Best Pre with a built-n phono section?

The CAT Legend,hands down the finest all in one pre-amp out there.

Robert

The Manley Steelhead is a very good choice, also the Line Preamp from Stan Klyne, Model 7 with Phono Stage, excellent sound, adjustable for a lot of cartridges and the preamp also has 2 gain pots for all kind of connected amps. When you look for a remote, Jeff Rowland had some years ago an excellent Preamp with Phono for the money, the Consonance. Also adjustable for cartridges and it can be found for small money. I think, they can still be serviced from JR.

I'm very happy with the Marantz SC-11S1 pre I recently bought. MC and MM phono (I'm using my Benz Wood SL into it), remote, 6 RCA and 2 XLR inputs. It sounds wonderful, and is well reviewed. List is $3K, but it should be available new for a bit less, or used here for less than $2K

The CAT preamps are very, very good tube units, and I believe that the Legend is currently the best iteration (I owned a Mk. III many years ago).

Sound quality aside, downsides are excessively high output, which reduces the range on the volume control with sensitive amps (e.g., 9 O'Clock position is already loud and 11 O'Clock is super loud), no remote, and a hard-wired power supply connected by a stiff, thick umbilical cord that is unwieldy.

Th phono stage works with MC's down to 0.4 mv. output without problem - MC's with lower outputs require especially low-noise tubes.

Only the very top preamps are better.

I much enjoy the Jadis JP-80MC, with mods and Tele's throughout. Excellent delineation, very extended and yet almost as mid-range-magical as before the mods. I find it does require step-up with cart. below 0.4 output.