Pre-amp newbie question

Dedicated phono stages are better than built in ones, whether it is worth the money to you is another question. If you go with something like the Project Tube Box 11 SE or the Dynavector P 75 [ I am a dealer for the Dynavector] you will notice a considerable difference; these sell new for around $700 . If I didn't want to spend this much I would get the Blue Circle "Thingee", cheap, no looks, but sounds good. I sold Blue Circle in the past. In my own system I spent twice as much for the phono stage as the line stage but I have a lot of vinyl.

For $795, take a serious look at the Ray Samuels Audio (RSA) F-117 Nighthawk MC/MM phono pre-amp.

I have the Dynavector DV-20X Low MC Cartridge mounted on my VPI Scoutmaster and even though the Dynavector P-75 MK-II was a great match for my Dynavector cart, the F-117 Nighthawk is better (for roughly the same price).

As a bonus, the settings can be changed on the fly via front panel knobs (no need to open up the unit).

I've had mine for roughly 2 weeks now and I've been totally blown away by the F-117. I even had the chance to compare it to the Nagra BPS (3x the price of the F-117) and the F-117 had better, tighter, deeper bass than the Nagra BPS!

RSA F-117 Nighthawk:
http://www.raysamuelsaudio.com/products/f-117

One of the many benefits of AudiogoN is buying used equipment to evauluate and re-sell if it the equipment is not satisfying. You should be able to buy a reasonably priced phonomena II on this site. Everyone has opinions and they all.. are subject to their personal experiences. Those experiences may or may not be relevant to you. In your room, with your favorite music, on your system, you are best off trusting what you hear with your ears. Take some time and try different equipment.

Cheers

"Dedicated phono stages are better than built in ones"

I don't know how you can make an unequivocal statement like that. Also, one has to pay for the replication of a power supply, case, etc., and a built in phono sections can be very good. It depends on the designer. I much prefer the phono board in my BAT pre to the outboard models I've tried (Rogue and Dynavector.)

I agree with Daverz; whether an outboard phono stage is better than what you're using now is something you'll need to determine by listening. For example, I found the Grado phono stage to be better than the built-in stage of my LK1 preamp, but not quite as good as the phono stage in my Audio by Van Alstine OmegaStar PAT-5 (when using a Grado Green cartridge; I did end up buying a Grado PH-1 so I could try Grado's low output cartridges, which my OmegaStar lacks the flexibility to support).

The Dynavector P-75 sounded good, but no better than the built-in stage of a Linn Wakonda I was auditioning at the time (comparison made with 10X5 cartridge), and I didn't like the combination of the 10X5/P-75 as well as the less costly Grado Green/PH-1 set.

I've only heard the Musical Surroundings Phonomena II in a dealer showroom and it impressed me as a good-sounding phono stage with lots of flexibility, but I didn't compare it with anything familiar to me. If at all possible, compare it to what you're using now before making a purchasing decision.