The ART Pro Audio DJ PRE II preamp. The best preamp bargain out there?

anyway does this sound at least as good as my pioneers phono input granted mypioneer is circa 1997 but then it was an 1800$ reciver..

 

It sounds as good as my 90's Technics integrated amp phono input in my opinion. Bought it nearly 6 years ago because it was cheap and had adjustable capacitance. I wanted to see if it would be any good at taming the brightness of my AT440mla cartridge, haven't went back to the Technics since.

The only drawback I've found is the gain knob is starting to get a bit noisy, but after 6 years of constant use in a smoke filled room I wouldn't expect it not to be. I'd highly recommend it to anyone on a tight budget, not sure it can compete with a $1800 receiver though.

 

How did it go with the AT440?

 

thanks tin ears thats good info think ill try to buy it localy so i can return it if not as good as my pioneer av. am looking for one so i can prove to my digital buddy vinyal does sound better on his own system and his reciver dosnt have phono.. it was so cool doing testea from cd rip on his playstation agingst my records..i swear i converted him that day and hes a major adiouphile

 

It definitely helped but not quite enough for my liking.

I eventually ended up changing my turntables phono leads to low capacitance cable which further improved matters but even then I still come across records that sound a bit too bright. Usually the worst offenders are mainly restricted to releases from around the mid 80's, Tinderbox and A Kiss in the Dreamhouse by Siouxsie & the Banshees being two good examples of albums that gave me problems. Most other records, including modern releases, sound fine however.

I'd also like to add - that when doing needledrops the Arts adjustable gain is as good for getting a decent level out of really quietly cut vinyl as it is for preventing clipping on those loud hot-cut 12" singles. As the thread title suggests it probably is the best budget preamp out there.

 

I had the Art in my work office setup and brought it home to see if it sounded better than a new used receiver I just put in circulation (Denon AVR-3803), and it was about equal, maybe even a bit worse on the top end. I have a high output mc cart that would benefit from the Art's gain adjustment, so I really wanted it to work. I also tried it out with both a 12v regulated power supply and SLA battery, and even then, I found the Art lacking. Since the Art was out, I put it in my main system which has a Musical Fidelity V-LPS phono stage. The difference was stark, not even close. Usually when I am "upgrading" from one piece of mid-fi gear to the next (an obsession), I struggle to hear the differences. But in this case, it was like, "wow, night and day." So yes, if you are on a budget and want something well under $100, the Art is the way to go. But if you can spend $200, there are much better options out there. It is definitely not a giant killer let alone a bottom feeder killer.

 

The thing is a number of us don't have $200 to spend on a phone pre which is what makes the Art such an attractive proposition. For $50 you get a decent, solid little preamp that gives a lot of bang for your buck. Enabling people with systems that don't have dedicated phono inputs to experience the joys of vinyl while sounding considerably better than any of the plastic, one-pieced, ceramic cartridge, record grinder systems that were so popular during it's heyday. Sure, it might not be the last word in audio refinement but to say it's not even a bottom feeder killer is unfair.

If there's an equivalently priced preamp that offers similar features, noise floor and level of fidelity I'd love to see it.

 

I should have been more specific, Tin Ears. By " bottom feeder" I meant preamps in the sub-$300 range, which among the myriad of options out there is actually a low price point. Among sub-$150 units, I think the Art is a real bargain. In my experience with the Musical Fidelity V-LPS, Cambridge Audio 641p, and Rega Fono Mini, and Music Hall PA1.2, the Art does not measure up. That said, I don't think these preamps are giant killers either. Trust me, I really wanted to love the Art but found the MF much, much better. I hope that makes sense.

 

As a new DJPRE-II owner, this is interesting to me. What peak level do you get on your needledrops (without normalizing, of course) with the gain knob at -2, Ben? I always got a level close to 0 dB with the Musical Fidelity V-LPSII and Nagaoka MP-110 cartridge. With the ART slightly below +4 (all other variables equal), the tests I've performed show an average peak level of -3 dB. A recording from my system with the ART's gain knob at -2 must be extremely quiet.

 

I use a minidisc recorder with its own gain as an analog-to-digital converter, so I pick volume back up there. Turntable > ART DJ PRE II > minidisc deck > digital optical out to my PC.

