A Look at Affordable Turntable Preamps

There are plenty of options for phono preamps out there, many of which are, well, not cheap. But what about less-expensive options -- are they any good?
Featured music:
"Tokyo (feat. Kinnie Lane)" from the album Night Drive by Timecop1983 (timecop1983.ba...)
"Awake" from the Celeste soundtrack by Lena Raine (radicaldreamla...)
"Shade" from the album Hypnagogia by Dan Mason (danmason.bandc...)
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Please consider supporting my work on Patreon: / thisdoesnotcompute
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram! @thisdoesnotcomp
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Additional music: "Remembrance", "Live My Dream", "My Lost Paradise" and "Sunset Drive" by Epidemic Sound (www.epidemicsou...).
Intro music by BoxCat Games (www.box-cat.com).

[@R0n8urgundy]

1st Sony 2nd Music Hall 585th Little Bear

[@d.logic1]

that Little Bear preamp makes your records sound like a low bitrate internet stream!

[@giladkingsley]

Well, it is

[@eddyrocks]

where are you listening to music online that sounds like that?

[@PikkaBird]

@@eddyrocks I guess he's from the past. It used to sound like that when we found music via *gack* RealPlayer.

[@HedgehogDude18]

I know exactly what you mean haha. Anyone that has watched a KZbin video around the 2005-2010 ere has heard what is most likely a 20 something KBS video. Before I actually knew what bitrates were, whenever I heard that washy metalicy sound of a low bitrate video, I would always describe it as "youtubey". Anyway yes, the little bear sounds like absolute trash.

[@bitcoinman9202]

🤣 it is horrible

[@raceace]

That Sony punches above it's weight for sure.

[@samschultz6106]

Sounds like butter

[@dmunz7015]

@@samschultz6106The Sony is way more spacious that the other 2.

[@danieldaniels7571]

I love that you came to the conclusion that a low end early 90s receiver with a built in preamp was the best option, as that’s pretty much the route I would go without even considering anything else. Many years ago (mid ‘90s) my mother bought a nice bookshelf mini-system for her bedroom and still wanted to be able to play her records. She had a nice mid-‘80s turntable, but the mini system didn’t have a phono preamp; just an aux input. I simply used the phono preamp in a late ‘70s Pioneer receiver that had a blown power amplifier. Ran the tape output to the aux input on the mini system, hid it under her bed and left it turned on. Worked and sounded great for over a decade until she moved.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

It was a pretty obvious choice. Don't buy #madeinchina crap.

[@robertkensler2156]

Good for you McGiver.....

[@danieldaniels7571]

@@robertkensler2156 did you mean “MacGyver”, Mr. McStupid?

[@cedarstuff]

Little Bear was unpleasant to listen to on that first track.

[@nickwallette6201]

Kinda seems like the timing of the cross fades in the samples were chosen more as a creative choice, where the transition is during a drop, break, or other change in the audio. If you're trying to compare the sound signature of different processing chains, that's .. kinda the worst place to switch. This the audio equivalent of doing a composite vs component vs HDMI comparison where you change the connection every time the scene changes to a totally different set.

[@randyab9go188]

Agreed. Play the EXACT same music passage through each preamp to get a valid comparison.

[@EsotericArctos]

Listening to this now, although I can agree with you, the music has plenty of content to compare the three as you go through. It was very obvious to hear the Little Bear T7 has issues with the top end. It is no where near as bright. The Music Hall Mini has some very obvious noise, even though it has quite a bright sound.

[@emiloguechoons9030]

Exactly, I kept thinking "does her voice sound warmer because of the preamp, or because her vocal style changed at the moment he switched preamp?", really frustrating tbh

[@foobarmaximus3506]

Wow! I like this channel! Finally, a normal person speaking normally - and coherently about a technical topic. I really enjoyed this, and subscribed. Can't wait to view your other work. Thank you!

[@TorontoJon]

The Sony receiver wins hands down, so thanks for posting this video because you've saved me time and money by not buying these ineffective tube amps. In general, I've been delighted with my vintage receivers (Sony, Marantz, Bang & Olufsen, Pioneer, Akai, Sansui, etc.). :)

[@WalnutSpice]

I knew right away youd go for the receiver at the end. There's something about digital audio receivers from 1991-1999 that just makes them all incredible tanks. I have a Techwood receiver my dad bought through Rent A Center in 97', year I was born. He handed it down to me in 2013. It's never had any maintenance and I still use it to this day. It has zero issues, buttons have been cleaned but nothing further. Produces great sound with Phono, a tape loop and four external audio inputs with an FM / AM radio that I can get crazy distance with with a proper antenna. The versatility and sound quality in the even the lower tier receivers of the era is incredible. Everyone should still be using these, they are super affordable as well.

