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I try to urge perspective to someone (including myself) who is tempted to get something for almost nothing. Since Phillip Holmes' Rek-O-Kut article talked about the Mac C20, check out what a $70 device would cost in 1960: $9.62. What kind of phono preamp could you get in 1960 for $10? That you can even get one today for that value is amazing, but not necessarily a good idea. Of the several units I've had at home in the past decade, the best value was the Dynavector p75. I had the first version, and it was really very good sonically, unperturbed by RFI or in any obvious way by overload. It has gotten pricy - $850 - which in 1960 dollars is $116 - but you can find them second hand for around $350. Occupying the budget realm $150 - $200 is Cambridge Audio and Musical Fidelity, companies that have a reputation for not making junk. I'd like to hear one of Soundsmith's units, which are also reasonably priced. Man, there are a LOT of attractive possibilities for not much dough. Just suggestions. It's worth spending a little money on something important. How often does one buy a phono preamp? Carl -----Original Message----- From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dan Nelson Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2012 1:01 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Phono Preamps How accurate will the playback curve be when 10%/20% off the shelf components in the feedback loop be ? I have 4 RIAA Preamps from Op-Amp labs here in LA, that track within a couple db off test records with Shure 55 cartridges in each turntable. They cost like $40 each. Op-amp labs made a lot of plug and play building blocks with good results for those who didnt want to hand build stuff. I would suspect that with 1% components the typical data sheet preamp would track pretty close to calculated values with off the shelf audio chips. dnw Beautiful Music you will never forget, at; http://www.americanbeautiful.podbean.com/