Thanks for watching
Would be cool if you did one for phono under 1500 and under 3000 too
Almost no one buys those high-dollar preamps. If you do, then good luck. You can afford to hire an engineer to test them all for you.
@@foobarmaximus3506 my dealer sells 50-200k turntables and they are all on backorder! His main phono stages are 25k and 20k ones from Kronos and Audionet. They are sold like popcorn to well off customers
I just started in vinyl collecting and starting from scratch in turntable set up. Just a question is the Audio Technica AT-LP60X a Moving Magnet or Moving Coil cartridge? Is my question right? Hope so.......
That turntable has a moving magnet phono cartridge. Thanks for watching!
I’ve heard the Pro-Ject DS2, it’s a great preamp for the money. I would also recommend the Puffin by Parks Audio for $450. I picked one up for my second system and was completely blown away by the sound. It gives my much pricier Sutherland preamp a run for its money!
New to turntables. Is it better to have a built-in preamp in the turntable compared to a free-standing one (like the ones featured in the video)? Will using a regular amp/receiver (the ones used in stereo systems) be better than using a free-standing one? Will these affect sound quality?
It sucks you're only getting a reply now, but typically separate components are always better. Integrated preamps in receivers and turntables are worse than a standalone device since they're typically off-the-shelf components made to fit a price point instead of a device built from the ground up to stand on its own.
High-end vintage turntables did not have preamps built in for a good reason. Do some reading and investigation. You're better off buying a decent vintage receiver with the phono preamp built-in. Most of the good ones from about 1978 onward are non-switching preamps, which (if done right) - eliminates a LOT of the noise that most preamps would have if / when driven by an AC power source.
Love the reviews and advice from you guys. I'm setting my old Realistic Lab 500 turntable up again. I've added an Ortofon 2m red. I want to listen to my old half speed mastered vinyl. I know I will want to use a preamp to send the signal to my Onkyo TX RZ50 ahead of my Emotiva power amps. Any suggestions as to the best preamp option for my my vintage turntable? Thanks.
That sounds awesome! Reach out to our turntable experts at audioadvice.com via phone or chat and they can definitely help you pick one that you will love!
Hi, thanks for the nice video!
I will probably buy a Rega planer 2 or a Pro-Ject turntable. A preamplifier must also be added because the turntable is 6 meters away from the amplifier. This receiver does have a preamplifier, but the distance is probably too great.
I am thinking of you mentioned Cambridge One. Is that a good one for this situation, or do you have another tip? Greetz from the Netherlands!
Thank you. Yes the Solo would work well. Just go into AUX. Thanks for watching
@@AudioAdvice thanks!
That's just silly. Locating the turntable 18ft away from the amp is NOT going to be fixed by any combination of preamps. LOL That's just stupid.
"(Moving coil cartridges) are preferred by audiophiles and music lovers because they are able to extract more information from the record grooves..." Opinion NOT fact. The profile and shape of the stylus determines how much information can be heard.
Yes. We need more vinyl mythbusting! Down with these liars!!!
Not an opinion, only technique and logic : the mass is much lower in a MC design, resulting in less downward pressure. The tracking inertia is much lower, which frees the stylus up and allows for a wider frequency response, improved high-frequency transients, and a more detailed reproduction of the original waveform.
Moving coil have a much broader frequency response, so yes - they do extract more.
But perhaps MC lose out in other areas of sound reproduction, I'm a Moving-iron guy, Nagaoka MP-500, wonderful cartridge.
Perhaps I will get a very expensive MC next.. But I'm just not sure if it's actually worth it..
MC carts are the better choice since they don't suffer from what any MM suffers from: the relatively large induction coils and therefore the susceptibility towards the signal chain's capacitance. Basically, a typical MM's coils and the parallel cable capacitances always create a 2nd order lowpass filter within the audible range, coupled with the typical phase shifting that comes with these filters. Basically, it's a miniature frequency crossover network between the stylus and the phono preamp input - which is why the input capacitance and phono cable are such big deals. That's the reason why MC systems usually create much better soundstages and linear frequency responses.
The lower moving mass of the cartridge is the icing on the cake, allowing for better detail retrieval, especially in the top end. Although the best MM carts (like e.g. a 2M Black LVB 250) with optimized cantilevers and high-efficiency magnets are able to give comparable MC carts a run for their money in that aspect.
So I recently purchased the fluance rt85 table with the 2m blue stylus. Trying to decide on a suitable preamp for this setup. Any suggestions? 300-400$ is my window. Thank you. Joe
Get the Mofi Studio Phono MM / MC
GRAHAM SLEE SIGNATURE 2 MM
PROJECT TUBE BOX 12AX7 DS2
These are my all time any time listening favourites and big time giant killers !!
@@burp5097 what are your thoughts of the Mofi Ultraphono? It looks similar to the studio phono except it also has an integrated headphone amp to plug in headphones. It’s $ 499 new.
@@mikexlr8 Hi.. you can't go wrong with ultra phono if you're using regular sensitive cans.
