Phono Preamp with Optical/Coaxial Output

cedargrover,

Alright, you win.  I just had a brain fart.  I wasn't necessarily looking to digitize.  I was thinking if there was some way to use my 851N with my Rega P3 then I could move my Arcam CD72 and Halo A21 to the basement system and then just get a good integrated for the upstairs system.  That would give me the best stereo in the basement and declutter the living room, which would make my wife happy. I think she was a little surprised when the A21 showed up and it looked like a mainframe under the TV :)  I guess it's not going to happen.  I will need to search for a pre and then a DAC and then eventually an amp before the basement is done.

Thanks.

You're welcome.  You could always get a phono pre with a volume control and switch between the Azur and the phono pre.   Kind of a pain but it lets you keep your goods in the same place...

When you go DAC shopping, make sure to listen to the Ayre Codex!!!

I'll look it up but not sure it is sold around me.

If the analog to digital conversion is done well enough, I am not convinced you are losing a lot. The other benefits that my DEQX's speaker and room correction provide me certainly outweigh any minimal degradation (if any) that might come from digitizing that signal through the DEQX. Of course, the sound quality will also depend a lot on the quality of your DAC as well. Blasphemy, I know.

Since my signal is already being digitized, I have also become interested in the possibility of digitally applying the RIAA curve, which some (usually those selling devices that can do this) suggest has sonic benefits compared to applying the RIAA in the analog domain. 

At the end of the day I still have to pony up either way, so I'm going to leave the 851N digital preamp on system #1 and work on building system #2.  I'm not sure what you said in the second paragraph :)