The Best Phono Preamps to Start With (Under €200)
Four phono stages that give your cartridge a voice without emptying your wallet
The phono preamp is the link nobody sees and the one that changes everything: it takes the cartridge's faint signal, lifts it to line level and applies the RIAA curve that gives it balance. If your amplifier has no phono input — and most no longer do — this is the box you need. Here are four phono stages under €200, ranked not by price but by how far they carry you: from the most versatile to the most finely made.
The preamp that grows with you. It handles both MM and MC, carries an intelligent subsonic filter that removes the sway of warped records without hollowing out the bass, and a remarkably low noise floor for the class. At €149 it is the box you will not outgrow when you move to a better cartridge.
- MM and MC compatible, rare at this price
- Intelligent subsonic filter for warped records
- Very low noise floor, symmetrical circuit
- Light Air-line build, not metal
- Basic adjustment: two gain modes, not four
The honest entry point. No adjustments, MM only, but it does exactly its job: it lifts the cartridge signal to a clean line level at a price that ends the argument. The right first preamp for most people.
- Unbeatable price to start
- Plug and play, nothing to configure
- Low noise floor for the class
- MM only, no room for MC
- No gain or loading adjustment
The preamp with a second job: alongside the analogue output it has a USB port for digitising records to a computer. The Rega phono stage is even-handed and quiet; the on-board ADC is the reason to pick it over the rest.
- USB output for archiving vinyl to digital
- Balanced, quiet Rega phono stage
- Compact, tidy build
- MM only
- The USB is what you pay for: if you do not digitise, cheaper options exist
The most carefully made object here: an all-metal chassis, an always-on subsonic filter for tired records, and a balance control rare at this price. It is MM only and not adjustable, and the character runs lean rather than warm — but for an MM-for-life listener it is a lovely box to leave on show.
- All-metal build, a cut above the class
- Subsonic filter for worn pressings
- Balance control, rare at this price
- MM only and no adjustment
- A leaner balance: some find it light in the bass