However IEMs & PLANAR may pose difficulties in dynamics. But that is only the far end of boutique high end expensive cans.
I prefer to route my MOFI STUDIO phono to very high quality tube or solid state amplifier having a headphone output and letting the amp take care of the drive , dynamics & resolution.
@@burp5097 my headphones are the Sennheiser HD 660s. Do you think I’ll run into any issues with that setup? They’re only 150 ohms.
@@mikexlr8 You should be fine with the Sennehiser @ sensitivity. However the hindrance may lie in how well you load your specific cartridge and gain stages on the MOFi to perfectly match your Senheissers sensitivity, frequency ranges and dynamics. You will have to make sure your headphone cables are not limiting the signal from cartridge to Mofi to Senhieser. Your best bet is your ears finally.. Coz changing cartridge, turntable, power sources can make terrific changes to sonics than just the Mofi and Senhiessers alone. I see you rotating more of this to get to your final destination of sonic bliss .
These are my go to toys at the budget end.I got bigger toys at the far end where cost is not a concern. But these budget ones are giant killers.
No 1. Project Tube 12AX7 Box S2.
No2. MOFI Studio Phono Preamplifier..
No3. Graham Slee Signauture 2 Phono.
My budget awesome cartridges.
Denon 103R MC cartridge. Goldring E3 cartridge. Ortofon 2M RED. NAGOAKA MP150.
I rotate these cartridges along with my assorted budget & high end Turntables & Phono preamps & Low capacitance cables from Van Den Hull / Audioquest / Atlas .
Also scope out the iFi iPhono3 Black Label. Its on par with far more expensive phono preamps.
@@bkkersey93 Yeah...I've got my radar on securing it. Sadly no resellers where I live and gotta pay $$$$ to get it from abroad. Iam smitten by IFI products. I got a IFI ZEN DAC and it blows my so called high end ferrari priced DACs to smithereens !
You have good taste! Thanks for watching.
Ain't you special!
Two things came to mind after watching this video. 1) No Schiit Mani? This is literally one of the best phonostage values out there. 2) Switch-mode power supplies are basically a downside and are well known as noise producers. Any phonostage without a linear PSU is nonsense in my book considering that these devices are a) very sensitive to noise, and b) relatively low power. No excuse..
Those Mani preamps are not good according to ... everyone on CZcams.
@@foobarmaximus3506I know this is a year old, but I am also hearing no so good things about the Mani
What if my integrated has a phono pre-amp? I have a Yamaha AS2200 integrated
You would not need a phono preamp in that case, although all of these are better than what you normally see built into an integrated amp or receiver. Thanks for watching
Crystal clear!
Glad you liked it
Lots of Schiit love in the comments…I had the Mani and it was fine. If you only have a $150, it is a good bet. If you have a little more money (models range from $189 - $529), I would get a Darlington Labs phono preamp. I sold my Mani as soon as I got my Darlington; it made the Mani sound like a toy.
Which darlington do you have? Which of these preamps would you compare it to?
Yep. Sold my Mani shortly after I received it and compared it to my existing Musical Fidelity V-LPS II. Not even close. Of course, I can't wait till I can restore my Counterpoint SA 5.1, all 6DJ8 triode preamp!
Good review
I wonder if upgrade from built-in Pro-ject T1 turntable phono to Cambridge audio Solo would make any sense?
The nice thing about the OM series of cartridges is you can replace the stylus and do a pretty big upgrade. That might make more sense. You should have the OM5, this one is a big jump www.audioadvice.com/turntables/phono-cartridges/ortofon-stylus-20-phono-cartridge-replacement-stylus. The OM10 is another for under $100. Hope this helps
@@AudioAdvice thanks 💪
Schitt Mani has clearly disrupted this segment
They won't tell you about that preamp because it will blow there's a way I ordered one it's on the way
Good advice thanks
What brand is that blue turntable?
I'm not 100% sure, but I'm 99.9% that, that blue turntable is a U-Turn Audio turntable...
Where’s the Emotiva TA-100
What about the Schiit mani
Bennett Lewis
Schiit only sells direct, so Audio Advice doesn’t carry the Mani, which is a great phono pre, especially for the price, IMO.
They have had RFI issues. I don't know if this has been addressed. I'd look for a used conrad-johnson PV3 tube unit - or if you prefer J-fet's the Opera Consonance pm-11 passive RIAA eq and no nfb = digs DEEP into the details. Cheers! -Sandy
Sandy Shoremann
They did upgrade the Mani. If you look at the PCB in the mani, the new ones say 1.2, not 1.1. Where did you hear one with RFI problems, and how bad was it?
My main phono pre is a Tavish Classic, but I picked up a Mani to see what the hype was about, and it sounds great for only $130, especially if someone’s new to vinyl or on a budget.
What phono pre amp do you recommend for a Naim nait 5s1 mc
Reach out to our team at audioadvice.com and they can help you choose which is best for you!
The best ultra budget phono preamp that I’ve used is the Art DJ Pre II
Have you tried the PP400 mate!? Any good!? I’ve been advised to buy the Art DJ Pre ll also.
