What phono pre am I looking for?


It needs to be quiet, fast, dynamic and not cost an arm and a leg, $1500? Plays nice with a VPI/dynavector 20x2 low without a sut. I listen and enjoy most everything but, the British Invasion, Willie Nelson, Gillian Welch and jazz take the cake. I have tubes, an LTA pre, decware set amp and omega speakers. 
The new channel islands peq-1 looks mighty fine and dusty uses the 20x2 as his personal cart, which can't be bad?  New or used no problem. 

128x128jmolsberg
I really enjoyed my Rega Aria as phono stage in that price range.  It was very clean, quiet, great dynamics, and very flexible in its setup.  I used mine with a Lyra Kleos cartridge on 66dB gain, and that sounded great!
This thread is timely for me.  I just upgraded my turntable to a Marantz TT-15S and I am running it through a Project Phono Box as a temporary solution and it is obviously majorly limiting.  I have been running a PeachTree Nova 220SE, but I just recapped a McIntosh MC2505 and it sounds amazing(pre hopping at the moment.)  Trying to decide between those 2 and what phono pre I want and then I hope to be done for the immediate future.

Does anyone have any experience with the PS Audio NuWave?  They are closing them out for under $1000 and it seems like a great option in this price range.


I too will be upgrading my phono stage in the near future. Looking into @chakster  suggestion of the JLTi with the external power supply. I'm currently using the Lehmannaudio Black Cube 2. It's my first phono ever and I like it. I have some vintage MM carts now that kick ass and want to get the most out of them with a variable range of 30k Ohm to 100k Ohm.
Phono and external power supply under $2000 is a pretty good deal. So far, extremely happy with the suggestions I've gotten here on Audiogon and the individual units.