Both ways are excellent; the dedicated phono preamp might work out to more money but it might now. There is a used Hagerman Trumpet for sale that runs with just about anything short of units costing MUCH more. At 1195 it is a deal.
Add a line stage preamp with remote control such as the very good VTL 2.5 (about 900 used) and you have a state of the art phono section and a very, very good linestage. To move up from this line stage the money starts going up. The VTL 5.5 used is about 1700/1900 and a better piece as it is a true dual monaural design (no shared parts between channels).
This is about the best setup I've seen for under 2K. Another option is a used Audible Illusions Modulus 3A (NOT the 3 unless you only want to spend 750 or so; different animal) in the 1000 to 1300 range depending on options (moving coil option raises used price about 200), condition, and date of production.
For solid state phono preamps I would look at a used Spectral DMC6 or DMC10; excellent units with construction quality that is hard to rival. These have a dedicated power supply and are very quiet and have great performance.
If you wish something new for not a small fortune look to the Wright and Mapletree preamps. They seem a good value for the money and with plenty of people saying they like them.
Krell always seems to have a bunch of used phono preamps for sale; a KSL at 975 seems a deal for quality. Only familiar with reputation; never auditioned one. Plenty of Krell fans can help you out here.
Decware is another place to get high quality units for not a LOT of money (not cheap but not really expensive). A line stage preamp and a very good phono preamp can be had for around 2000 new and you get a 30 day period to try it.
Add a line stage preamp with remote control such as the very good VTL 2.5 (about 900 used) and you have a state of the art phono section and a very, very good linestage. To move up from this line stage the money starts going up. The VTL 5.5 used is about 1700/1900 and a better piece as it is a true dual monaural design (no shared parts between channels).
This is about the best setup I've seen for under 2K. Another option is a used Audible Illusions Modulus 3A (NOT the 3 unless you only want to spend 750 or so; different animal) in the 1000 to 1300 range depending on options (moving coil option raises used price about 200), condition, and date of production.
For solid state phono preamps I would look at a used Spectral DMC6 or DMC10; excellent units with construction quality that is hard to rival. These have a dedicated power supply and are very quiet and have great performance.
If you wish something new for not a small fortune look to the Wright and Mapletree preamps. They seem a good value for the money and with plenty of people saying they like them.
Krell always seems to have a bunch of used phono preamps for sale; a KSL at 975 seems a deal for quality. Only familiar with reputation; never auditioned one. Plenty of Krell fans can help you out here.
Decware is another place to get high quality units for not a LOT of money (not cheap but not really expensive). A line stage preamp and a very good phono preamp can be had for around 2000 new and you get a 30 day period to try it.