I've had my ART DJPRE II since 2014 and have absolutely no plans of replacing it. Still extremely happy with it. One of the best price / quality relationships in a product ever.
I just received a PA10 and have several phono stages to compare it to. It does not distort vocals at all. It sounds very good, is musical and quiet. I can find zero fault with it.
I use my ART Pre DJ II with my Pioneer in my living room stereo system. The main reason I bought it a few years ago was the adjustable gain for when I used it to record my LPs. Still works great. I now use my Schiit Mani with the Schiit SYS to reord since I can use the SYS to adjust the recording level. Besides, the Schiit Mani just plain kicks ass for a $129 MM/MC preamp! I'm going to buy a second Mani to pair up with my Technics and Denon DL-103R cart so I won't have to keep swapping out cables back and forth to play them.
Yay! I won! People still occasionally will dismiss my setup (in comments) because of the DJ Pre II - I never did try it on battery power, but apparently that brings it up to the next level. I've always been happy with mine - always powered on and no issue for the years I have been running it.
I own two. One hooked up to my recently pulled out of storage and still working perfectly 1982 Technics SL-5 linear tracking and new Fluance RT-85, and I’m very satisfied.
Does it distort vocals and such when hooked to the rt85? Wondering whether that happens only with non Fluance turntables. I’m getting the rt85 and I’m trying to figure out which preamp to get with a budget of $100
Thanks for the informative review. I just purchased one through your link in the description! I cannot wait for it to arrive! I've been looking high and low for a decent preamp that wouldn't break the bank, but would also be an improvement over my built-in preamp on my AT-LP120. I think this one will do it for me.
I have the ART DJ preamp. How do I know what setting to use for the "capacitance" button? I can't seem to hear a difference...🤔 Are there specs on the cartridge or stylus that I need to look for?
Please try the IMG Stageline SPR-6. It costs under $50 and people claim it's way better than the ART DJPRE, definitely better than the project phono box and even comparable to the Schiit Mani. It would be really great if you could review it!
Got the behringer pp400 . It is really good as the pp400 provides a flat response all the eq handled by the amp so don't need a pre amp to mod the sound although the filter is a good function in artdj but I like the organic music feel get artdj if you have a poor amplifier
Just bought my first record player (a Sony PS-T30) and coupled it with the Pro ject phono box MM. I picked it up for @ $50. Can’t find the Art dj in my country. All in all, very pleased with the sound quality
I have a DJ style turntable I bought circa the year 2000. I needed a preamp, and Richer Sounds (London) sold me a B-TECH BT26 which was the only preamp they stocked. I've never been crazy about the "richness" of sound, but Richer Sounds continued to stock that preamp until at least 2016, so they must have thought it was alright. I have an inexpensive Stanton 500 stylus/cartridge on the turntable, so I wonder if spending £45 on the Phono Box E (Amazon UK) would make any noticable difference with my current stylus?
Ok...but does the PA10 do that with a Fluance turntable in the test? I am curious since I am planing on buying a Fluance turntable and I want to know before that what preamp I will be getting.
I think the ART Pre DJ II, while a great value, is somewhat overrated performance-wise. I own it and the Uturn Pluto. To me, the Pluto sounds better, hands down. This despite being biased against the Pluto, as I wanted to return it and roll with the cheaper ART Pre. The music came alive more with the Pluto. The ART Pre, while decent, sounded duller by comparison. I chose to keep both, with the ART pre as a backup. May have to do some more A/B tests. Also, the ART Pre's lights are RIDICULOUSLY bright
Ive been using the Art Pro Audio DJPRE II - Phono Pre amplifier with my vintage Pioneer PL-117D turntable with the Audio Technica VM540ML Dual Moving Magnet Phono Cartridge with MicroLine Stylus, thats connected to a Behringer FBQ3102 EQ and a DBX 3BX Series II Expander which is connected to an AUX input on a Pioneer AVR VSX-933....in my view the pre amp is over looked and under rated.
