A Look at Affordable Turntable Preamps
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- 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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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).
that Little Bear preamp makes your records sound like a low bitrate internet stream!
Well, it is
where are you listening to music online that sounds like that?
@@eddyrocks I guess he's from the past. It used to sound like that when we found music via *gack* RealPlayer.
I know exactly what you mean haha. Anyone that has watched a TH-cam 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.
🤣 it is horrible
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!
1st Sony
2nd Music Hall
585th Little Bear
A man who is testing a turntable with Timecop1983 is already a good egg in my book! well done video!
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.
So happy to see someone else has the Celeste Soundtrack on Vinyl. I love that album
Could not tell with first two track but the your eyes track clearly has the Sony as a winner.
Timecop1983 😍
Colin has such great taste!
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.
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.
The very reason I am sticking with my 1990 Pioneer rig. And still expanding it :)
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.
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.
Sony made some good sounding equipment. My dad had one that was very similar and very nice.
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.
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.
My Onkyo A-9010 does the job perfectly for me. Decent phono pre amp and optical in with good dac to connect my TV.
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.
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?
Sony won. Original owner of a Marantz 2230b. Getting it serviced. Should I pick up a preamp? Well done. Very precise analysis.
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.
im running a sony STR-DA1ES, and its honestly better sounding than all my other home theater receivers. its old, and has no HDMI, but man does it power my speakers well and has a very good 6ch input for using it with my computer. it'll be some time before i replace it.
It's an 'ES' model so it's almost certain to sound great.
I have a budget early '80s Emerson M2200 turntable and matching speakers (and manual). It beats the crap out of anything out of the last 25 years hands down. So this conclusion is not at all surprising.
I watched with interest. Let me share my experience. Out of curiosity I checked the Sony STR-D311 diagram. The RIAA correction system is implemented in a negative feedback loop, as was done in all cheap amplifiers. This Little Bear maybe has the same solution to correct the turntable signal in the operational amplifier circuit plus an additional output buffer on tubes to add even harmonics. I think Music Hall is implemented in the same way as the preamplifier in Sony 311, it sounds worse maybe due to SMD components. I will add that my Onkyo TX-SV646 amplifier has the same layout as your Sony. They all sound bad, have limited space, different boosts in the whole band (correction inaccuracy), transient intermodulation distortion. The NAD 3020 (analog model) has a better fonostage. In my experience, a simple Class A amplifier with passive RIAA correction transfers the sound of the same turntable one class higher. If you want to have a good sound, buy a preamplifier constructed in this way: a cascade tube amplifier, RIAA passive correction, a cascade cathode follower. This arrangement ensures low output impedance, the current does not load the passive filter elements, which does not change its characteristics, and is a perfect match with the turntable cartridge. Not all tube preamplifiers cost as much as the M2 Audio Note. My hand-made tube preamp cost me 50 €. Condition: you must be able to solder, file saw and use a screwdriver. Simple design: triode voltage amplifier, passive RIAA correction and second amplifier on ECC83, of course class A (because in SE it cannot be done differently). It sounds much better than the preamplifier on Onkyo 646, Sony 311 or TA11, Sansui C77 or Fonica WS503 and other integrated devices.
Love the music Shade and Tokyo, great video 👍
I bought the Schiit mani (129$ US) for my vintage technics SL-D2 turntable with ortofon 2M blue cartridge. I must says the sound is pretty good!
The Music Hall Mini is exactly the same inside as the Rolls Phone VP29, for half as much. Opps, you mention that.
Amazing video, well done 👍🏼
Thank you for this. I just upgraded from an Audio Technica LP60 to a used Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Esprit, and have been trying to find out if I would also need to invest in a new preamp as well. But my Yamaha receiver has always worked great, so no need to bust out my wallet again.
The music hall and Sony both sounded pretty good. Probably give it to the Sony receiver. The bear was horrible. It sounded like it was cutting off the high frequencies
I agree with the outcome here. The Sony was the best, the Musichall Mini was in the middle and the Little Bear was the worst. However, Music Hall had exposed how corrupt the audio industry can be. They are using a $50 Rolls product and marking it up for twice as much. So now I don't know which company is worse, Music Hall or Little Bear. I guess it is a moot point as the Sony beat them both. @This Does Not Compute. I would like to see you do this test again, but with better units against the Sony Like the Schiit Mani and Zen has a comparably priced phono pre-amp as well.
Led imitation of lamps, I need it really.
It should be immediatelly put to the trashcan instead of review.
I liked your review and thought the Music Hall sounded the best. I also found two pre amps that interest me; the brand is Pyramid PR2500 and Pyle PPRE70BT. The 2500 seems to be right in line with the phono use, but the 70bt has additional features that I could use. However, the 70BT doesn't seem to be quite as suitable for turntables?. I intend to use this with my Sony Strdn 1020(no phono input) and I'm struggling in figuring out the connections and compatibility to use with the receiver. Both pre amps are very affordable, they have very high ratings on Amazon.
