I recently acquired a Pro-ject Phono Box S for a secondary system. I installed it in my main system first to see how it would play with my Pro-ject RM5.1 SE/Sumiko Blue Point No. 2. I was blown away by how it performed compared to the phono stage built into my Parasound 2 channel preamp. Neddless to say the Phono Box S is now a permanent addition to my main system.
At $200, this little box allows for full cartridge loading of gain/capacitance/impedence so you can dial in your cartridge, either MC/MM, exactly for your system. In my case I gained much lower noise, better gain, and a wider and deeper soundstage. I should have bought one years ago, its that good and its under your stated budget.
At $200, this little box allows for full cartridge loading of gain/capacitance/impedence so you can dial in your cartridge, either MC/MM, exactly for your system. In my case I gained much lower noise, better gain, and a wider and deeper soundstage. I should have bought one years ago, its that good and its under your stated budget.