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Looking to upgrade my phono stage (just using a crappy Behringer PP400 at the moment as the phono stage in my Yamaha CR-440 receiver is not working correctly). These were the options slinch listed in the beginners' thread (with updated/current prices): Parasound Zphono ($200) Musical Fidelity V90-LPS ($230) Cambridge Audio Azur 651P ($230) Pro-Ject Phono Box DS ($200) Are there any others that should be considered/are better than the above? Would I be better off just having the phono stage in the CR-440 fixed? I prefer a warmer sound over more sterile/clinical. The rest of my setup is a Music Hall MMF2.2 table (with the stock MH Tracker cart), some older/vintage Dynaco speakers (I think they're A-10s but not sure, picked them up at a garage sale for $5), and Grado SR125e headphones. Thanks in advance for the help/advice!

For anyone who is looking for a really nice-sounding preamp at an affordable price, you might consider the 2nd generation of the Hagerman Bugle. There's a Kickstarter campaign that just launched. $100 gets you the kit version of the preamp, which comes with everything you need. All you'll have to do put the components where they need to go and solder them in place. I've built three different preamps so far and it's really very easy ... and a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. You can also pledge $150, which will get you the preamp fully assembled, tested and ready to rock. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1907446723/bugle2-a-diy-phono-preamp?play=1&ref=search I built the first generation Bugle and in my opinion, it's really hard to get something as nice sounding at that price point. For anyone using a built-in preamp or the phono stage in you receiver, the Bugle would be a pretty significant step forward sonically. And for my money, I think it sounds better than its competitors at the $150 - $200 range. Oh, the majority of the kickstarter money is going to be for customized clear plastic cases for the preamp. Kind of cool ... so you can see your handiwork.