You'll need to find out if you use an MM or MC cartridge (moving magnet or moving coil), and the general specs of the cartridge, as some phono preamps are adjustable and others aren't. A dedicated phono preamp is a must, if you want quality results. There is a lot more to phono preamplification than merely applying the RIAA curve. I recall it costing around $400 and being direct-order only. It is their mid-range unit that most interest me due to bang-for-buck and overall quality. At the lower budget levels, your best bets are probably the aforementioned Radial Engineering DI, and the Bellari pedal-shaped tube preamp.Īnyway, I concluded that the Graham Slee phono preamps are probably the best bang-for-buck these days and that the likely qualitative difference (based on reviews, audio specs, recorded samples, etc.) is more than the price difference vis a vis the Radial DI, etc. I picked out my phono preamp but may not need to buy it after all, as my first choice for a new audio preamp actually has a phono preamp section (rare these days). I have two URL's I'll try to remember to enter later, that seem the most trustworthy resources on the topic.

I did a lot of research recently on phono preamps, because I realised that if I upgrade my current audio preamp, it likely will not have a phono preamp feature.

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