Adding a phono stage component ? Advice needed

You need a separate component called a phono pre-amp or phono stage that is specially designed to do 2 things: bring the very low output voltage of the cartridge to the necessary input voltage of a line stage and secondly to apply the RIAA equalization curve, which is essentially a kind of frequency response shaping circuit to make for inherent problems in the response of an LP record. You will need either a pre-amp with a built in phono stage or a separate unit. So the signal chain goes like this Phono cartridge to phono stage (phono pre-amp to line stage (pre-amp to power amp. BTW, pre-amps outputs drive power amp inputs, not vice-versa.

Your best bet is to purchase a nice outboard phono stage with a separate power supply.. I use the Clearaudio Micro Basic with my ARC gear... Then use one of the inputs of your
preamp with the line out of the phono stage...
Check out www.needledoctor.com for a ton of different phono stages... That is the best way to start!!
Happy listening,
Joe
Custom Audio LLC

Hmmmm.........thanks kindly!! You gave some where to start!

When I faced the same decision I used an old SAE Mk XXX preamp just for its phono stage. It worked fine but looked a little clunky and dated. After reading a favorable review in Stereophile magazine, I splurged on a $200 Rotel RQ970-BX dedicated phono pre-amp. Mine has been trouble free and sounds just fine. Last time I looked there were a couple for sale here on Audiogon going for $100 - $125. The Rotel ought to mate well with your Adcom stuff. Cost effective and highly recommended!