PyleMini Phono Turntable Preamp - Low Noise Stereo Preamplifier with RCA Input/Output - 12V DC Adapter - High-Fidelity Audio for Vinyl - Phonograph - Home Audio - PP999

I'm writing this review on the same day I am retiring my Pyle PP999 phono preamp. It wasn't until now that I realized what a gem this little guy really is.First, let's get the obvious out of the way- the is THE entry level of entry levels when in comes to phono preamps. You are not looking at this if you are anything approaching an audiophile. But for a budding (or reawakening) vinyl enthusiast of modest means who needs a phono preamp, the Pyle PP999 will serve you well as you feel out whether you want to go further with vinyl.I would say that this it the PERFECT choice for folks who have gotten their hands on a turntable somehow and just want to dip their toes into the water to start. For $15 this will produce admirable sound quality for the price. It is fantastic value at the $15-$20 price point. Use this with a pair of Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers and you can have that turntable spinning out some tunes for $115 (R1280T's only recommended for bedrooms, offices or small man caves).The sound quality on this is very good. Not excellent. Not great. Just very good. Operation is extremely easy. It is small...slightly larger than a deck of cards and very easy to hide away somewhere. I Velcro-ed it to back of my cabinet and completely out of sight. The build quality is excellent for the price point with an all metal housing and plugs that are mounted very securely. Even after taking the casing apart (I said I was retiring it), I still couldn't get the plugs to even wobble on the board. I am confident that this little guys could take quite a beating if I gave it one. The power plug is a wall wart type that might cover an extra space on your power strip- just fyi. Bottom line- For the price of a decent lunch this preamp is a very nice option if you are in a place where money really matters.Today as I unplugged my Pyle PP999 to replace it with an upgrade I realized that it had paid for itself many many times over as it allowed me to affordably dip my toes back into vinyl after pulled my turntable out of storage where it sat for 17 years. Since I had the turntable and already owned the Edifier speakers I mentioned above (their dual inputs allow them do double duty between my PC and my TT) I was able to start enjoying my collection again for an extremely affordable price. It worked without a single problem or issue the entire time I used it and can't recommend it enough if you need something very affordable, well built and that good sound.

So I dug out my old amp and preamp after sitting in a closet since my son was born. 17 years later it was time to get the old workhorse going again. My very old phono preamp was giving allot of noise. So I went looking for one and no luck at Best Buy. So I looked here and a few other high end stores. They had some really nice tube preamp that were really cool. But I went for the $15 one here. Works fine and my records sound warm and natural.

This model's 12V power supply output is not at ground.This means if you substitute the switching version with an analog one, the power supply cannot be grounded.BE WARNED!Otherwise it works just fine.

It's a good product, but there seems to be a wrong component. After receiving the goods, I couldn't wait to get it into the sound system, but the sound was obviously distorted, and the amplifier panel showed that the signal was too strong. After checking, there are two 820 ohm feedback resistors in the circuit diagram , but there were two 47 ohm resistors on the PCB board, which caused too large amplification and overload distortion. I replaced them with 1k ohm resistors, and then everything working good. I still leave 5 stars, but I hope the customer service or someone else can explain it.

I don’t typically bother writing negative reviews but I felt it was important to let people who may not know any better know what they’re getting into with this preamp. I kind of knew it wouldn’t be that great given the price. But I saw plenty of positive reviews so I figured I’d give it a shot. Well, I tried it with two different turntables and two different sets of speakers. The sound quality is frankly abysmal. It adds tons of unwanted distortion, and is particularly noticeable in vocals.If you are just getting into vinyl or getting your first setup you might not know any better. And it could sound passable enough. But if you know what your records/setup are actually supposed to sound like you’ll be immediately disappointed.Yes it is dirt cheap and I know it’s tempting. But believe me, this thing will make your listening experience so much worse than it needs to be. I ended up getting the Fluance preamp, which admittedly is like 7x the price. But the difference is absolute night and day. I’m sure there are plenty cheaper than the Fluance that work just great. But this Pyle preamp just isn’t it.If you’re splashing out on a nice turntable and/or speakers (or even “okay” ones), don’t let a junky preamp handicap the whole thing.

What more can you really say? It works well and is small enough to fit pretty much wherever you would want it. Doesn’t seem to colour the sound in a negative way and has given me no issues during the time I have had it running.