 

You could also use these in your line- -3,-6,-12 if needed, BTW thanks for the pre-amp game, was fun and no-one got hurt
http://www.amazon.com/Harrison-Labs...F8&qid=1408049775&sr=1-21&keywords=attenuator

 

I've been thinking about picking this pre amp up. I'm currently using a cheap Behringer PP 400 with a Dual cs 530 turntable going into a Denon ave X1000. The level seems very low. The Behringer is rated for 32dB of gain. How big of an improvement would the DJPRE II be? I've seen it rated as a max 45dB of gain. Is it 35dB at 0 and 45 at +10 or 45 at the 0 position. Or should I just save up for a Cambridge Audio Azur 551P. Thanks

 

What cartridge do you have? With the Behringer phono stage, you need a cartridge with a rated output voltage of at least 7 mV (5cm/sec) to get optimal gain. From what I've seen, you only can get that output voltage from a DJ cartridge, but not a hi-fi one. You can either get a DJ cartridge like the Ortofon Concorde Scratch, for instance, or replace your phono stage. At the DJPRE-II's maximum gain (45dB), you can go as low as 1.8 mV for cartridge output voltage. Since that's a pretty low voltage for an MM cartridge, it's safe to say that the DJ-PREII is a good match (gain-wise) for any hi-fi MM cartridge.

 

I'm running a Dual ULM 65 E with the DN 165 E stylus. Any suggestions on a third party upgrade to my stylus. $200 is too much right now for a genuine super om 20.

 

Right now I'm wondering: This unit comes with a 9V AC adapter. Since it can be powered by different sources according to the specs sheet (7-12V DC or 9-12V AC @150mA), is a 12V DC regulated DC adapter supposed to improve its sound quality? Not that I'm not happy with it as it is, but just looking for possible improvements.

 

I used to run mine off one of these: http://www.amazon.com/HitLights-12V...17390300&sr=8-2&keywords=12+volt+battery+pack

 

I wouldn't use an ART preamp with a Dual/Ortofon OM set up...needs lots of capacitance (250+pf) to sound right, not the 100-200 that the DJPreII offers. I would definitely go for Cambridge Audio or NAD instead. The Behringer I did not care for at all when I (briefly) had one.

For cheaper OM styli, have you got 5e and the new Omega? I think the quality will surprise you, especially with newer pressings. Personally, I would never buy non-OEM/aftermarket styli, not had good experiences, did not get the sound I wanted. You may be able to find a NOS Digtrac 300, which was a P-mount cart (adaptable to regular 1/2" tonearms) which is basically an Ortofon OM30. These were selling at about half the price of the 30, the last time I looked.

 

Thank you for your reply. Is it supposed to work best with a battery? How about one like this? http://www.ebay.com/itm/P273A-12v-D...-/271681867701?pt=US_Surveillance_Accessories

BTW, the ART's adapter doesn't have any polarity diagrams. What's its polarity supposed to be?

 

I wanted to ask a dumb question, I was going to buy a dj pre ii because my phono input on my old Sony Db receiver still only plays at a level around -16db.
If I buy the Dj and go from that to the amp will it still go into the phono input or will it be distorted if I do that?
I can't buy a new amp at this time but will this help do you think?
Thanks

 

The pre-amp should not go into the phono input. There should be "Tape-In" or other auxiliary input that you can use.

 

If I use tape in am likely to gain anything over the existing phono input?

 

It depends on how good the built-in phono stage is. One thing about the ART is it has a gain control, so you might be able to dial in the volume more to your liking.

 

In my experience the phono input should not be used with the DJ Pre-II at all. Last time I tried that (by mistake) I just got a bunch of noise. Basically you just want a straight analog connection with the DJ Pre-II - the phono input will put it through the receiver's existing phono stage.

 

http://www.phonopreamps.com/tc750pp.html

I have a pair of these that are the equal of the phono stage in either my Denon DRA397 or an older Pioneer integrated amp. I have done quite a few needle drops with them and for the money I think they are a great buy. They have other models and some with a vol control if you need that.

 

You can't run one phono preamp circuit into another. The way records are made -- in order to better fix grooves in the disk, trebles are boosted and bass is cut enormously before the signal is cut to disk, the phono preamp, besides providing gain also provides re-equalization to return that eq'ed signal to it's proper frequency balance. So if you stick the output from your outboard phono pre into the input of the receiver's phono pre not only will likely have too much gain, but you'll be eq'ing the signal a second time after the first preamp has already re-eq'ed it flat. That's why you sent the output from your output of an outboard phono pre into a line level into like tape in or aux or whatever, not into any on-board phono preamp.

Whether you'll gain anything using an outboard phono stage vs. an onboard phono stage of course depends on the caliber of the two phono stages in question.