Great video, thank you. I almost ordered a fluance! Seems like the prices on the Art and Mani have moved a bit, quite a bit for the former. Does that change your recommendation?
Considering how much you spend I suppose on those phono stages what you should be looking at is the dynavector p75 MK4 £800 well under price fantastic phono stage automatic loading perfect for hard driven cartridges. I noticed the riaa curve in the base region was lacking on the dj if you change components sound a lot better ideally polystyrene capacitors and the resistors for non-inductive resistors that will piss all over the Mani, and the value on resistor for the bass what that will be without test equipment not sure.. we'll make it a very good phono stage, and run it through a ifi ipower supply very clean low noise one of the best out there and their mains filter as well improve things dramatically in all your equipment
I have both the art and prj phono mm. I prefer the mm. cost aside, just feel that it has a purer sound than the art. considering the cost yes the art will be a good buy. just my $0.02. thanks for doing this audiorpheus. appreciate it v much
I've just gotten the ART and an Ortofon 2m RED to upgrade my AT-LP120 but unfortunatly i find the sound coming out of the ART to be muffled and lack clarity. the Cymbals for the drums are barely present and it lacks definition. When i use the LP120 preamp it sounds more open and everything is present. I'm almost wondering if there isn't something wrong with my ART since i've only seen amazing reviews about it but i'm personally very disappointed.
Its hard to beat a built-in at this sub 100 dollar price range. The extra cables required for an external box, and their very imperfect diodic metal /friction pinch interface and added capacitance add up to signal, modification, loss distortion and veiling. Hard to beat a Cart pre- built into the chassis located right next to the tonearm post. I even recommend this be done for higher end tables if using a compact phono RIAA preamp. Give much better sound if proper shielding effort is made. - Cheers! Sandy p.s: The Opera Consonance is a REAL step up in the 100 dollar range. Skip the Shiit.
I dont want to put down one of your excellent videos, but could it be that if you had used another good cartridge a bit of standard, the results had been turned upside down?
Yeah, sibilance sucks, but as long as your system sounds good to you is all that really matters. I tend to switch between 42 and 48dB depending on the cart I’m using too, but both settings seem to work with Nagaoka carts.
Interesting. You seem to have had a better experience with the DJ Pre that I have had. I was never impressed with it, and I ended up replacing it with the Pluto because I found it to be an RF magnet. I could never get a decent noiseprint out of any album I ripped with the DJ Pre. About the only thing going for it was it had more gain than the Pluto does. What was the highest grade Phono Box that was part of your test?
The Art , imho, is better than most of the sterile , poor sub 400 units. I was shocked how bad a Cambrudge Audio pre sounded in comparison to it, all sheeny and 'hifi' but with poor dynamics, noise floor and sterile as heck .
Between those two, I'd choose the DJ Pre II. I own one myself and it's the best inexpensive upgrade I've made to my system (I used to use an integrated amp, the DJ Pre II beats the living hell out of that).
Clear and concise, agree completely from what I remember hearing of them all. But I wonder, what are you gonna do with all of them now that theyve been tried out? Sell them, save for when new pre amps come out to compare with yet again or is there a contest coming up with them as prices maybe ;^)
ART DJ crapped out. It’s not a quality build, the light is annoying, and it’s now $65. A preamp should be flat after RIAA equalization. Although I don’t have a good test setup, it appears it boosts high frequencies - too bright. I used to sell hifi, and people would flock to bright speakers. The objective is to be true to the original recording, not color the sound.
These cheap phono amps (like cheap electronics in general) are a plague. They harm the business of serious manifacturers. And nobody earns anything by selling/producing/designing these creatures. And of course we should remember that good for its price means bad...
I've had my ART DJPRE II since 2014 and have absolutely no plans of replacing it. Still extremely happy with it. One of the best price / quality relationships in a product ever.