I was hoping you could shed some light on these. I'm almost thinking I need to pair the music hall with this pre amp(70BT) to work and I'm not looking to have a gaggle of components daisy chained just to make things work.
A lot of testing there, others know much more than me, but i would like the Sony, if i went back into vinyl partially would need to do tons of Research, lucky am good at it.
I use a NAD pre amp and have been very happy with it compared to the pre amp built in my Pioneer integrated amp from the late 70s.
Honestly, the first two tracks don't show the differences very well because the movement of music changed the sound we're trying to evaluate. Quicker cuts to the different pre-amps would have been helpful to hear the tonal differences in roughly the same part of the song. The last track did this and I could hear the differences.
i enjpyed the video. decided against buyin a bad product and bein conned. so thank you.
vintage receivers are 70s silverface type of stuff up to about 1980--that 1993 sony isnt vintage, its just old.
I also reviewed a few phono preamps and found the little bear to be the worst. The Fosi is cheaper and better. Just listening on my laptop speakers, I get the feeling the sony is the best! shorter signal path?
You got good taste in music.
Pretty easy to hear the differences between them, the Little Bear is straight out, its just plain poor sounding. The Music Hall had the best high end definition but poorer noise floor, and then I saw inside, I wouldn’t consider that one either. So the Sony, unexpectedly wins for me too.
In all honesty though, if you have a good turntable, amplifier and speakers, don’t skimp on the phono stage, it WILL hold things back if you buy a cheapo one. I’ve seen excellent phono stages such as the Trichord Dino sell for as little as £180 used, but at £250 used, its excellent VFM. I have an “Arkless 651p”, basically a Cambridge Audio 651p that has been heavily modified by Arkless Electronics, possibly only really practical for UK residents but at about £50-60 for a used CA 651p (or 640p) if you don’t already have one, and about £225 for the modification, you’ll have one of the best sounding phono stages below about £800. It’s fantastic... at under £300, if you have a lot of vinyl, it’s only a fraction of what you already have invested in vinyl.
I am not a fan of the majority of these cheap under $100 preamps. That music hall highlights a major issue in the audio equipment industry with rebranding cheap junk with a huge markup. It bothers me so much! It happens with cartridges too and quite a few, like the Goldring E series, are just rebranded AT carts with aesthetic changes. The little bear always looked too good to be true and I knew it was bad but I didn't realize it sounded so bland and unappealing. I'm happy with my Cambridge Solo which I would still consider to be budget friendly at $180 but it sounds like it could be twice that price. Very solid build and amazing shielding to avoid electrical interference.
I liked this video a lot. more of these, and can you share your playlist, please?
Thanks for this comparison, you saved my bacon and hard earn cash. I'm going to refurbish my old Harmon Kardon instead.
You should try the Fluance PA-10 it works great
Thank you very much !
My god the Little Bear was nasty. Older amps or receivers cost hardly anything with a bit of luck and the only negative is that they are old and heavy. But sonically hard to beat for the prices they cost. Best bet is to find an amp without the tuner section. Lighter, less parts to go wrong and usually a touch better as they don't have all the other electronics inside.
i guess it's time to go to the pawn shop to pick up an old 90s receiver
Is it possible that you got a counterfeit music hall?
Nice video.
Where is the link for the Sony Receiver? called the Sony STR- D311
Nice test, would be realy Nice if u tested somthing in different price classes.. From 50-1000 to see if there is a big difference
I guess I'm just sticking with my 90s pioneer receiver with phono input haha
Keep your Sony… thanks for the information
You can get some seriously decent phono preamps for about $150 - $200. You went too cheap. Agree on the Sony being better.
That Music Hall Mini isn’t awful but it’s noisy.
Did anyone else notice the irritating high end buzz on the Music Hall Mini that went away as he switched to the Sony? It's really noticeable through my Bose headphones at 5:44.
Little Bear was unpleasant to listen to on that first track.
That Sony punches above it's weight for sure.
Sounds like butter
@@samschultz6106The Sony is way more spacious that the other 2.
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.
yeah. absolutely, that's my judgement upon hearing it as well.
Nah for it's price the Music Hal mini is an abomination!
@@valeinikofff Mee too, clearly the Sony, surprisingly!
#vinyl4ever
Yeah... the Little Bear was very 'in your face' harsh sounding.....not good!
I think the Sony crushed them both.
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.
Agreed. Play the EXACT same music passage through each preamp to get a valid comparison.
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.
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
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.
0⁰⁰⁰0⁰⁰0⁰0
What analog amps do havd better sound for similar price?
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.
It was a pretty obvious choice. Don't buy #madeinchina crap.
Good for you McGiver.....
@@robertkensler2156 did you mean “MacGyver”, Mr. McStupid?
You had me at Featured music: Timecop1983. :D
I knew I liked you! Timecop1983 and Celeste?! Yeah man..
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.
P lol
I just watched it before this.
