Phono Preamps
The little box that makes a turntable loud enough to hear. What it does, whether you already have one, and which standalone units are worth buying.
The phono preamp is the most misunderstood box in vinyl. It does two jobs at once, and both are essential. First, it amplifies an extremely weak signal: a moving-magnet cartridge puts out only a few thousandths of a volt, far too little for a normal amplifier or powered speaker to use. Second, it applies RIAA equalization— records are cut with the bass turned down and the treble boosted so the groove physically fits, and the preamp reverses that curve on playback. Skip it and vinyl sounds thin, bright and far too quiet.
Here’s the catch that saves people money: you may already have one. A phono stage can live in three places — built into the turntable (often switchable), built into a receiver or amp (look for an input marked “PHONO”), or in a standalone box. You only need one, and running two at once just doubles the distortion. Our do I need a phono preamp? guide is a 30-second decision tree that tells you.
If you do need a standalone unit — because your deck and speakers both lack one, or because you want to bypass a mediocre built-in stage — the good news is that a competent preamp is cheap. A $17 box will make a preamp-less deck play; a $150–$200 unit will genuinely out-perform the stage baked into most turntables and budget receivers, and some add moving- coil support for when you upgrade the cartridge.
Everything in Phono Preamps
Best Phono Preamps
From a $17 fixer to a $200 upgrade that outclasses most built-in stages — compared on gain, loading and noise.
Do I Need a Phono Preamp?
A 30-second decision tree: check your turntable, your speakers and your amp before you spend a cent.
What actually decides which one you need
Cartridge type.Almost every budget and mid deck uses a moving-magnet (MM) cartridge, and any MM-capable preamp works. If you move up to a moving-coil (MC) cartridge, its output is roughly ten times lower and needs far more gain plus specific loading — so you need an MC-capable stage. Our MM vs MC guide explains which you have.
Gain and noise.A good preamp is quiet and gives the right amount of gain for your cartridge’s output. Adjustable-gain units (like the ART DJ PRE II) are handy for matching a quiet or loud cartridge; a multi-setting unit (like the Schiit Mani 2) covers MM, moving-iron and MC in one box.
The upgrade case.Even if your deck has a built-in stage, a better standalone preamp is one of the cheapest ways to improve a system — a cleaner, quieter phono stage lets the cartridge you already own sound like itself.