[@zelphx]

I still have that same Sony receiver... and may now pull it out to use in my workshop; it sounds good, and never failed me. Only the lack of newer tech relegated it to the "old audio closet".

[@JessHull]

I good cheap Phono preamp is the Schiit Mani, using one now and its a great bargain and great sounding preamp.

[@PicoFromTX]

Dude, that Sony wins hands down! Even as a budget option, it sounds fantastic!

[@Jil8840]

I agree. Sony the best by far.

[@TheAfroman]

I knew I liked you! Timecop1983 and Celeste?! Yeah man..

[@boburrides]

A man who is testing a turntable with Timecop1983 is already a good egg in my book! well done video!

[@AlanFenick]

Two years ago I bought a Yaoin MS-23S Phono amp. It is a true tube (valve) phono stage amplifier. I use a Denon 103C Moving Coil cartridge in a Dynavector tone arm. Actually found it on Amazon a few years ago. The sound is exactly what wanted, very musical, but quite dynamic as well as having accurate reproduction. I did find it was mandatory to ground the chassis. Those who have heard it have been impressed as it has a quiet background. I have used it with a Shure V15 and a Grado cartridge with similar results! As I remember it cost $130.00 and it is a bargain. It uses two large transformers one for each channel and “rolling” tunes does make a difference especially with old Mullard, Telefunken and GEC tubes. It is musical and listenable.

[@tjet500]

Years ago in central Florida there was a Recoton factory outlet. I picked up a Recoton sp-2 Stereo preamp. I hooked up my AR turntable, the preamp and connected it to the sound card In my computer. I burnt a whole bunch of albums to CDs. The preamp is outstanding. Searching the internet you should be able to find them at a decent price. Happy listening.

[@michaelwilburn1001]

Best review I've ever seen on an amp. Amazing quality and gave so much useful information as to what actually made it good or bad. Thank you. I wish to see you do more audio reviews like this

[@scratchback2001]

Cheers from Australia. I'm a 61 year old gay DJ and Audio/Visual engineer. I've been around the block a few times but I "will not" include my 7.1 surround gear in my man cave for this test. In my bedroom I have a brand new Technics SL1200 Mark 2, the original version with the black base and grey plinth released in 1979 for sentimental reasons. It is fitted with an Ortofon Black cartridge which has a nude eliptical stylus featured. (a nude stylus is simply all diamond right up to the cantilever) My pre-amp is a Cambridge moving magnet pre-amp. After listening to about 30 of them at a friends store here in Melbourne, the Cambridge, a UK design with a phantom power supply was the best blind test of the lot and surprisingly only $80.00 which means it cost about $120.00AUD to buy. I used headphones for all the tests. Some of the $500.00 pre-amps were terrible. They were either muddy or crushed the top end badly. The output of the Cambridge pre-amp was fed into Auxiliary One of my PrimaLuna HP Integrated Vacuum Tube Amplifier. It is all valve amplification with 6 12AU7 pre-amp valves in the front and 8 EL34 power valves at the rear delivering 100 watts per channel into a pair of 8 ohm Wharfedale standing speakers which are 3 way 5 element and sound magnificent. My CD player is a Pioneer CDJ club unit which has a digital output but running high quality RCA leads is just as good as running a digital to analogue converter. PrimaLuna decided that an on board phono pre-amp was a waste of time because most people these days want to choose their own. My hearing is excellent. I made my own split cue systems to avoid hearing damage and I can hear up to 16 kilohertz. Great for my age. After listening to the Little Bear valve unit, I was stunned at how bad it was. It was a shocker and the only pre-amp worth considering was the built in unit in your integrated amplifier. Unfortunately with vinyl becoming so popular, these cheap pre-amps are flooding the market and not delivering anything real or logical. I'd look around for an integrated unit with a built in Tuner and a Phono input on the back. There are plenty of great units on eBay to look at. Unfortunately getting great sound these days can be very expensive but it's no good wasting your time on cheap garbage like this if it's gonna sound terrible. You can pick up some great combinations of speakers, an amplifier and a turntable and get great results. I cannot, except for the amplifier recommend any of the pre-amps.

[@timsalomons4734]

I have a Little Bear which I like, the secret is to change the tubes. True the tubes are not doing the amplification, but the coloration you heard here is from lousy tubes. Replace with GE 5654W (cheap on eBay) and run same comparison.