I just received a PA10 and have several phono stages to compare it to. It does not distort vocals at all. It sounds very good, is musical and quiet. I can find zero fault with it.
Thank you for making it short and sweet, I like your review style.
Just found your channel. Great fast videos that get right to the point! Making my life of building a turntable setup so much easier so thank you!!!
The ART DJ PRO II is now a $65 item. Thanks to positive reviews!!! 😄
thanks to Biden too.
I use my ART Pre DJ II with my Pioneer in my living room stereo system. The main reason I bought it a few years ago was the adjustable gain for when I used it to record my LPs. Still works great. I now use my Schiit Mani with the Schiit SYS to reord since I can use the SYS to adjust the recording level. Besides, the Schiit Mani just plain kicks ass for a $129 MM/MC preamp! I'm going to buy a second Mani to pair up with my Technics and Denon DL-103R cart so I won't have to keep swapping out cables back and forth to play them.
You really answer a lot of questions in your detailed research.
Thank you AUDIORPHEUS for uploading. These videos are great.
Yay! I won! People still occasionally will dismiss my setup (in comments) because of the DJ Pre II - I never did try it on battery power, but apparently that brings it up to the next level. I've always been happy with mine - always powered on and no issue for the years I have been running it.
I own two. One hooked up to my recently pulled out of storage and still working perfectly 1982 Technics SL-5 linear tracking and new Fluance RT-85, and I’m very satisfied.
Enjoy your detailed review. Totally subbed. Thanks for all your hard work.
I have the Fluance PA10 hooked up to my Fluance RT85 and think it sounds terrific. Shows you how much I know.
Does it distort vocals and such when hooked to the rt85? Wondering whether that happens only with non Fluance turntables. I’m getting the rt85 and I’m trying to figure out which preamp to get with a budget of $100
@@jaufrie I haven’t noticed any distortion at all after 2 years of the PA10 being hooked up to my RT85. Still sounds fine to me.
Thanks for the quick comparison!
Thanks for the informative review.
I just purchased one through your link in the description! I cannot wait for it to arrive!
I've been looking high and low for a decent preamp that wouldn't break the bank, but would also be an improvement over my built-in preamp on my AT-LP120. I think this one will do it for me.
Excellent video. Short clear and to the point.
I have the ART, and am shocked at how good it is.
sadly the art dj isnt under $50 anymore. last i checked it was $66 on amzn. does anyone know where i can still get it for under $50 please
I bought mine used awhile back on eBay for around $40.
I have the ART DJ preamp. How do I know what setting to use for the "capacitance" button? I can't seem to hear a difference...🤔 Are there specs on the cartridge or stylus that I need to look for?
I'm wondering how the Darlington Labs MM-3 would compare🤔
Please try the IMG Stageline SPR-6. It costs under $50 and people claim it's way better than the ART DJPRE, definitely better than the project phono box and even comparable to the Schiit Mani. It would be really great if you could review it!
Got the behringer pp400 . It is really good as the pp400 provides a flat response all the eq handled by the amp so don't need a pre amp to mod the sound although the filter is a good function in artdj but I like the organic music feel get artdj if you have a poor amplifier
Just bought my first record player (a Sony PS-T30) and coupled it with the Pro ject phono box MM. I picked it up for @ $50. Can’t find the Art dj in my country. All in all, very pleased with the sound quality
I have a DJ style turntable I bought circa the year 2000. I needed a preamp, and Richer Sounds (London) sold me a B-TECH BT26 which was the only preamp they stocked. I've never been crazy about the "richness" of sound, but Richer Sounds continued to stock that preamp until at least 2016, so they must have thought it was alright. I have an inexpensive Stanton 500 stylus/cartridge on the turntable, so I wonder if spending £45 on the Phono Box E (Amazon UK) would make any noticable difference with my current stylus?
what's the one that sounds better than the DJ? Over $100 but it's worth the difference in price?
