Phono Preamp for under $175

A few months back, I was wondering about what tube preamps for -$400 would be good... Well, $400 will take me forever to save up. I have to save up a lot of money, as all teenagers have to do, and I still need a phono preamp, as I just used my Pioneer VSX-454 reciever as a way to (via headphone jack to MIC IN) record vinyl... Sadly, I have to get the recording levels just right, or else I get major compression (and bass). I know that I need something way better than using a reciever with rather high levels of hiss and hum. What are some recommendations for preamps for under $175?

 

I just got a Schiit for my second system. My preamp began acting up so I pressed my NAD into preamp duty. No phono jack. My experience with the Schiit is good. Sounds fine. No noise. Cheap. Noise has been a complaint on those. Folks here seem to like the Lounge a lot.

 

ART DJ-PREII for $35

 

Brand New: Phono Solutions PS2 RIAA Phono MM Preamplifier

I sell a pretty cheap one that is pretty good too....also have a $100 version that just doesn't have adjustable gain.
Just another option

 

TCC TC-750

 

I'm looking for one with adjustable gain, or outputs quietly, as my soundcard on my PC is very picky. I am seeing a bunch of results for Little Bear T7 tube preamps... Not sure why. Those any good? (Seen them from China and California... Seems a little sketchy to me.)

 

Emotiva XPS-1 at $179 shipped. This is my favorite budget phono stage by far. I felt it easily bested the Clearaudio Nano I was using with my Concept MC at the time, and would later use it with a VPI Classic/OC9ii rig. Probably my favorite <$1000 phono stage.

 

It looks pretty great and well-made, but, I wonder how I would adjust the resistance settings for an AT440MLb cartridge.

 

Hagerman Bugle 2 at $189.
I highly, highly recommend it.

 

I would go for as low capacitance as possible and look at something around 30K if you can set it that way. I always ended up with mine at 32K and 100pF, which gives it a flatter frequency response.

 

For a teenager on a super tight budget ART DJ PRE all the way. Less than $40, adjustable gain, good sound. Don't make it complicated. Amazon, $40. That's your answer. Action Pact had it right.

 

I've never felt the ART deserves the praise it receives TBPH. I even did the trendy thing and ran it off a battery. an AT440 is a good enough cartridge to warrant spending more then $40 on a phono.

 

It's a teenager for whom dollars are precious. The ART DJ is worth every penny of those $40. We're advising a kid for whom "saving up" $400 would take "forever" to spend more than the cost of the ART DJ on a freaking preamp? CONTEXT.

 

CONTEXT: He currently has a phono preamp that is roughly the same caliber as the ADJ, and is looking for something better. He's set his budget at $175. He has a cartridge that would benefit from the difference in a ~$175 phono vs. a $40 one. He can continue using what he has in the meanwhile.

 

@H8SLKC and @Rolltide I actually have no preamp. I am literally using my reciever's headphone output with a headphone cord, hooking it into my computer. I get much more noise and hum than what I would probably get if I used a preamp. I like something simple, but a good, low noise preamp with a nice and wide soundstage. Sorry if I confused you all. Not saying I did, just clearing the lines.

 

So, you are plugging the turntable into the Pioneer though, right? Otherwise how else are you using the headphone amp output, or the turntable at all? Based on what you're saying, is your main goal to have a better way to record vinyl?

 

Yes. I was thinking about getting a tube preamp a few months ago, but the one that was recommended the most to me was $400, and yes, it was extremely high quality, but it is just too much. I'm trying to save as much money as possible (it's complicated) so I need something under $175, that still sounds good. Something with a gain control and a close to flat frequency response.

 

U-Turn Pluto...
U-Turn Pluto Versus Schiit Mani: The Votes Are In!

 

I was actually considering this as my second choice... Seems a good all-rounder.

 

Why do you need gain adjustment? Are you making needledrops?

From reading your posts it almost seems like you need two things: 1) a phono preamp and 2) a headphone amp.

 

This would seem perfect for you. Very smart looking too. I would give it a go if i was you.

 

Another good option!!

 

Go to the For Sale section and check out the guy selling a NAD phono stage with a USB output for $70. Good phono stage, fantastic solution for vinyl rips. It doesn't have a gain control, but you wouldn't need it with USB.

 

@OP Your problem is the way you use what you got. You should take the signal from receiver's tape out to your pc line in and see the results, not from headphone out. Try it and report back for further info.

 

I love my Rega A2D. It has adjustable gain and a USB output. Looks to be right around $175 now. Rip direct to hard drive and run it through Clickrepair. Done.