Under us$50 budget for a phono preamp

a good day to everyone. im currently using the mani but was thinking of selling it off as it sounds really bright on my system. was thinking of getting a budget preamp in its place and was considering the following:- Behringer 400, pyle 999, rolls vp29 and the much talked about artdj preII
I used to use a project phono box MM which sounds neutral to warm on my setup and was satisfied with that till the wall wart gave up one unfortunate day. hope that someone may recommend me something that has a sound signature similar to that of the phono box mm. your input will be gratefully appreciated. thanks

 

Why not replace the wall wart of your Pro-Ject Phono Box?

Coincidentally, I recently was looking for an inexpensive phono preamp for taking some samples via PC of some LPs, for play-grading them before selling them.

I had been looking at Rolls VP29, Behringer, and TCC TC-750. But the reviews were sketchy for all of those models, so I ended up ordering an open box Pro-Ject Phono Box DC for $49.99 from Crutchfield last night.

I'm glad to read your favorable mini-review of the Pro-Ject Phono Box!

Craig.

 

I wanted to craig but its got a weird 3 pin jack - not the common power adapter jack. uploaded photos quite some time back 25520126 10156484834086393 1710668231 n
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the project supplier in Singapore quoted me roughly about 45 bucks us for the replacement. yea the phono mm box is a better marriage to my system than the mani. not fatiguing on the ears even after hours of listening to led zeppelin, rock or pop music. that's why im trying to find a budget preamp that is similar to the mm box. a gentleman uploaded a comparison between the beh400 and the mm box and they sounded almost identical to me. he also auditioned the pyle. like it that there is more bass but clarity is lessened, but that may be a good thing for my somewhat bright system.

 

Bummer. That's an unusual version of Phono Box MM. I see that they exist like that in a few countries, but at least those of us in North America are more familiar with ones that look like these:

pro-ject phono box mm with DC input - Bing images

Still $45 to get your Phono Box MM working again seems like a better use of your $50 than buying any other phono preamp in the range that might not be as pleasing to your ears. After all, you probably spent more than $50 on that Schiit Mani, and you didn't end up liking it as much...

Anyway, you're not asking for us to give you that advice; you're asking for which of those budget phono preamps you should buy instead of getting your Phono Box MM working. And unfortunately I don't have experience with any of those. Sorry. At least my posts are keeping your thread up on the front page where someone with more helpful info might see it.

 

Get the ART DJ Pre. It has adjustable gain and capacitance which can help to tame brightness. Also has a subsonic filter which any analog setup should not be without.

 

yes I really appreciate your input. thanks

 

An electronic parts supply shop in Singapore should be able to source one locally. It’s has 18V/250ma output. Not unusual at all, nor is the jack.

With apologies to the under $50 preamp owners, the Behringer, Pyle and Rolls really aren’t great at all. You have a Schiit Mani and a Pro-ject Phono Box MM, so why buy a third phono preamp that is inferior to the ones you’ve already got?

 

My opinion too. i have had one for 5 years on my second systems and have had no problems with it.

 

thank you for the suggestion

hi there. yes I went over to sim lim tower. Singapore's hub for elec parts. sadly none of them have it

 

Seems like whatever you decide to purchase, you might want to go to sim lim tower and ask them if they stock replacement power supplies that will be compatible with the device you buy. Wouldn't want you to be stuck with another phono preamp that is effectively a paperweight when (not if) the original power supply fails.

 

yes craig I agree. thank you so much for the suggestion. appreciate it

 

Art DJ Pre II
Excellent value for the money, punches way above it's weight, and the adjustable gain is great. And if you decide to beef up the power supply it really shines.

It comes with a cheap Chinese wall wart. Back when I was using it, I read about people who were making battery packs for it and getting better sound. I found that using a 1980s era original Nintendo AC adaptor worked and it improved the sound. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

 

Thanks for confirming that. Hard to believe nobody at Sim Lim had it, but that confirms it’s a real oddball. Too bad. The Pro-ject Phono Box MM is a fine little phono preamp.

 

hi everyone just to update the mani has been sold a sometime last week. now im on the hunt for a replacement. most likely will the the art dj. just need to check, is the treble lighter than the mani and is the bass response better than the mani please? thanks

 

The Art dJ has worked great for me for 5 years. Go4it.

 

need to ask you Szeppelin75, have u experienced any brightness when listening to rock or pop LPs with the art dj? or have u heard the mani before and compared it to the art dj? im just trying my best to get something less bright than the mani
thanks brother

 

I Have not heard any brightness with the Art Dj Pre. But i have not compared it with the Mani.

 

I'd stay clear of the Pyle 999 in a big way. A friend bought one to use with an old JVC turntable he bought and wanted to run into this home theater receiver. First off, it sounded 2 dimensional and had no real defined highs or solid lows. Also, one channel of it stopped working after about 2 months. IMHO, any of the Pyle "home audio" gear made today is a complete pile of ****. While I've heard / read much praise on the Art DJ Pre I've never actually heard one but it does seem to be good value-for-money. Best of luck with your choice!

 

Art DJ Pre 2 here as well.
For a small step up you could also look at a U-Turn Pluto.

 

dear Szeppelin75 GroovyVinylDood and Carrman , yes I have just placed my order for the art dj preII from amazon US. thank you so much for the valuable input. truly appreciate it just need to check, they will be shipping it with a 9v output and 120V input adapter/wall wart right? that means I need to purchase another wall wart as its 220/240v in Singapore. will it be better if I purchase a 9v or 12v wall wart? read somewhere that the 12v wall wart is better? or should I stick to 9v. thanks so much

 

Imgur just to add I also thought of getting a 8xAA battery pack with barrel connector wired to it so as to feed the artdj 12v dc power from batteries. will that work guys? thank you

 

I think that shoulf do the trick @jasonsouza77

 

You could go this way and avoid the op-amps.

Realistic 42-2101/42-2101-a Phono Preamps

I have one that is loaned out. It's very good for the price if you find one.

 

yes I hope so. I have ordered it. I was also looking around the house for 12v adaptors and found 2 with 240v input with standard barrel connectors. the art dj also uses the standard adapter barrel connectors right? so I guess I don't have to purchase another 12v adaptor from the bay. will update this thread on the sonic differences when I have received it from amazon us. thanks

 

hi to everyone again. got my artdj phono box sometime last week. couldn't use the provided adapter due to diff voltage in my region. so I used an old 12v adapter that used to power my old router. I am truly impressed with this box. what I have read online is really true word for word. I couldn't believe my ears. I don't even mind the bright light. I was much more focused on the sound. think its more suitable on my system than the mani. just 2 days ago, I received an 8x aa battery pack with a wired dc jack. I plugged it into the art and was really elated to see the lights come on. then I gave norah jones' seven years a spin. oh my... what a difference 8 aa batteries made. to describe the improvement in 2 words - crisp & clean. just wanna say a big thank you to everyone in this thread as well as everyone who have recommended the art. very grateful to all you guys