What's the best Phono preamp under $1000??

I really like my Graham Slee Era Gold Mk.V. You can get it used for about $700. The only downside is that you are really limited to MM or high output MC cartridges. Then there is the cost of cables running to your preamp. You just might be better off getting a phono board for your preamp. I have the Elevator as well which adds yet another layer of cabling. No regrets though. The sound is awesome. Good luck and have fun sampling the options.

My recommendation would be a Threshold FET 10. They offer silent background, musical presentation, and extended response. Versatility includes gain selection (40/60 dB) and loading (MC) and capacitance (MM) options. A former Threshold employee now runs a service center and can perform upgrades if desired down the road. I believe they sell for $750 to $850 so fall within the required budget.

I attended a shoot out with local audio enthusiasts where a FET 10 held its own against several current favorites retailing from $2,000 to $7,300 (meaning some present preferred the Threshold).

Dave,
I am wondering what you ended up with. I was going to start the same exact thread but thought to do a search first. I am also in Chicago and am thinking of getting back into vinyl with my "new" vintage system. Bob

Dodd Audio also makes a phono pre in the $1000 range. I have the battery powered pre-amp (not the phono) and its excellent.

Dodd phono is $1200 so it's over your budget.

Nevertheless, I had it up against EAR834p and Eastern Electric Minimax in my system and those two couldn't hold a candle to the Dodd. The Eastern Electric sounded diffused and soft, the EAR834p collapsed the entire soundstage (in relative terms).

While I haven't did a direct comparison, I have been to people's home to listen some of their more costly TT rigs. One guy has a BAT VK-P10SE with Lyra Scala cartridge, another has a Messenger with Graham Nittingale cartridge, another has a ARC PH7SE with Koetsu Rosewood Platinum cartridge. If you ask me, I wouldn't replace my Dodd phono+Dyna20XH with any of those setups based on what I heard.

Honestly, I still don't believe Dodd phono can beat the heavy-weight bad boys like BAT, ARC or Messenger until I can hear these preamp in my system. But my experience told me that spending yourself to bankruptcy is no guarantee of good sound.

It is important to know what kind of sound you're after before you make the decision. If you have no idea what you want, my recommendation is to pick a SS design like a Graham Slee or Dynavector P75 and then just be happy with what you have. I am not against tube, but SS is more reliable in the long run, and less headache for newbies.