[@alessandroscaglione8753]

Are you sure? I would try

I use the little Bear with Pro-JECT Debut III turntable. To tell the truth, first when I try it, I return to the Dual amplifier built in phono preamp. But I use the Little bear sometimes, and I realized that after 20-40 hours using, it became a fantastivc phono preamp. It's good for classical music, excellent violin sound, and jazz, and everything. It became my favourite preamp. What we hear int this video through the youtube and our poor pc loudspeakers can't tansmit the real sound.

[@wastingtime9152]

A $20 Pyle ( I know, I know.....) phono preamp from Parts Express worked well for a project I was doing for a neighbor. Compared well against my Rotel phono preamp in the integrated amplifier I use regularly.

[@net_news]

The problem with cheap (sub $100) phono preammps is they usually have static, hissing and all kind of noises because they are not correctly isolated, the signal coming out from a turntable is very very weak and even the most insignificant noise gets amplified by 100x or 500x and ruins the sound completely. Even pretty good ones like the entry level Music Hall reviewed in this video or the highly praised Cambridge Audio 640p are not good enough and are prone to noises... and I'm talking from my own experience. I strongly recommend y'all spend a little bit more and get good phono pre from well stablished brands from the get go... if you wonder where you have to spend your money in a vinyl system.... spend it on the phono pre-amp I learnt that the hard way. Audiophiles are crazy people but they are right about the importance of a good phono pre... they are CRUCIAL, no snake oil here. if you don't mind putting a DSP in your signal path give a try to the wonderfull Parks Audi PUFFIN... it's a swiss army knife, it uses digital magic to alter the sound an emulate expensive tube and solid state phone pres (you can select what you want to emulate)... in fact, you can do almost anything with the Puffin and it sounds like analog pre-amps way way over its price thanks to DSP magic. It's not "playing fair" by audiophile terms because your are messing with the signal converting it from analog to digital and then back to analog... but who cares? It's not cheap but it's affordable and it sounds amazing. I think this is the product I'd recommend to 90% of the people. It really surprised me. If you don't want to put a digital stage in the middle of your system then go for a Pro-ject Tube box S or the Rega equivalents... they sound amazing and they are 100% analog. IMHO targeting below this level of equipment is a waste of money and missing the point of going vinyl. Personally, I have a Puffin for my 2nd system and a top of the line Pro-ject RS phono box for my main rig... both are amazing end of the game products... but the mid-tier Project phono pres like the Tube Box S are amazing too.... no need to go RS. My 2 cents.

[@MitchellHang]

Someone made a video saying that the Music Hall Mini is a rebadged Rolls VP29, where even the internals in both machines were completely identical.

[@samhiramaneck3056]

P lol

[@joeysarmiento1925]

I just watched it before this.

[@eastender74]

Wow! first video ever watched for this channel and I am floored at how good this was. I was curious about this subject and I got more than expected. Thank You.

[@benjaminriggs6881]

I love the Celeste soundtrack. Beautiful piece that is.

[@MinoTheShow]

Sony is my favorite of the bunch without a doubt, wonder how it’d compare with a ART DJPREII and a U-Turn Pluto in there

[@ThriftyAV]

My favorite affordable phono preamp is the ART USB Phono+... Good signal to noise ratio, accurate frequency response, and has a USB phono output, so you are not reliant on the sound card on your PC to encode the audio to digital. It also has a switch for encoding line level as well as phono level, and has an optional bass rolloff filter. As far as modern receivers, more are more are re-introducing phono pre-amps as an option.

[@tommyb.6064]

Old receivers phono preamps, most of them are just right with very low noise floor and proper RIAA curve. Clean the knobs and you're probably good to go. Anyway, at the prince they sell at the thrift store, spend 50$ buying 6-7 of them, and experiment. You're best deal is there. There is also nothing wrong using half of a device for amplification and other half of a device for it's phono preamp. sometimes, only half of a device performs the way you want it to. make a stack, as we did in the past and enjoy it.

[@pervertt]

Excellent video. I was thinking of getting an outboard phono preamp a while back but am glad that I didn't. Sticking with my ancient NAD 7240 receiver.

[@heyrec]

super video - after 25 years of cutting records for the industry I find lots of things to be explained to today's customers speaking about 'this is how the record sounds'. well, components are VERY important and need not be super expensive to work fairly well on a consumer level. But they matter. This video is cool!

