Better sounding vinyl with Yamaha RX-V663 or Sony STR-DA5200ES?

starcopy

Active Member
Hi. Would appreciate any thoughts on which system might be best for playing vinyl.

In this corner is a nice home theater system powered by a Yamaha RX-V663 A/V receiver. But NO phono stage. Currently using a cheap Pyle pre-amp with a proven MM cartridge/TT connected to an unused CD input. Sound is truly uninspired (when playing vinyl only.) For movies it sounds great. This receiver does have Pure Direct which changes the sound, but doesn't make it any better to my ears. I clearly need to invest in a qualty pre-amp. (One article said Marantz and Yamaha A/V receivers are two of the best at reproducing music so maybe I stay the course.)

In the other corner is the Sony STR-DA5200ES A/V receiver. I can pick this up for $100 and use it to replace the Yamaha. The Sony DOES have a phono stage. And it's one that, according to a reviewer, keeps the analog signal as "analog" all the way through. (Does that sound right? I think the reviewer called this "Pure Direct" also.) I read his intelligent review in one of the trade pubs and he loved the Sony phono stage -- said his albums sounded great.

My end game: to obtain better sound from my record albums with this system. One option: I'm spending $100, rewiring everything, and heading off into the unknown. The other option: I keep the Yamaha and invest in a quality pre-amp -- maybe something from Cambridge Audio?

I realize that the best way to decide is to fully explore BOTH options and see which option sounds best. But that's a lot of time and money wasted. Thanks in advance for any opinions.
 
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