Thorens MM-008

Got this to replace a less expensive phono preamp because of the brand-name and that it does analog-to-digial conversion. What I didn't expect was how much better it sounded because the advice I'd gotten was "a cheap preamp is fine". Right out of the box the sound was clearer due to less noise. The amplification was probably a little louder and so made the music sound a little more forward. This combination of things made the soundstage a little more three-dimensional. The cheaper preamp had a much smaller soundstage and a much flatter/2-dimensional presentation. After another day of burn-in the soundstage grew a little more so it now extends to, and a little beyond, where the speakers are. Individual instruments and vocalists also are more focused within that soundstage. Overall, it's a keeper of an amp and I haven't even used the A-D part yet.