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
Useless! You need to compare the same part with each preamp, not different ones. Switching "on the run" does not compare how different preamps deal with the same passage!
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.
Dude, that Sony wins hands down! Even as a budget option, it sounds fantastic!
I agree. Sony the best by far.
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.
Richer Sounds is a national treasure!
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.
Are you sure? I would try
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.
I good cheap Phono preamp is the Schiit Mani, using one now and its a great bargain and great sounding preamp.
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 !
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
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.
Okay, Scott. However, a Schiit Mani Phono Preamp for MC and MM Cartridges up here in Canada is $368.99. Certainly this manufacturer, made in the USA, is worth it.
@@georgeanastasopoulos5865 I'd trade my Mani for an affordable, inclusive health care system.
@@ericjensen9091 Oh, okay. Good choice, too.
I still have that same Sony receiver... and may now pull it out to use in my workshop; it sounds good, and never failed me. Only the lack of newer tech relegated it to the "old audio closet".
The Schitt Mani will stomp that rebadged Rolls (Music Hall) flat. And that Little Bear...sounds like a Crosley.
Old receivers phono preamps, most of them are just right with very low noise floor and proper RIAA curve. Clean the knobs and you're probably good to go. Anyway, at the prince they sell at the thrift store, spend 50$ 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.
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
I would go for the sony.
Sony usually has decent quality no matter what
All of these older receivers are about the same. I have an older Optimus (made by Pioneer) and it performs similar.
@@misterhat5823 iI'm used to anything made by sony that is at least $100 is probably gonna be worthwhile imo, that goes for headphones, Recievers.
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.
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.
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.
I love the Celeste soundtrack. Beautiful piece that is.
Just got my AT LP120xUSB turntable. Do i get better sound quality using the PHONO option with a cheap phono preamp linked to my stereo amp or should i just use the AT built in preamp with the LINE option?
Did you find an answer? I find internal preamp on it doesn't provide enough oomph bass
The MHM seemed bright... the Sony was easier on my ears, not fatiguing. That Little Bear, Goldilocks would reject it as not just right.
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.
Hello
the amplifier brand Sony
my father-in-law give me inheritance this amplifier had 5 100waths channels a monster with radio included
I have to give to give to someone so as not to lose my home I could do everything to fill the sound now I am with earphones and I do not bother people anymore and I can save
my earphones are compatible with my mp3 my desktop computer tower and my celuary is also fanstatic JVC brand.
THANK YOU to you cincerment-your.
I hope you found someone to sell it to, Andre!
@@kaitlyn__L Hello
thank you for your response I was talking about the time spent in 2006 when I was in the tear of Hi that I gave my sony amplifier home cinema receiver with the radio included am / fm and I gave my speaker 4 oms 650 whats per channel to my owner
today I have a very small sony wackman like my hand and with my JVC headphones and another mp3 from another brand with small headphones in my ears from SONY. so I don't disturb anyone in my apartment blok anymore thank you. have a nice day
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.
Does not matter where or when preamps/amps are made, just so as long as they're point 2 point, no printed boards.
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.
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.). :)
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.
Both solid-state (the Sony and Music Hall) preamps sounded the same to me. (With the Sony having less background noise.) The tube preamp sounded awful. Like one of those old AC-DC AA5 radios. While tube equipment generally colors sound, this was a downright awful example.
OMG the little bear wtf? how can you fuck up the RIAA curve ?
So to my ears the Sony receiver was the only device without weird background noise during the piano track. So the other two are no gos for me.
I
Saaame. (I just left my own comment before finishing the video or looking at others'). It's less noticeable on the other tracks but still comes out as a heightened clarity in the notes and drums, even on an effects-heavy track like the first one.
Sony sounds the best I have a schiit mani and my 1969 pioneer receiver phono preamp sounds better
What about the Schitt Mani ... REAL audiophile quality at a bargain price.
Can't it for the price. I love mine.
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.
Those LED's make me think that the tubes aren't even in the audio circuit... because you wouldn't need LED's in an actual tube...
The tubes do glow on their own, but not enough to be really noticeable. I’m actually glad they went with orange LEDs since a lot of other tube preamps from these kinds of manufacturers use blue LEDs instead. And the tubes are indeed in the audio path - there’s no sound output if they’re removed.
@@ThisDoesNotCompute I find that amazing, but you probably agree that at the price point these are coming in, they aren't doing all that much and are really only there for looks. I'd personally probably go for the one with out the tube myself if I were looking at that end of the spectrum. Less to break, and I can hide it behind my player easily. Anyway, still a great video, as usual :D
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.
I use an Onkyo receiver for phono, I think they're entire line-up has phono built in. I've been burnt too many times with chi-fi devices, just don't buy them, it's not worth it.
For my tastes, the ARTDJPro II is the best performing preamp. However, your mileage is going to vary alot with all of these units the same as it will with all other audio components. 99% of the experience is down to personal taste.