Guitar Gear Forum

I need a phone pre. I want to spend less than $100 but I want good audio quality.... Whats something I could grab off ebay thats good? Or a current production thing thats decent and cheap? I'd ask an audiophile forum but they would tell me 'decent' would cost me $1000

I got a Behringer one for like $39.

works fine

Does it sound good?

to my ears they don't always sound 'fine'. i had an ART one for a hot minute. it sounded weird because, i suspect, the output of the two channels wasn't balanced. it sounded phasy and bizarro.

problem with cheap ones is some will sound okay, and some won't due to cheap mass production. you're ramping up a TINY signal to very loud with a pretty complicated eq network with a buncha parts.. so if they're not matched.. it's got a lot of potential to sound weird.

try the folks at musical fidelity, or ProJect for less expensive ones.. but $100 will get you spotty QC. doesn't mean it'll sound BAD.. but you can't guarantee it'll sound great either.

I must have gotten lucky. It sounds just like my 80's technics and onkyo's receivers' phono preamps. My table isn't so great though. I haven't gotten too wrapped up in the vinyl revolution. Seems like a lot of trouble to have to get up, and go flip the record. It's expensive to get good fidelity with records.

BroSlinger wrote:I must have gotten lucky. It sounds just like my 80's technics and onkyo's receivers' phono preamps. My table isn't so great though. I haven't gotten too wrapped up in the vinyl revolution. Seems like a lot of trouble to have to get up, and go flip the record. It's expensive to get good fidelity with records.

well-- nah-- it's not THAT bad-- i have a denon SS rig attached to a 1200 with a 40 buck AT cartridge that i love, and i have a really fancy rig that kills it.. but it's still a fun listen, and what i listen to on MORE 'cause it's not fussy!

but i DO have a nice Pro Ject phono stage on the denon rig and it sounds better than the one that came with it. with a good setup and a decent phono stage-- it's amazing how much detail and music you can pull off records. but your phono pre really is important, and so is setup with a real protractor.

a lot of those old phono stages on old receivers were GOOD cause if they weren't.. people wouldn't buy 'em 'cause vinyl was the main format!

I should have never let my dad sell his old Hafler preamp. It would have been perfect