Comparing a $50 preamp to my receiver's built-in one surprised me

I have a basic Sony receiver that has a phono input, so I figured I didn't need anything else. Last month I borrowed a friend's Art DJ Pre II just to see what the fuss was about. After a week of switching back and forth, the difference was noticeable on my older jazz records. The low end was tighter and the surface noise seemed less harsh. I ended up buying my own for $50. Has anyone else found that an external preamp made a big difference, or was it just my receiver being cheap?

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the_evan2mo ago

Ha! Wait till you borrow a $200 one, then you'll really hate your wallet.

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