June 2025
Earlier this spring, SoundStage! Access editor Dennis Burger set up a video chat with a few SoundStage! Network writers to discuss phono preamps. Thom Moon, Jason Thorpe, and I shared our opinions about the advantages of phono preamps over the phono stages included in an integrated amp, preamp, or receiver. We also discussed the phono preamps we liked and why we preferred them over others. Our preferences were subjective, of course.
I like the Pro-Ject Phono Box S2. I’ve compared it with other phono preamps, and it sounds more balanced to me. That doesn’t mean others aren’t well made or are lacking in quality. As with phono cartridges or speakers, your preferences may differ from mine. I’ve owned well-regarded carts from many manufacturers that make good products, but over the years I’ve settled on Ortofon and Audio-Technica. Over nearly 50 years of listening to music on decent turntables, I know I’ll like the sound of a cartridge made by either of those companies.
I’m a bit of a latecomer to the whole idea of phono preamps. I’d always been aware of them, but I was content with whatever came with my integrated amps. A few years ago, though, I was having some issues with a vintage McIntosh receiver I had purchased, and I thought the problem might be with the phono stage. I did some research and settled on the Pro-Ject as a substitute.
I heard an audible improvement in vinyl playback using the Pro-Ject, but the McIntosh receiver suffered from other recurring problems. I got tired of sending it back to an authorized repair shop and sold it to a guy in Florida who did some work on it and is enjoying the results. He did a few things the shop probably should have done—but let’s move on.
I settled on an NAD C 368 as a replacement amplifier. When I hooked everything up, I decided to compare the well-reviewed phono stage on the NAD with the Phono Box S2. I found that the phono stage on the NAD was fine, but instruments sounded more focused and resonant through the S2, and it had a more natural and engaging sound overall.
I don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me to buy a separate phono preamp before. It’s probably because both my carts are moving-magnet designs in the $300-to-$400 range (all prices in USD). I assumed that only more-expensive cartridges, particularly moving-coil designs, would benefit from a separate phono preamp. At $250, the Pro-Ject is an affordable way to improve vinyl playback.
I use an Audio-Technica VM540ML with my Pro-Ject 1Xpression Carbon Classic turntable
There are preamps at about $100, by Pro-Ject and others, but I like the fact that the Phono Box S2 lets you adjust gain, input impedance, and input capacitance to make it compatible with a wide range of cartridges. It’s also made with good-quality parts, and the housing is designed to block external interference. Any decent phono stage is quiet enough that you have to put your ears up to the speakers to hear the background whisper that is part of vinyl playback—but the S2 is even quieter.
The S2’s switches let you match it with a wide range of cartridges
I’ve helped people set up less-expensive phono preamps to connect to components that lack a phono stage. They weren’t hi-fi buffs, and the preamps they bought were of the variety you used to find at RadioShack. They were under $50 and not very good. They produced audible noise, even at some distance from the speakers, and they sounded flat. Jump to about $100, and Pro-Ject and others make much quieter and better-sounding phono preamps. Because of vinyl’s popularity, though, most amplifier manufacturers (and many manufacturers of powered and active speaker systems) have returned to including a phono stage.
I have no experience with the phono preamps in the $100 range that Pro-Ject, Music Hall, iFi, and others make. I feel certain they’re better than the inexpensive units I helped my friends set up. Reviews posted on retail sites indicate that buyers are happy to have phono capability in their systems. Folks who bought them to replace failed phono stages are also generally pleased with their purchases, but few report a marked improvement over what they had before.
I’ve tried a couple of different phono preamps, and I think they can vary as much as cartridges in performance. I bought a Schiit Mani because I’d been so impressed with the company’s entry-level DAC, the Modi. I had wanted to try their products, and at $129, the Modi was worth checking out. I ended up preferring it to the more-expensive DAC I was using with my reference system, which is powered by a Rogue Audio Sphinx V3 integrated amplifier.
Since I liked the Modi, I thought I’d try the Mani, which at $149 is the lowest-priced phono preamp Schiit offers. I was impressed that at that price it has some of the adjustment flexibility of the Phono Box S2. It has somewhat higher output than the S2, and it offers the same quiet background. I listened to it and liked it, but I kept thinking there was something I liked more about the Pro-Ject.