[@jasejj]

I've bought a few of those small budget preamp from relatively unknown sources over the years, and have concluded that none of them hold a candle to the tried-and-trusted preamps the major Japanese brands put into even the cheapest integrated amps/receivers of the 80s and 90s. To be honest neither of the two you reviewed seem as good to me as even the very cheap ($15-20 or so) Behringer PP400 (by which I mean there are obvious deficiencies in the sound, whereas the PP400 just sounds neutral) . The nearest I've found to a good budget preamp is the Cambridge series sold in Richer Sounds in the UK (Azur 640, CP1 etc) but these have been getting expensive lately. All a far cry from the 1990s when a genuinely good preamp like the Musical Fidelity X-LP could be had for around £100 discounted.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Richer Sounds is a national treasure!

[@PeterBrockie]

You had me at Featured music: Timecop1983. :D

[@Patrick_AUBRY]

The tubish preamp is missing stereo separation. I think the receiver is doing a better job. I use an old Pionner a-30 amplificator for the preamp/amp with a b&o turn-table. Yes old tech do wonders !

[@danielsimpkins9662]

The Sony is just a lot richer. The music Hal mini isn’t “bad”, per se, just not as good. The little bear is a cheap pile of crap.

[@valeinikofff]

yeah. absolutely, that's my judgement upon hearing it as well.

[@silasmayes7954]

Nah for it's price the Music Hal mini is an abomination!

[@evowhite777]

@@valeinikofff Mee too, clearly the Sony, surprisingly! #vinyl4ever

[@stevesstuff1450]

Yeah... the Little Bear was very 'in your face' harsh sounding.....not good!

[@GS-vb3zn]

I think the Sony crushed them both.

[@jimbasler1054]

I started with what we now call vintage gear,and I'm sticking with it. Any of the mid to late 70's,made in Japan equipment beats most of these new pre-amps.

[@captainfallsalotatppic2508]

Does not matter where or when preamps/amps are made, just so as long as they're point 2 point, no printed boards.

[@baklap141]

Totally true , today I connected my vintage Kenwood ka 405 amp (wich recently got repaired) to my decent LP player. Seriously the sound was 10 times better then before. Normally it was connected from a Little Bear pre amp --> azur 540r amp --> philips ah495 speakers. I always already thought that this Little Bear preamp was sounding a bit thin and lacking of clarity. I used a external equalizer to have a bit more control of the sound though. But today I heared the difference in sound , over the kenwood it was a much better overall sound compared to the cheap preamp.

[@DJPenguino51]

The Schitt Mani will stomp that rebadged Rolls (Music Hall) flat. And that Little Bear...sounds like a Crosley.

[@scottdavis0801]

I should be the poster child for The Schiit Audio Mani phono preamp! I've been through half a dozen phono preamps, and nothing sounds as rich as the Mani, unless you pay over $500. The Mani costs $129 i think.

[@georgeanastasopoulos5865]

Okay, Scott. However, a Schiit Mani Phono Preamp for MC and MM Cartridges up here in Canada is $368.99. Certainly this manufacturer, made in the USA, is worth it.

[@ericjensen9091]

@@georgeanastasopoulos5865 I'd trade my Mani for an affordable, inclusive health care system.

[@georgeanastasopoulos5865]

@@ericjensen9091 Oh, okay. Good choice, too.

[@holacomoestas101]

I just wanna point out that awesome print of night drive of timecop1983, really cool

[@garrycope8923]

Great analysis. I'm currently using a Sony Audio /Video Center receiver that dates back to the late 90s for my vintage setup, and totally satisfied.

[@darrkstarcustoms2972]

IF anyone noticed, but there were 3 kinds of music played, pop, classical. and soft rock, the little bear was kinda bright, playing POP AND SOFT ROCK, the music hall and the sony were about the same but i give the sony a bit more richer and pleasant sound, playing POP AND SOFT ROCK. but all three were very close playing the classical music, in a blind test you it would be more difficult to tell which was tube, solid state, or from a reciever.

[@victoramicci840]

You can clearly hear the noise introduced by the Music Hal mini at 5:45 and, at the changeover, how clean the Sony built-in pre is. The Little bear was just muffled crap.

[@dxer22000]

I love the audio quality of my Marantz PM-6005 amp. It even has a loudness button, something rarely seen on many amps today

[@fisch1139]

I have the Marantz PM 6006 pretty satisfied. But will probably try the Schitt Mani

[@kylehazachode]

OMG i grew up with that Sony receiver. As a mobile dj and live sound engineer, I always have extra rackmount preamps. My absolute preamp setup is using two DBX microphone preamp processors. I need to have separate preamps for both left and right channels. My right ear isn’t as sensitive as my left ear.

