Unchanging Window
Member
Greetings, all! Sorry in advance if my issue has been covered before countless times; I'm a new member who just discovered this great site today:
My setup is a bit odd: I have two Technics 1200s (one a MK5, and the other a brand new 1210-GR); one has an AT-VM540ML and the other an AT-VM740ML. Both of these are run through my vintage Kenwood KR-5400 (which accommodates two phono inputs), which I listen to either through a pair of Sennheiser headphones or KEF Reference Model Two speakers.
While I admire the empirical ambitions of this site, and its attempts to objectively profile various phono preamps (vs. people just suggesting whichever one they bought), I do not consider myself technically savvy enough to draw conclusions from the SINAD charts.
With a budget of $500 or less, should I get an external phono preamp, or are the ones available not likely to best the built-in one in my vintage Kenwood? If I were to get an external phono preamp, what's the best one to pair with my cartridge(s)? It seems like the Cambridge Duo may be one of the highest regarded preamps here, but am I mistaken (reading the results incorrectly)? This site even makes the ART DJ Pre II seem really compelling, which (to my delight, honestly) runs afoul of the usual audiophile orthodoxy that components need to get more and more expensive (for some reason); would it be an upgrade to the Kenwood? And the Parks Puffin was compelling to me at one time, given the features, but it seems like it didn't score so well on the ASR objective tests.
Anyway, any guidance/thoughtful suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
My setup is a bit odd: I have two Technics 1200s (one a MK5, and the other a brand new 1210-GR); one has an AT-VM540ML and the other an AT-VM740ML. Both of these are run through my vintage Kenwood KR-5400 (which accommodates two phono inputs), which I listen to either through a pair of Sennheiser headphones or KEF Reference Model Two speakers.
While I admire the empirical ambitions of this site, and its attempts to objectively profile various phono preamps (vs. people just suggesting whichever one they bought), I do not consider myself technically savvy enough to draw conclusions from the SINAD charts.
With a budget of $500 or less, should I get an external phono preamp, or are the ones available not likely to best the built-in one in my vintage Kenwood? If I were to get an external phono preamp, what's the best one to pair with my cartridge(s)? It seems like the Cambridge Duo may be one of the highest regarded preamps here, but am I mistaken (reading the results incorrectly)? This site even makes the ART DJ Pre II seem really compelling, which (to my delight, honestly) runs afoul of the usual audiophile orthodoxy that components need to get more and more expensive (for some reason); would it be an upgrade to the Kenwood? And the Parks Puffin was compelling to me at one time, given the features, but it seems like it didn't score so well on the ASR objective tests.
Anyway, any guidance/thoughtful suggestions would be greatly appreciated!