I compared them on both of my systems, and I ended up going back to the Phono Box S2. The Mani sounded good, but it was a little brighter than the S2. I listen to both jazz and pop music, and I think the Mani is a good phono preamp for rock music. It’s lively and responsive. The Phono Box S2 sounded more natural to me in reproducing acoustic instruments, especially piano. It fit my needs better than the Mani.
That experience, along with the experiences some of my friends have had with phono preamps, led me to conclude that they are probably as versatile and specific to each listener’s taste as cartridges. As Thom Moon has pointed out several times in reviews on SoundStage! Access, cartridges can be targeted to certain kinds of music. I reached out to ask him for examples, and here are some highlights:
- Grado: Any model is really great for classical and small jazz groups, but too mellow, in Thom’s opinion, for rock.
- Ortofon 2M Red: Great detail, and ready to party. Not so good on classical—a little peaky on the highs and a very forward presentation.
- Ortofon 2M Blue: Much sweeter sound than the Red; less in your face. Smoother overall response. Good for almost any kind of music, but a bit better for jazz and classical than for rock.
- Nagaoka MP-110: Nice sound—a bit warm and very “analog”—and works well with older recordings, as it seems to minimize record noise. A favorite of many vinyl lovers.
- Audio-Technica AT-VM95E: A decent all-arounder. Seems to be sensitive as to the turntable in which it’s mounted; Thom found it dull and uninvolving on the Thorens TD 102 A, Dayton Audio TT-1 and Fluance RT81+ turntables, but enjoyed it on the Technics SL-100C. Very easy upgrade path. Several reviewers say this cartridge body is superb with the upgraded MicroLine stylus.
- Goldring E4: Thom’s new favorite. Very smooth sound on both the Music Hall Stealth, which Thom owned until recently, and the Technics SL-100C, his new reference ’table—but this cartridge can rock out when called for. Also seems to de-emphasize record noise.
- Sumiko Oyster Moonstone: Good sound overall on nearly any kind of music (best on jazz), but low output means it needs a phono stage with a fair amount of gain.
I used a Sumiko Oyster Olympia for a year and a half or so. It was great for jazz and classical music, but too bass-heavy for rock. Maybe it wasn’t a good match for my Pro-Ject Debut III ’table. I ended up reinstalling the Ortofon OM cart that came with the ’table and upgrading to the OM20 stylus. The OM20 plays across all kinds of music and works well with the Debut’s low-mass tonearm. The Sumiko cartridge is a good product, just not what I need.
I use the Ortofon OM20 with my Pro-Ject Debut III turntable
By the way, when I was comparing the Schiit and Pro-Ject units on my Rogue Audio Sphinx V3, I didn’t feel the need to use either in place of the phono stage that comes with the amp. The Sphinx V3 works with moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges, and lets you adjust loading for both types. I think vinyl playback is outstanding on the Rogue.
But for use with my NAD C 368, I just plain lucked into the Phono Box S2. I bought it because I had two Pro-Ject ’tables and liked them. If I had bought the Mani first, I probably would have been happy with its performance with my NAD. As I noted, it presents music in a lively way. It just so happened that I had the Phono Box S2 to use for comparison, and I liked it more.
How do you determine if a phono preamp is one you’ll like? If a reviewer emphasizes a preamp’s performance on rock LPs and that’s the majority of your listening, maybe that’s the one you want. Ask your dealer for recommendations. If you’re buying online, read what users have to say. You might have to just try one and see. Check a retailer’s or manufacturer’s return policy. Schiit gives you a refund if you return a product within 15 days, although it does charge a restocking fee; other merchants might do the same.
I’m surprised that I’ve only just learned that phono preamps are worth checking out at this late stage of my involvement with audio. As I said earlier, I’m satisfied with the phono stage in my Rogue Audio Sphinx V3, but if I had some extra cash, I’d consider Rogue’s Triton II. After more than 40 years of poking around in this hobby, I keep finding new reasons to stay interested.
. . . Joseph Taylor
josepht@soundstagenetwork.com