[@SuperFredAZ]

Nice job, they all sound good to me. I doubt anyone could pick out one from the other in a "double blind" test. I am an "old" retired electrical engineer. I worked on tubes and solid state devices for many years. I can guarantee you that these vacuum tubes were never meant to operate at 12 V. No one knows what they do at such low voltage.

[@foobarmaximus3506]

I have a vintage Kenwood Super Eleven receiver that I'm currently working on (caps). So I was looking at buying a "cheap" preamp to test my Pioneer PL-L1000 turntable. Now, thanks to this review, I've decided to wait until the Kenwood is back up and running. Saved me some money!

[@Albee213]

I have two Onkyo top of the line receivers about 10 years old and they were about $100 each and they sound awesome for records and CDs.

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

I can't hear the difference between the built-in pre in my Nad 3020 and my Rega fono or any other pre in that price range. So to avoid clutter and save a power outlet, I cut it out of my chain

[@spahr001]

My VP29 is dead quiet. I like it a lot, better than any receiver that I've tried. Of about 6 inexpensive preamps that I've tried, the VP29 is my favorite.

[@georgeanastasopoulos5865]

Me too, spahr001! As I've posted before, here is what I have said: I've got a Rolls VP29, works well, don't have a problem with this phono preamp. Only thing is that it does not have a power on/off switch. Furthermore, some of these pre-amplifiers are designed in the USA, but they are assembled in China.

[@mruppel2]

Timecop1983 😍 Colin has such great taste!

[@Doellimann]

I’m using the old “pseudo” component rack my parents bought 30 years ago... it’s a cheap AIWA but works well and definitely sound mich better than the most affordable systems produced today. There are plans to buy a new turntable and a new preamp for the purpose of listening to records via my headphones (Old Sony MDR-V500) but replacing this old Hi-Fi? Nope! Maybe it wasn’t exactly the best equipment back in the days but it was a time when build quality meant more than to get it running barely longer than the necessary 2 years. And yes, nostalgic is a thing is this equation 😄

[@paznewis107]

Nice to see the Sony. I had the 5 channel in 1993. Now rocking a vintage Scandyna reciever from c.1970. I've just got a Behringer ultra compact phono stage, for my MiniDamp and SMSL AD18 😁. Haven't heard it yet, need to reorganise. Thanks for the videos Colin. All the best from Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🎱🐙🙏

[@jackallen6261]

I have a Little Bear Preamp and I must have gotten a good one I guess because it sounds awesome! I have Technics SL1900 TT with an AT 3600 cart and it all runs into a NAD 45 watt per channel amp powering a pair of Infinity Twin 8' floor speakers (RS4b's) I love it! I also have a Schitt Audio Mani that is dedicated to a DVD player for CDs It sounds amazing also! I picked up the Mani on sale for 100$ If you want an affordable preamp for all-around use I'd go with the Mani having said that I like the T7 better for vinyl but that's just me.

[@russellharris5072]

I have a Little Bear preamp and have had just the opposite experience.The first thing i noticed was high end like cymbals became audibly "visible".I run a systemdek IIX through it with nether the deck or the preamp grounded as these are already grounded through the mains plug.I tried a couple of GEC equivalent tubes for comparison and those subtle high end improvements vanished.I learned that these tubes were originally used for high frequency applications such as portable transceivers which almost explains why i experienced a high end boost but only with the Chinese tubes.........................

[@martin_kral]

Thumbs up for spinning TimeCop 1983. I appreciate your taste, I do have Night Drive on vinyl too 😉.

[@vicg5323]

Could not tell with first two track but the your eyes track clearly has the Sony as a winner.

[@AvalonEndures]

I'm glad I watched the video till the end, I was about to buy the "Music Hall Mini" until you said not to!

[@jdsimz8147]

I just purchased a Sony 100watt receiver for $100 with a pair of Sony bookshelf speakers for $75 on sale. Saved $175 and the setup sounds great.

[@piero914]

So happy to see someone else has the Celeste Soundtrack on Vinyl. I love that album

[@georgeanastasopoulos5865]

To me, I prefer your Sony receiver's phono preamp section as the music sounds more clear, has a bit more punch with the treble, and has this three dimensional sound, only my opinion. Thumbs up, very informative, thorough demonstration! I've got a Rolls VP29 Phono Pre-amplifier, made in the USA connected to my Sony STR-DH520 AV Receiver, both bought in late 2012, and everything works well. Up here in Canada, after 13% tax the Rolls VP29 preamp was a little over $100, from what I remember. Also it has a ground terminal, and an AC adapter; never had a problem with this phono preamp. Only that it does not have a power off switch, so that it requires it to be disconnected if not used. Why bother using up more electricity, money, maybe wearing out that green light shinning outside of that cute red box. Also since the cables are not exactly long enough, I have this phono preamp set on top of 2 wooden blocks on a wooden floor. Rolls VP29 Phono Preamp is as good as the preamplifier section of my Onkyo TX80 33 watt minimum receiver from late 1987. Therefore, I from my listening experience a moderately priced, well made phono preamp can perform well. Mostly my opinion.

