Hi @Andrew. Upon your advice, and after reading many stellar reviews, I just picked up the iFi Phono preamp to pair with a Beogram TX2 with MMC2 I found on eBay in new condition that I just received. The turntable and cartridge are lovely, but the output was much lower than on the Rega turntable/cartridge it replaced, so the iFi Phono set to MC High really helped with the gain--and it sounds amazing. I can't say I love the looks of the preamp, but the build quality is solid and it's hidden away in a console, so no matter. I'm extremely impressed, especially for the price. Thanks for your help!

Hi Beojosh

Thank you and glad you like it - yes I found the low output after my Rega to be a problem but the B&O on the MC setting seems perfect - like you I have hidden mine and power consumption is negligible so I just leave it powered up as I use my Beogram almost daily.

Hi Andrew.

That is quite interesting. After my youth with Japanese turntables and Shure cartridges I have had a succession of B&O units and now have a 7000 system with Beogram 7000. ALL the B&O turntables I have found to be lacking. The output is just too low. 

Now I wonder if it would be possible to bypass the inbuilt pre-amp on the 7000 and use another?? 

Hi Beofile7 - I don't know if you can bypass the internal phono preamp - I would doubt it without major rewiring. But with the B&O built in preamp and the preamps in B&O receivers there should be no problem with the RIAA amplifier - in fact it should be pretty near perfectly matched to the B&O cartridge.

The problem is when you try and connect a B&O turntable to a non B&O amplifier in that the output I can be too low depending on the gain in the RIAA Amp. I have had the reverse problem connecting a non B&O turntable to the phono input on a  B&O receiver (4400) where the output was too high and it just sounded distorted. 

I'm wondering if it's more that there is a difference in sound between the shure cartridges and B&O cartridges. The Shures tend to be high output and very big and bold in comparison to the B&O cartridges which are more refined - at least thats been my experience with an M44-7 (but with a nos elliptical needle). I love the sound of the shure but I found more detail and less distortion with B&O cartridges - generally speaking.

Hmmm yes but... The output of the Beogram is way weaker than the Beocord and CD. Why would that be? All my Beograms have been like this. Traditionally the record deck gave the most powerful output. But not with B&O. It needs a kick up the backside!

I followed your discovery with my Beogram 4002 with MMC20CL pickup and I must also give this phono preamp thumbs up!

I did the same 4002+mmc20cl and put it in MC HIGH , very well 👍👍👍

subsonic filter on or off ??

thanks

Great that others agree this is a good preamp for B&O decks - I leave the subsonic filter on, apparently it has AI and you only really notice it on warped records.