Opinion of budget phono preamps?

Thanks for the replies, guys. Yes, I recall the 565 phono stage being complimented - know anything about the 555's? My gut feel was to shy away from the very low priced stand-alones like Rotel, NAD, Creek, etc, and you've confirmed that. The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning to a standalone, since it will broaden my range of options for a preamp acquisition and future upgrades. I'm also getting more interested in a DIY project. Anyone exposed to the PH-1 in any way at all?? Here's a link for info. AES PH-1 Anyone know of any other DIY phono preamps? Thanks!

On the subject of DIY, someone told me yesterday about http://www.curcioaudio.com/sades_3.htm

Also consider the PS Audio PHONOLINK if you can find one. A very good sounding preamp on both MM and MC. Not the last word by any means, but sonically very respectable. Jallen

Another canidate to consider is the Monolithic phono preamp (PS-1) w/ or w/o the dual mono power supply. I see that the preamp + power supply is available in the a'gon classifieds for around 400. I have the PS-1 w/o the stand alone power supply, and I like it a lot. Good soundstage, a bit weak in the bass (tho apparently the the power supply helps with this). It's also very flexible in terms of what carts you can use, and it's easy to operate as well. Looks nice too, IMO.

One advantage of an outboard is you can park it close to you table and skip the ic's from table to phono, but keep in mind you may want to keep some space if the phono you get has it's power supply in the box as opposed to outboard.