[@matt-g-2501]

Thank you for this great video. I can confirm the little bear sounds, like you recognised, a little muffled on my Goldring 1042 cartridge. And on my old Braun PS550s with a Shure M95e cartridge it sound far more open at the top end. Seems the combination of cartridge and preamp matters. I bought the little bear because my Braun turntable is 15m (49 feet) away from my marantz receiver (without Phono stage) and I like the option with switchable amplification just to compensate the loss in Volume due to long cables.

[@GrotrianSeiler]

Very good video. I am most disappointed by what you learned of the Music Hall. I thought its sound was crispest, but we all hear things differently. I didn’t care for the warmth of the Sony, even if it was the most liked in the comments section. Nice choices of music too. I will pursue that last one. What an awesome voice. Thanks.

[@stevesstuff1450]

Yeah... as you showed, many 'vintage' receivers/amps of a decent brand, had great phono pre-amps built into them... a Sony, Technics, Yamaha etc will sound great! Of the modern pre-amps, the one that I've settled with is the Rega Mini Fono 2 pre-amp... it has a low capacitance input so it doesn't kill high frequencies from most cartridges, and sounds just so transparent, and natural, whilst being of a decent output voltage so record playback doesn't sound too low. In fact the only thing I don't like about is that the ground screw terminal is on the front of the case, and not the back... what were the designers thinking???!! Overall though, it's a fantastic sounding pre-amp, and only £99.00 (whatever $ equivalent)... oh, and it has a USB output too, for if you want to copy your records to computer!

[@rogerfurer2273]

Sony made some good sounding equipment. My dad had one that was very similar and very nice.

[@PhuckHue2]

built my own Muffsy preamp for $20 and the sound is killer

[@antopsyco]

The little bear sounded like it had a flanger or a phaser effect. The music hall sounded okay but the Sony STR sounded the best , brighter and sharper especially on that piano track.

[@DoomZoone]

The very reason I am sticking with my 1990 Pioneer rig. And still expanding it :)

[@SoulSilverIV]

Another fab video! I bought my first turntable a couple of years back, and wasn't sure whether to go down the powered speakers route using the table's built in preamp, or splash on a receiver. I ended up going down the latter route, and I'm glad I did. I ended up getting a Yamaha A-S301 amplifier which is a new model, yet had a phono preamp! Paired with a set of Tannoy 7.2 speakers, it produces a lovely sound and I'm very glad I spent the extra on a decent amp. :)

[@kaitlyn__L]

Didn't know Tannoy made home speakers! In the UK it's a generic noun for "PA system", as in "her voice came over the tannoy". Had assumed they specialised in industrial speakers for that reason, heh.

[@zwete]

My Onkyo A-9010 does the job perfectly for me. Decent phono pre amp and optical in with good dac to connect my TV.

[@programmer437]

Little bear is great WITH caveats. It isn’t putting alot of current into the tubes so it takes around 30 minutes for them to get up to temp.

[@malcolmduck6797]

If you’re on a tight budget then you can find the best deals buying used locally. I got a NAD 1020 stereo preamp for only $20, to get anything that sounds that good new you’d have to spend at least $200. I do however recommend the preamps from Pro-ject, I had one that cost me about $100 and it sounded great

[@Kevinb1821]

I have a marantz SR7500 receiver that’s I use for all my music and home theater. It doesn’t have HDMI hookups but even with just optical audio it sounds just amazing to this day. I don’t plan on updating my marantz any time soon even though I got gosh I think in 2005.

[@catminister3327]

When i bought my ART Pro Audio DJPRE II Phono Turntable Preamplifier it was under $100.00 and even though my Pioneer VSX-933 has a built in phono input - I prefer to use and AUX input with the separate phono preamp so i could use my Behringer 31 channel EQ with my DBX 3BX Series II enhancer...

[@BruiserRev2]

very interisting, but most of all, Thank You Very Much for the great music! tokyo an shade, never heard of but i am an instant fan.gooing to but it on vinyl and play it on my pro-ject carbon.

