A better phono pre-amp for this Pioneer digital receiver?

i just got a pro-ject music hall phono stage, sounds very nice. they don't make them anymore. but they make a similar phono stage for about $150 or something. I recommend them (without having heard them). The only bad thing about these is they have no 'off' switch, so you have to leave them plugged in or plug and unplug, which is really a pain if you have a mess of cords like I do.

There are a whole bunch of phono preamps on amazon by a company called TCC that are ridiculously cheap. So cheap I was pretty dubious of them despite getting really rave reviews from users on there (they run about $50). But I asked in another forum and people said they were actually pretty good. Maybe not better than what you have though

i use this cambridge audio 540a phono pre...for $90 i think it's considered a bit of a bargain...

http://spearitsound.amazonwebstore.com/Cambridge-Audio-540PB-Phono-Preamp-Black/M/B0018DMF2Y.htm?utm_campaign=froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=froogle

Thanks, you guys. I've never owned anything by Cambridge Audio, but the name alone is impressive.

akm, I have a similar mess of cords too. Wish I could say that was the biggest of my problems here.

Re Cambridge Audio name: Of course, I'm not just going on the name! I learned my lesson when I bought these shitty Harman/Kardon CD players. But CA is higher-end shit, right?

I think you can still get a Project Phono Box still from needledoctor.com. Creek also makes a decent phono pre-amp. NAD has the PP2, which I've never heard, but it gets good reviews for the money. Of course, you can spend thousands. Monolithic has a beautiful phono section, but it's likely beyond what you're thinking.

I really dig the sound of my Bellari V129, which, as I remember, I bought as a bit of high-spending frivolousness after a long string of research. I had that same Radio Shack pre-amp before hand, and the difference is enormous.

i have a graham slee, which i think is awesome, but possibly starting to get a bit expensive

Cambridge Audio used to be high-end, but I think it's now just one of the budget names that Richer Sounds uses. Fine for budget gear, though.

Bellari looks nice! I use a NAD PP-1 pre-amp, which I'm reasonably happy with

Cambridge Audio are still good - Richer Sounds are the only distributor in the UK, but the R&D / manufacturing side of it are the same. They're not high-end like Naim or whoever, but they're in alongside NAD, Rotel, Marantz etc very, very comfortably.

I'm really just looking for something that sounds less boxy and smashed.

would it be a good idea to plug an ipod to a pre-amp?

Not a phono pre-amp, no.

I have a NVA Phono 1 MC, which is 12 years old now and NVA went out of business in the interim. But - they're back as an eBay entity now so I may send it off to get tweaked if I ever get round to replacing my Ortofon MC25FL cart (bent cantilever). I have little cash or enthusiasm for this though.

NAD phono stages are pretty good and the Pro-Ject one is about the same level.

I have a NAD one, not that it ever gets used.

What can I do to amp up an ipod then?

An iPod can just go straight into a receiver or a pre-amp so long as you buy the right connecting cable, generally a 1/8" headphone cable that splits into 2 RCA outputs. Or, of course, there are any number of devices that you can plug an ipod into using its USB connection.

A phono-pre-amp (or phono section) is an entirely different beast than a pre-amp. The signal from a cartridge is very weak (and distorted in all sorts of interesting ways); you need a phono pre-amp to boost and correct it before a regular pre-amp, receiver, or integrated amp can deal with it. But you'll overwhelm a phono section if you plug a non-turntable source into it.

You probably have a moving magnet cartridge, but keep in mind that if you have a moving coil cartridge, not every phono pre-amp will be able to deal with it.

Yes right now I plug the ipod straight into the receiver but I mind the fact that I have to turn up the volume to insane levels compared with my other inputs.

there must be devices that can go between ipods and amplifiers/receivers that would not only give a little signal boost, but maybe also suppy the pod with power. Crucially, such devices would not then send the sound to their own speakers, but send it directly into the stereo. Some sort of dock?

And, in fact, a minute on google reveals:

http://www.apple.com/ipod/accessories/
http://us.kensington.com/html/6529.html
http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-TuneCommand-Remote-Connector-White/dp/B000F6K00O/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1217021771&sr=1-11

The Apple unit gets poor reviews, though.

There's also always the Squeezebox. Pretty great device that runs from an ipod or computer and then into the stereo. the new remote (big LCD) operates much like an ipod, so you can see what you're playing. Gets internet radio, too.

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Squeezebox-Network-Music-System/dp/B0013IWYHU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1217022106&sr=1-1

you used to be able to put the ipod in the dock, dock had an optical line-out you used rather than the earphone out. never did that so no idea how well it worked.

squeezebox is very tempting but expensive

got a new receiver because my old one broke, and it's made for home theater shit. my turntable is super quiet through it, i assume i need to get a separate phono preamp?

is it okay to get a super cheap one like this?

i ordered that preamp, if it sucks it's on you guys.

I got rid of the one I mentioned up above and paid for a bellari VP130 tube preamp, it is wonderful

actually I have a 129 but it's the same thing although mine draws power all the time so I have to unplug it.