The ART DJPre looks just like my USB Phono Plus, but without the USB... I wonder if the preamp stage is the same quality on both ART units...
Yes it is
Ok...but does the PA10 do that with a Fluance turntable in the test? I am curious since I am planing on buying a Fluance turntable and I want to know before that what preamp I will be getting.
I think the ART Pre DJ II, while a great value, is somewhat overrated performance-wise. I own it and the Uturn Pluto. To me, the Pluto sounds better, hands down. This despite being biased against the Pluto, as I wanted to return it and roll with the cheaper ART Pre. The music came alive more with the Pluto. The ART Pre, while decent, sounded duller by comparison. I chose to keep both, with the ART pre as a backup. May have to do some more A/B tests. Also, the ART Pre's lights are RIDICULOUSLY bright
I don't understand the project with MC capability, if your spending £400+ on a cartridge would you really scrimp that much on a phono stage?
Ive been using the Art Pro Audio DJPRE II - Phono Pre amplifier with my vintage Pioneer PL-117D turntable with the Audio Technica VM540ML Dual Moving Magnet Phono Cartridge with MicroLine Stylus, thats connected to a Behringer FBQ3102 EQ and a DBX 3BX Series II Expander which is connected to an AUX input on a Pioneer AVR VSX-933....in my view the pre amp is over looked and under rated.
Great video, thank you. I almost ordered a fluance! Seems like the prices on the Art and Mani have moved a bit, quite a bit for the former. Does that change your recommendation?
If you have a Nagaoka MP110, consider spending just a little over a hundred for a Schitt mani. It's a match made in heaven.
Art is 131 dollars now in Canada... :(
Will this this order depend of which cartridge I own?
Need suggestions, are there any Phono Tube Amps with Bluetooth Out ?
Can't get that Art for $49 anymore. It's now $80 cdn.
Hi, do you recommend the record box e? Or it's not worth it in comparison with the phono box e in therms of fidelity. Thanks in advice
Considering how much you spend I suppose on those phono stages what you should be looking at is the dynavector p75 MK4 £800 well under price fantastic phono stage automatic loading perfect for hard driven cartridges. I noticed the riaa curve in the base region was lacking on the dj if you change components sound a lot better ideally polystyrene capacitors and the resistors for non-inductive resistors that will piss all over the Mani, and the value on resistor for the bass what that will be without test equipment not sure.. we'll make it a very good phono stage, and run it through a ifi ipower supply very clean low noise one of the best out there and their mains filter as well improve things dramatically in all your equipment
I have both the art and prj phono mm. I prefer the mm. cost aside, just feel that it has a purer sound than the art. considering the cost yes the art will be a good buy. just my $0.02. thanks for doing this audiorpheus. appreciate it v much
have you had any chance trying/listen to the China copy of EAR834?
I've just gotten the ART and an Ortofon 2m RED to upgrade my AT-LP120 but unfortunatly i find the sound coming out of the ART to be muffled and lack clarity. the Cymbals for the drums are barely present and it lacks definition. When i use the LP120 preamp it sounds more open and everything is present. I'm almost wondering if there isn't something wrong with my ART since i've only seen amazing reviews about it but i'm personally very disappointed.
Its hard to beat a built-in at this sub 100 dollar price range. The extra cables required for an external box, and their very imperfect diodic metal /friction pinch interface and added capacitance add up to signal, modification, loss distortion and veiling. Hard to beat a Cart pre- built into the chassis located right next to the tonearm post. I even recommend this be done for higher end tables if using a compact phono RIAA preamp. Give much better sound if proper shielding effort is made. - Cheers! Sandy p.s: The Opera Consonance is a REAL step up in the 100 dollar range. Skip the Shiit.
I dont want to put down one of your excellent videos, but could it be that if you had used another good cartridge a bit of standard, the results had been turned upside down?
I use all sorts of cartridges. At these pice points pairing doesn’t come into play
Oh! You mean cheap cartridges have similar electrical characteristics, or are cheap preamps more imune to differences?
