Folks,

To reply to the original posting ...

The NAD PP-1 phono pre-amp should do the trick. It goes for $60 - $100 on ebay.

However if you want to step up in quality, and down in price, try snagging a used NAD stereo pre-amp like the model 1130. Its phono pre-amp stage sounds better than the PP-1 (to my ears anyhow) and judging by the info I could dredge up on it, its specs are about as good as you can get without busting the bank. And the neat thing is that you can find 1130s going for as low as $40 on ebay.

In fact instead of any stand-alone phono pre-amp, you could find any number of what were once high-end phono input-equipped stereo pre-amps available used for a very small fraction of their original selling price. And you never know when having an extra input or two might come in handy.

Hope this helps.

Jeff

ps. Another vinyl / turntable trick: in days of old (ie. pre-CD) we learned lots of lessons about how to get the most out of our turntables / phono cartridges / records. One of the most important lessons I re-learned a couple of months ago was when I re-connected my turntable to my system and placed it on my new equipment shelving. When I knocked on the shelves with a record playing, I could hear the knocking sound coming from my speakers. If vibrations due to this rapping could get through the shelving to the turntable and hence to to stylus, then obviously accoustic feedback could be a problem at high levels as well. To prevent the possibility I went to a local granite kitchen counter supplier and for $40 had him cut and pollish two 3/4 inch thick slabs from cast off material (sink holes) that fit perfectly under the turntable. Separate the two slabs with a layer of rubber and you've created a textbook accoustic dampening arrangement. Knuckles rapping on shelves can no longer be heard and I'm confident that no acoustic feedback can occur either.