[@djjudas21]

It was the Sony receiver for me too. I reckon it’s because the receiver has a better PSU than the external PSUs on the mini preamps. I’m no audiophile but I use a Cambridge Audio receiver with integrated phono preamp. Certainly good enough for me.

[@KelzCasa]

I feel like the Sony gave extreme depth to the highs, but the Mini seemed to have a little more bass. After hearing this, I really wish I would've kept damn near the exact vintage model Sony when I left my old house. Wonder if my dad picked it up when I moved out, because I'd love to have it after hearing this video!

[@vileCR999]

Dude, need a second way of playing records for my mother, and this just the video I needed! Thank Colin!!

[@AVINIDE]

Not to be this guy but for me the best sounding one is the digital version on Tidal in Hi-Fi mode.. Tested "Shade" and it has more responsive dynamic range (especially noticable on drums), less exposed high frequencies, and most importantly - no hiss/pops (mostly noticable since the 49th second of the track). Tested on Sennheiser HD 650 btw.

[@caseyholford]

Shocking findings from this test! (Well, not shocking that the Sony did well, but more that the two standalone pres sounded as bad as they did.) Thank you for doing this video and I hope lots of people making their own turntable setup will get a chance to watch it.

[@travis4798]

I am using an FX-Audio Tube-01 buffer/ preamp with the same tubes as the little bear. I can confirm at least the tubes are not coursing the roll-off and has great depth in bass, plenty of detail. Must be a problem with that op-amp. Usually with these imported devices they do expect the end user to repair if it's not under warranty, or if they do end up having to "fix" it they will ship you a new device. It all boils down to the price it would be less cost effective to have to ship a device back and forth overseas on top of repairing it. I tried with Topping after the dac/ amplifier I had had quit working but they refused to repair it or even replace it.

[@derekwhidden9730]

Very good comparison and honestly, very surprising. I as well thought the receiver was very flat and neutral, as it should be. Any kind of amplifier should do only that, amplify. The sound should be adjustable to taste with an equalizer. But a word to the wise when buying a used receiver, especially from a thrift store. Know what you are getting. Simply plugging it in and turning it on is not going to confirm whether or not it works. If by chance the store is demonstrating it they probably won't let you turn it up. An amp might sound fine at low levels but have a higher amount of distortion when turned up. All amps should produce some distortion in their top range but the amount is reduced by their quality and how well they are treated. A lot of people think you break an amp by turning it up all the way and releasing the magic smoke. While this is possible a lot of people abuse their amps while not even knowing it. You would think it would be bad, if you had a 100 watt amp and 50 watt speakers, and it would be bad for the speakers if you turned the volume up past half way, however it won't hurt the amp. So people like to play it safe, and hook up 200 watt speakers to their 100 watt amp. It seems sound in theory. But the speakers are demanding too much power from the amp. It will sound fine, for a while. The amount of distortion will increase gradually and imperceptibly over time, and you will get used to it, until you compare it side by side to a new amp. Receivers can be expensive to fix, if not impossible. The parts might simply not exist. And you might go through 3 or 4 receivers before you find a good one. I got a suprise once and found a 100 watt Yamaha receiver in the community dumpster while throwing away my own trash. It actually did work, it only has a broken foot. I use it for testing other components while I rely on an Onkyo HTR540 for my main duties. While I have never been a real fan of Onkyo, I have to say I am very impressed with its sound qualities. It seems to combine the best of all worlds, because while it is a 7.1 surround sound amp for home theater, it is a solid performer for standard stereo, and yes it has phono in. One problem though, this system is powerful enough to skip records, lol. *sigh* Well I suppose I will have to religate LP duties to my Sansui 9090. Oh the pains of being an audiophile and the search for the perfect sound... but I would not trade it for anything.

[@motocommando2477]

Get a Schiit Mani. It's a $129.00 shipped, it's got a variable gain stage so you can use it with moving magnet or moving coil, it's completely designed and manufactured in the U.S.A., AND you can return it if you don't like it. I did and I kept it. I've used it with both MM and MC cartridges, in spite of having a very good phono stage in my receiver. You can spend less and get less. But you would have to spend more, much more, to better. And then diminishing returns comes into play. Get the Schiit, it's THE Schiit.

[@tahititoutou3802]

The dull high-frequency response of the Little Bear is due to the exclusive use of electrolytic capacitors. Look at 2:37. If one wants to have high capacity in audio coupling, one can use electrolytics but MUST (I insist) parallel them with ceramic or, much better, polypropylene capacitors equaling at least 2% of the electrolytic's capacitance. For instance, there are many 470uF on this board; ALL should be parallelled with at least 10uF. Another possibility is to use one tantalum of at least 5% in parallel with polypropylene of 2% or more of the tantalum cap. In this case : 470uf electrolytic in parallel with 25uF tantalum, in parallel with 0.47uF or more polypropylene. The solid state dual op amp has a good high-end response to beyond the human ear's limit : it won't cause that dull sound. The tubes, of course, are there only to LOOK like a tube amp and justify a higher price.

