Want to get into Analog but i do not have a preamp

I used to own Prodigy's and an ARC VT200/LS25II......... Very nice. My CD player (Theta Miles) will run direct, like yours. Without doubt, no question, absolutely, for sure, you are better off running through a nice preamp.

OK, off my soapbox.......... I would really try to expand your budget a little and get the best pre you can. A couple that I have heard and would recommend are the Hovland HP100 w/phono stage and the Aesthetix Janus. Run everything through it and IMHO this would take your system to another level.

CHris

There is currently on Audiogon a $350 asking price Sound Valves VTP-101 full function preamp with phono section, uses three 12AX7 tubes in the phono section, and three of the same tubes in the phono section.
This is very good as a budget preamp which mates well with tube amps.
Your CD could go through the exernal processor loop input on the preamp, which has superior transparency, since you're coming from the CDP direct into amp way of life.
This will please you, and be way better than its used price prepares you for, giving time to think more about an expensive decision regarding higher end preamps with phono capability.
I have one of these in one of my systems, and have no relation to the current Audiogon seller, but this unit has surprised a number of audiophiles with their much more upscale units.
Otherwise, Bachtovinyl's offer, above, is another budget way to get into vinyl, although I am not sure if his unit lets you conveniently play through the single pair of amps, unless you're willing to hook and un-hook interconnects for the respective CDP output or vinyl output interconnects.

Whatever you purchase for analog reproduction, you want to get a phono pre that has enough gain to support any MC output cartridge you buy and adequate options for load as well. Without these options, anything you get will be less than what analog is capable of delivering. The Ear 834 mentioned earlier has the gain, but I don't know about its load function. Check with the seller if interested.

Hi thanks for the response. I am looking at a Audio research SP-14, or LS-15.
Any thoughts on these??
Thanks

With the 834p, I believe that the load is fixed a 500 ohms for the MC input but I'm going on questionable memory here. (For MC you really don't care about the capacitance.) Pretty good value for most cartridges. It is easy to place load resistors across the input jacks if you calculate what the proper values are, that is if you want to fine tune the load. But by then you'll be long past the decision of whether or not vinyl is what you want to do.

Good luck in your search,

Dan