@@andrewlee3116 I’ve had experience with the PP400. It is has a very neutral sound, but the sound is very clear and great for the price. It’s a bit lacking in the low end, so if that’s important to you I’d either run it through a mixer or go with the DJ Pre II. I should also mention that the stereo separation is slightly lacking, but it’s to be expected for the price. I’m not sure that the Pre II improves on that respect.
I liked the Art DJ pre ii over the schitt mani. However, I like the built in phone preamp in audiolab 6000a and Marantz 40n better than both.
All this might be telling me that there probably is a better phone stage for me. Mayhe the Moji studio? I do like the mono switch on that one
I always thought it was rega not raga. That is reega vs rayga. E is not an a but it can be eh. But being English what would I know?
You are correct, it was mispronounced- thanks for watching
The Schiit Mani is the best buy at 140.
Keith Ling amen 🙏🏼
Keith Ling
Agreed. I picked one up about 6 months ago, and am still surprised at how good it sounds for the money.
It's a fantastic pre-amp, but I don't think Schiit products are sold in stores. Unless I'm very much mistaken.
mrpositronia
Hi there. I bought one about a year ago, and yes, it is a fantastic little phono pre for the price, but they’re only sold direct through the Schiit site.
So no, you are not mistaken. 🎶👍🙂
Sold my Mani shortly after I received it and compared it to my existing Musical Fidelity V-LPS II. Not even close. Of course, I can't wait till I can restore my Counterpoint SA 5.1, all 6DJ8 triode preamp!
why is your audio level jacked up so high?
Sounds okay on our end.
You didn't mention the Project Tube box S2 which is 499.00 and does much more than these!
It was not out when we did this almost 4 years ago. But you are right, it is great for the current price. Thanks for watching
Schiit Mani bests all mentioned in this video. Save your money.
Does anyone looking for a phono preamp need an explanation, in regard to their function?
Yes please. I got my first turntable (yes, a suitcase victrola) and the sound quality is bad, even when hooked up to external speakers. It’s a high, tinny sound quality with lacking mid range, low tones, and general clarity. It also seems to be rather quite. Will a preamp help with the quality issue? Or do I need a better table with a better cartridge?
@@taylortisaac you’re definitely going to need a better turntable to make the tinny sound go away. Bad record players will damage your records too. Try audio technical is a great starter at an entry level price. Fluance makes great stuff for a little more.
@@emerickfalta4300 I actually got a Crosley c62 from a thrift store (still in the box) since I made this comment! It comes with a great set of speakers and has an audio technical cartridge. It sounds awesome and I’m super happy with it! Thanks for the reply
Still not easy to choose lol.
It's nice to have choices but we understand. Thanks for watching it.
Get a decent vintage receiver and forget about buying a preamp. Most of these suck anyway compared to the old non-switching circuits like the one in a good Pioneer or Kenwood vintage unit.
Thanks for sharing, but we disagree, those old units, especially those two brands could be pretty edgy in comparison the the ones we mentioned.
Tried this Cambridge Audio 3 years ago, Massively noisy.
Sorry to hear that. We have always had a good experience.
Mani 2
Thanks for sharing!
"Compacitance" eh?
Yes, that's when those enzymes combobulate.
Where is the Schiit Mani?? Mani is for sure one of the best preamps in the market... shame!
Thanks for reaching out! Schiit makes a lot of excellent audio products for the money. Our list is based on price and features to complement vinyl listening applications. These are simply the best of breed in terms of high-performance for the money, and are the ones that really stand out. Thanks for watching!
They don't sell Schitt products. Schitt is only sold direct to customer. Besides, Most of the preamps they mentioned sound better.
schiit?
Cool video, but please stop yelling at me
"Uses a switch mode power supply to reduce noise" Lol.
Sorry, the best Phono under $500 is the Puffin
Of you Forbes the mani you dont know anything about entrylevel vynil
This guy looks too young to have been setting up turntables professionally since 1978?
Yes, he is, our founder wrote the article and he just read the script. Thanks for watching
SCHIIT is the best......
Why are you talking like you need to make yourself heard?
Audiophile snobbery - my daily driver is a Pioneer PL117D with an Audio-Technica AT-VMN95ML - using the ART Pro Audio DJ PRE II Phono Preamplifier connected to a DBX 3BX Series II, the Behringer Ultragraph Pro FBQ3102 and my Pioneer VSX 933 - strictly for playing my vinyl collection - and i would stack the ART Pro DJ Pre II up against any phono stage/preamp mentioned by this self described audio expert.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if you love vinyl, you are a friend of ours no matter how you listen to it. In the end what matters is if that new record you put on adds a smile to your face and you enjoy the music rather than the gear its playing through. Thanks for watching
Why all the shouting, jeez. Great vid ruined by the screeching
Why shouting? This guy gives me headache... chill dude....
Most of these phono preamps are utter rubbish. The Rega is probably the best sounding but it's no peach.
I'm just want a good budget preamp with great sound.
We have lots of choices, please reach out to our team at www.audioadvice.com and they will be happy to help you out
Good review