ART DJPREII Phono Preamplifier

Full disclosure: I'm a vinyl record enthusiast, I've been using turntables for over 30 years, and I repair/rebuild/restore vintage turntables. I spent a couple of weeks trying to decide which sub-$100 phono preamp I should buy. Most of the preamps in this price range get mediocre reviews. I stumbled upon the ART DJPRE II almost by accident, and was impressed with the high number of favorable reviews, so I decided to give it a try. I've been using it for almost three months, and thus far I've been very impressed by it. The build quality is very good, the sound quality is excellent, and it has some nice features that I haven't seen in other comparably priced preamps. One of the things I like most about this preamp -- a feature that most other preamps in the same price range are lacking -- is the level adjustment knob. There are two scenarios where this feature comes in handy: first, if you use different cartridges with different output levels. For example, one of my cartridges has a high output level (9 mV), and one of my other cartridges has a much lower output level (2.5 mV). The level knob on the preamp allows me to adjust the preamp's amplification to match the cartridge I'm using. The other scenario is that some of my records were recorded at very low levels, and some of my other records were recorded at very high levels. The level adjustment knob, along with the signal/clipping light, makes it easy to adjust the output level, and this is VERY helpful when transferring vinyl records to CD/MP3. This might not seem like a big deal, but I find it to be a really great feature, and theoretically it should offer better audio quality than attempting to boost or lower the audio after the fact with an audio editing program -- which is what you'd have to do if your preamp didn't have a level adjustment knob. I also really appreciate the rumble filter, which is another great feature that isn't typically found on preamps in this price range. It works as advertised and does not alter the audio quality. I do find that the blue power light is very bright, as other reviewers have pointed out, but I'm not particularly bothered by it. If you find it disturbing, you can always put a small piece of black tape over it. If you need a phono preamp and you can't afford to spend big bucks, I think this is absolutely your best bet. UPDATE: I've now been using this preamp for almost two years and it still works flawlessly. I'm very happy I chose it.

I'm not about to try and expound on the sonic quality of this device. I will tell you though that it does exactly what it is supposed to do. That is, boost the very low signal level from a moving magnet phono cartridge to the level required for standard stereo inputs. It has a gain adjustment but in my case it works best turned to the maximum. I have it connected to the tape input of a newer Onkyo stereo. This unit also has a few "extra" features including a pushbutton for low cut filter and another for adjustment for the input impedance. I didn't notice much if any difference when switching either of these off or on but they are there if you need them. The unit is well made and feels very solid. I bought this to replace a Behringer preamp that didn't work for me. The Behringer had two problems. The first was that there wasn't enough gain. That could have more to do with my Onkyo but this unit is much better in that regard. It would be nice to have even more gain yet but this one will work fine. The bigger problem was what it was doing to my Onkyo M5030 amp. I use the M5030 to power speakers throughout the house. The Onkyo receiver has a second zone low level output that the M5030 is connected to. When playing the turntable through the second zone the M5030 would peak the level meters and the lamps would dim. When I lifted the needle from the record the meters and lights acted the same. It only stopped when I unplugged the preamp from the receiver or switched the input away from the tape input (that I am using for the turntable). The unit doesn't do this at all. With the unit on, the table turning, and the needle off the record everything is very quiet, just as it should be. If you have a newer receiver that doesn't have a phono input, would like to use a turntable, and do not want to spend hundreds of dollars, yet still want a preamp that works, this is just what you need. As I said, I cannot speak to the sonic abilities of this unit or its design. I believe many people "hear" nuances in more esoteric audio equipment to a large degree because they want to. I likely would not know the difference between this one and one that cost $500 so only you can be the judge. I will say that this unit doesn't seem to do anything offensive and my new LPs sound very nice. At least to me. :) HTH

I bought one of these for my office system. I have a dead channel on my Nikko preamp and buying one of these was a lot simpler and cheaper than repairing it. It sounds very good right out of the box with the included walwart. Clean sound with good tonal balance, good dynamics, good sound stage, stable imaging, good transient response, no audible noise. I using it with a Grace F9E and listening on a pair of LS-5As. I have plenty of gain with it set to 0db. I enjoyed listening to my records which is all I could ask from a $50 product. I didn't have any problem with the lack of an on/off switch - I just plugged the walwart into a switched outlet on the preamp - it is small enough to fit. I also tried it with a Denon 103C. Needed to turn the gain all the way up, but it was adequate and the sound quality was still very good. However it was clear that it would not have enough gain for a really low output MC. Just for fun I tried a 12 V battery pack - 8 lithium AA's in a cheap case with a switch and a connect. It made an obvious improvement in the sound: a bigger soundstage, better dynamics, and a lightening fast transient response - as good or better than any of my vintage transistor preamps. I have no idea about construction quality or reliability - it is a mass market Chinese product after all and I don't expect too much at this price point - but it sounds very good indeed. After using it a year, still sounds great. No problems. Only issue is rubber feet stick to whatever surface you put it on. Put something under it, or it will glue itself to the underlying surface

Ich habe diesen Vorverstärker in 2018 gekauft, ihn mit Plattenspieler und PC-Soundkarte verbunden und auf diese Weise schon etliche Platten digitalisiert. Und ich möchte das Gerät nicht mehr missen! Was den etwas dumpfen Klang anbelangt: Das stört mich absolut nicht, denn bei der Audio-Restauration mittels Software verwende ich sowieso einen Equalizer... Kurz und gut: Für mich und meine Zwecke ein top Gerät!!!

Prima di acquistare questo preamp ho letto e guardato una valangata di recensioni e una volta provato ho avuto la certezza di aver scelto bene. Ovviamente bisogna commisurate l'aspettativa alla cifra spesa, non è un preamp da 2000€. Provatelo e sicuramente non lo rimanderete in dietro

Facile à installer, de bonne facture, répond parfaitement à mes besoins, je l'utilise pour une platine Pioneer PL200. Il dispose également d'une prise de terre ce qui permet d'éviter les grésillements. Je le recommande fortement.

El producto me llego a tiempo, bien empaquetado y en perfectas condiciones. El funcionamiento es excelente, tiene muy buena fidelidad y buena ganancia. Mueve perfectamente fonocaptores de imán movible como de bobina movible. La calidad de audio me pareció a la altura de los mejores.

This is a superb piece of kit it's worth every penny build quality is good sound quality is excellent got some good tweeks for making a few adjustments to the sound of your turntable it seem to bring the best out from my audio technica cartridge lots of detail good controlled treble good midrange and bass sounds smooth and articulate when I first thought about upgrading my first was going to be a different cartridge but I desided to go for the preamp to see what improvement could be made from using a internal preamp and all I can say is this preamp as made at least a 98 % difference to my turntable without touching the cartridge so I'm convinced the internal preamp was the weak link in my system at this time .