Turntable Preamp

SeniorBen

SeniorBen

Senior Member
I have about six boxes of albums that I purchased back in the classic rock era in the '60s-'80s and have been packed away since the '90s. I thought I'd jump on the LP bandwagon and give them another go. I built some shelves for them. The paint is dry. The boxes have been transported via a hand truck into the living room. Tomorrow comes their resurrection. Hopefully, they're still playable. They've been exposed to heat and cold during all those years in storage.

My receiver is probably a dozen or so years old and it doesn't have a built-in turntable preamp, so I ordered one from Amazon. This one:
Fosi Audio Box X2 Phono Preamp
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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XNTHHBP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've had good luck with my Fosi mini-amp that's connected to my computer audio interface, so I have a bit of experience with that brand.

I almost bought a $14 phono preamp, which was probably the cheapest one on Amazon with good ratings, but you get what you pay for. A $14 preamp will give you $14 sound quality. Some preamps cost several hundred dollars. At some price point, the difference in sound quality starts to taper off. I don't know what that point is, so I just guessed and settled on the Fosi, which is $63.

So, the point of this post is to ask if anyone else here has experience with phono preamps, and if so, what do you recommend?

Thanks.
 

It has been so long for me I would not even know where to begin these days. I do have fleeting thoughts of doing something similar. Hope you share once you have decided and your thoughts.
 

I've heard a Rek O Kut preamp that a friend of mine has. We have the same electronics and speakers. I don't remember what he's using for a cartridge, nor which model Audio Technica turntable he has. It sounded really good and had nice imaging too. The albums I heard were jazz, MJQ and Basie --just insturmentals. His whole system is less than 2 years old.
He is a 78 enthusiast and choose this pre amp because it can bypass the RIAA equalization for use with 78's that didn't use it. Also got to hear some 90+ year old jazz 78's and those were spectacular.

I have a Fossi amp for my computer speakers too. I've had it 3 years and haven't had any reliability problems. Sounds quite good for what it is and it's hooked up to some decent speakers. I get a very impressive sound stage image, especially considering it's just running off a computer.

If the Fossi phono doesn't add audible noise you most likely have a preamp that is better sounding than most consumer stuff with one built in. Different tubes will change the sound too.

Sorry, I couldn't be of more help, but I haven't had a working turntable for the last 12 years.
 
I did a little research on the Rek-O-Kut Ultra phono preamp. I couldn't find a sound quality comparison.
It costs about twice as much as the Fosi.
It has lower THD (0.015% vs. ≤ 0.1%), so the Rek-O-Kut comes out on top there.
It has a lower SNR (>80 dB vs. ≥ 98dB), so the Fosi actually scores better in that respect.

There's a newer model Fosi (X4) that I didn't see before that has bass and treble controls and volume.
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I'd probably never use the controls, so that's just another place where noise can be introduced, which is probably why it has a lower SNR (≥ 70dB)

The tubes can be replaced for different sounds.

Hey, I just got a message that the Fosi amp was just delivered. I shall report back. Hopefully my turntable still works. :)
 
Whoa! That sounded great!

I tried out my new preamp with Steely Dan's Can't Buy a Thrill. I actually forgot that there's a side one and a side two, so I put on side two by accident, which starts off with Reeling in the Years! Whoo-Hooo! I was rockin' out! :ROFLMAO:

I'd forgotten how much better albums sound than CDs. You can actually hear the symbols and all the little transient sounds that you lose with sampled music.

Last time I listened to a vinyl album I didn't have a subwoofer and with the subwoofer, my B & W speakers actually sounded better than I remembered them sounding. They're actually warmer sounding. That could have something to do with the tube preamp. I'm also in a different house, which no doubt has an effect on the sound.
 
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