Second one
That is a krok of shit regarding the fluance PA-10 ..I just tried it and it worked wonderfully..check your speakers and amp
Hey, what settings do you use on the Schiit Mani? when you have it connected to your Nagaoka Mp-110?
For the MP110, I personally find either the 42 or 48dB settings on the Mani to both work well. It just comes down to preference.
@@NickP333 Aye, i use 42db and i noticed 1.8 tracking forcr had some sibilance problems so i put it to 2.0 and all sounds fine now.
Yeah, sibilance sucks, but as long as your system sounds good to you is all that really matters. I tend to switch between 42 and 48dB depending on the cart I’m using too, but both settings seem to work with Nagaoka carts.
@@NickP333 Indeed 👍
Pa-10 magically now $99 lol.
Art DJ now $65.
Geez prices change
You should test Rega A2D!!!
You can find a Schiit mani for under 100$ on ebay? why not mention that? its beats the pants off any of these and supports MC
Does it? I hear that lots of them have a weird hum
Do I really need a preamp if my turntable has a built in preamp or my stereo receiver has a built in? Really
No, you don't need a phono preamp if your turntable has one built in.
63-fricken-dollars now!!!
Interesting. You seem to have had a better experience with the DJ Pre that I have had. I was never impressed with it, and I ended up replacing it with the Pluto because I found it to be an RF magnet. I could never get a decent noiseprint out of any album I ripped with the DJ Pre. About the only thing going for it was it had more gain than the Pluto does.
What was the highest grade Phono Box that was part of your test?
I have not yet worked with the s2. The highest grade is the phono box dc.
having higher gain is not good in a phono stage
Phuckhue Well its nice if it lets you level its volume with your other sources
The Art , imho, is better than most of the sterile , poor sub 400 units. I was shocked how bad a Cambrudge Audio pre sounded in comparison to it, all sheeny and 'hifi' but with poor dynamics, noise floor and sterile as heck .
With art DJ pre II being 65 usd now would you recommend that or the phono box e at $60?
Between those two, I'd choose the DJ Pre II. I own one myself and it's the best inexpensive upgrade I've made to my system (I used to use an integrated amp, the DJ Pre II beats the living hell out of that).
It's the Schiit Mani....And it's day has come!
...once you get them to send you one I mean. 😊
So i want to purchase a preamp but how can i play music throughout my headphones?does the dj have a jack?what can i do?i have the rega planar 1
What did you do?
Art dj pre win by far!!
Clear and concise, agree completely from what I remember hearing of them all.
But I wonder, what are you gonna do with all of them now that theyve been tried out? Sell them, save for when new pre amps come out to compare with yet again or is there a contest coming up with them as prices maybe ;^)
parasound zphone is far superior but no reviews out there
I was looking for reviews for the burmester 100 pre amp, which is really expensive and this showed up 😂
😒✊💦
watch at 1.25x speed.
The ART is now more expensive than the Phono Box E, so it's no longer the champ.
My wife bought me this pre amp a few months back.
Canadian extremely salty and jealous from the future here, where the same ART DJ Pre 2 costs 110$.... With another 70 $ in shipping :(
The Art DJ 2 sucks. I bought it and gave it to the GoodWill. It sounds like a Cd. The best pre amp i have ever had is a Recotion Stereo Pre Amplifier
.
ART DJ crapped out. It’s not a quality build, the light is annoying, and it’s now $65. A preamp should be flat after RIAA equalization. Although I don’t have a good test setup, it appears it boosts high frequencies - too bright. I used to sell hifi, and people would flock to bright speakers. The objective is to be true to the original recording, not color the sound.
These cheap phono amps (like cheap electronics in general) are a plague. They harm the business of serious manifacturers. And nobody earns anything by selling/producing/designing these creatures. And of course we should remember that good for its price means bad...
The winner is the cheap, yeah right! sounds like you want money from amazon.