[@leon9021]

This video has you covered: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZWvZZZ-hdZom5I

[@jamjo2357]

Sony won. Original owner of a Marantz 2230b. Getting it serviced. Should I pick up a preamp? Well done. Very precise analysis.

[@smallmonkeydick]

great video. Im new to record players and you gave me much more insight into the hobby than I was expecting to get from this.

[@bob7872]

I can just hear radiotvphononut saying "Amen." Yeah, I bought a newly made one that was about $10 a few years ago, and it sounded ok, except for a very loud hum, which I thought was caused by it being powered by a DC adapter, but it may be the same issue as yours. I still use a Technics turntable and a Radio Shack pre-amp, both bought by my dad in 1982. Still no problems with it.

[@NothingLikeVinyl]

I've been using an ART DJPRE II phono preamp since 2014 and I'm still very happy with it. There are much better options for sure, but I'm sure I'd have to spend a lot more money to get a noticeable sound quality improvement.

[@shutterguy_dude]

I am looking for a budget phono preamp until I came across with this video. Thanks to you I'll stick to my Yamaha Receiver with the Phono preamp.

[@johnnorris7289]

The Sony and the Music Hall sound like typical IC opamp-based phono preamps. The Little Bear just sounds broken. Best option in this price range is the Schiit Mani, hands down.

[@alangross2277]

A lot of vintage gear had very good phono sections, especially the name brand gear such as Kenwood, Pioneer, Marantz, Rotel, higher end Sony and Realistic receivers.

[@hkaya8403]

There is a big electric hiss in the Music Hall Mini and a in the some crisspy hiss in the Little T7. I would pick the It's a Sony

[@Trance88]

The Sony is definitely the best among the 3. I've never had a problem with my Rolls preamp. I think it sounds great!

[@bitcoinman9202]

Ya but where can I buy it

[@PenguinRevolution]

Yeah vintage receivers are pretty easy to come by. I got one for $5 at a flea market and it works great.

[@swompthing2626]

Old school is best.

[@sk22ng]

Reasonably good regarding an analog unit. Hope you get one of the apparently random good builds.

[@eyeh8u1]

I watched the entire video before reading the comments. Not surprised that the majority reflected what I heard as well, the Sony sounded great. The Music Hall was just ok and the Little Bear sounded like crap.

[@MegaBobsel]

This just shows how modern crap is just overpriced and is in fact, well... crap. I have so many vintage gear that wasn't high end to begin with but has a better build quality as well as sound quality than most modern devices.

[@michaeloakley7899]

0⁰⁰⁰0⁰⁰0⁰0

[@giovannigobbi4832]

What analog amps do havd better sound for similar price?

[@prockrog5219]

Fun video. I had a Sony STR-GX315 receiver when I was a teenager, very similar to yours. I've gone through a lot of phono preamps since my current amp doesn't have a built in one. After trying out a cheaper NAD PP4 (replaced because of faint background noise), then one from Cambridge Audio. But I landed on the Pro-Ject Phono Box DS2 USB. It lets you select output levels, and has a nifty ADC with USB input for ripping LPs. It has 3 inputs, two phonos and one aux (so I can rip any format). Great value for money, even though it set me back $500.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Pretty cool that it's a decent ADC too! Can you run it backwards, to output line level audio from your computer, using it as a high quality DAC?

[@markharrington3775]

Probably a UK Vs US use of English thing, but we would call what you used an amp, and a receiver is a radio tuner with built in amp, usually featuring phono and tape/aux inputs. Thanks though, my standalone phono stage has dropped a channel so I am going back to an old Yamaha Natural sound until I get it fixed. I was contemplating a budget phono stage until watching this.

[@keithling417]

The Schitt Mani at about 140 is a fantastic unit. It is very highly rated by many other reviewers. I am blown away by how my Ortofon 2M Blue sounds with this unit.

[@Stoney3K]

I actually have the ZeroZone T1 which you can purchase as a kit, it's basically the Little Bear without the tube buffer stage, and the frequency response is fairly flat, the only concern is that the gain is fairly high so I wouldn't recommended with cartridges that have a high output. There's nothing inside the amp except a through-hole 5532 op-amp and some resistors and capacitors.