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It's funny that the M97xe should be mentioned - I've been on the 'phone this afternoon with the DJ whose TT I customised, and I've persuaded him into going for the 97! I feel relieved, because I was genuinely concerned he wouldn't be able to hear the new arm + mods with a 44G... Considering he's supposed to be converting an army of TTs to the same spec, I felt somewhat dishonest charging him knowing that the 44G would make the TT sound the same even if attached to an arm made of rotting wood.
I wouldn't recommend any kind of back-cueing for the 97 unfortunately - I guess you could find the spot in the groove, hit the brake and rewind very gently... I only recommended the 97 to the aforementioned DJ 'cos he's sponsored by Shure - I wouldn't back-cue a 97 if my money paid for it...
Regarding preamps: as a rule, a standalone preamp will comfortably outperform a “scratch” mixer – this is because a typical scratch-mixer has VCAs that will degrade sound, as well as pretty average circuitry if compared to something minimal designed for sound alone.
As to what preamp… TTauri uses a Creek, and is happy with it – the Creek is a discrete design, and is very good value IMO.
I guess the rule for a preamp will be to find something in your price-range and audition it – there’s a lot to choose from. Ironically, the omission of phono-inputs from mass-produced integrated amps (although they’ve made a comeback in recent times – you don’t get rid of vinyl that easily!) has created a competitive scene amongst standalone preamps, and there are some really nice units out there.
edit: IMHO, even the most expensive DJ mixers sound awful - if you want quality, get a standalone preamp and keep the mixer for DJ duties.
Justin
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