Reddit mentions of U-Turn Audio - Pluto Phono Preamp (Black)

Consider first looking used:

• Vintage 70's or modern turntable, belt, or direct drive possibly with quartz lock $100 to $300. Replacement stylus $25 to $50 if it needs one to get your started. Upgrade stylus and maybe the cartridge too later.
  
• Used stereo or AV receiver and a pair of bookshelf speakers $100 to $200.
  
• Add a phono pre-amp if receiver does not have a phono input.
  
  Or a new turntable and speakers:
  
  
• Fluance RT82 Reference Turntable with Ortofon Super OM10 $300. Optical sensor speed controlled motor for low wow and flutter and speed variation. Auto stop with an on/off switch. Solid wood/MDF plinth. Gloss black or Walnut for no extra charge. Later upgrade: Fluance plans to offer the acrylic platter for around $90 like U-turn does hopefully soon after they restock the $500 RT85 that includes one. Skip the RT 81 and 80 that do not have the optical sensor speed control motor.
  
• Phono Pre-amp: U-Turn Pluto $100, Pro-Ject Phono Box DC $100, NAD PP 2e $120 factory refurbished.
  
• Speakers and amp with remaining $100: SMSL SA 36A mini amp $53, with Dayton Air $50, or Polk Audio R150 $45 speakers. Then you can later upgrade one part at a time. Or powered speakers, Edifier R1280T $100 or with bluetooth Edifier R1280DB $130. However with powered speakers you don't have the option of upgrading one part at a time, only the whole speaker system.
  
• Speaker wire: Pure Copper Oxygen Free 16 Gauge Speaker Wire 50 ft. and self adjusting wire strippers. Or get 6ft Pair Micca with banana plugs for $20.
  
  Or a used turntable and new receiver and speakers.
  
  
• Used turntable $100 to $300. Replacement stylus $25 to $50 if it needs one to get your started. Upgrade stylus and maybe the cartridge too later.
  
• New stereo receiver, ONKYOTX-8020 $110 refurbished with a one year warranty. Or AV receiver, DENONAVR-S640 $200 with a high pass crossover for your speakers when used with a subwoofer and 4K HDMI switching if you ever plan to use it with a TV for just 2 speakers or surround sound 5.1.
  
• Speakers: Speaker recommendations from AverageJoeAudiophile and r/HTBuyingGuide. - Dayton Air $50, or Polk Audio R150 $45, Infinity Reference 152 $140 refurbished. Boston A25 $150 pair bogo. Wavecrest Audio HVL-1, and order on sale at Ascend $80 each + shipping, neutral sound with a linear frequency response, budget Ascends. 6.5" Boston A26 $200 pair bogo. Big 6.5" JBL Studio 230 $200. DIY,C-Notes $100, add around $50+ for tools and supplies. Kits includes pre-cut cabinets. Glue, solder, paint, assemble. Comparable to built speakers costing twice as much. Due in stock April 18th. Try a coupon code.
  
• Speaker wire: Pure Copper Oxygen Free 16 Gauge Speaker Wire 50 ft. and self adjusting wire strippers. Optional banana plugs. Also Speaker Wire: How to Choose the Right Gauge and Type - Crutchfield
  
  Home Audio Guides: • Intro to home stereo systems • Zeos Tutorials, Diagrams and Videos • Guide to Home Audio • AverageJoeAudiophile's Guides • How to position your speakers for great sound – U-Turn Audio • Speaker Placement for Stereo Music Listening
  
  Also check out r/BudgetAudiophile.

Need some tips on purchasing some powered speakers and a preamp.
These are the two speakers I'm looking at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GP56OYA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_BLhPzb88KAQFE

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HG16XFM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_MNhPzbZBEEGA6

Also would love any other suggestions besides these two that are at or below the price point.

Below are the two preamps I'm also looking at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007DB5I60/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_DOhPzbKPT5V8V

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018WK56JE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_7OhPzbPFNQERD

Same as the speakers willing to take suggestions for a possibly better preamp at or around the same price point.

Out of the ones I've seen recommended in this sub:

> "I just need something."

• ART DJPREII - $49
  
  > "I want something decent."
  
  
• Pro-Ject Phono Box MM - $79
  
• U-Turn Pluto - $99
  
  > "I want something really good."
  
  
• Pro-Ject Phono Box - $129
  
• Schiit Mani - $129
  
• Emotiva Audio XPS-1 - $179
  
  ***
  
  I've personally had my eye on a Schiit Mani but might save up for a Tube Box S. I play guitar so anything tube kinda draws me in. I still need to mod the preamp out of my LP120 so I don't fully know how well my Klipsch's preamp is performing. If it's good enough then I can save up for the Tube Box S.

Well, you've got a healthy budget, which is always a plus.

This is my recommendation, but mine only. I only recently got into vinyl myself, so if I screw up I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than I can correct me.

TT: Pro Ject Debut Carbon DC. Stylish, minimalist, and it includes an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge, which sells by itself for $100. You can upgrade the stylus quite a bit if you find you're wanting something more.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IIMXATU/ref=psdc_3003611_t1_B000CDHQK2

Preamp:U-Turn Pluto Phono preamp

This can be a tough one, because the preamp is one of the most important parts for vinyl. I'm shaving a bit of the budget for other things, because this is a very simple and elegant unit that does what it's supposed to do and no more than that.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018WK56JE/ref=sspa_dk_detail_4?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B018WK56JE&pd_rd_wg=yhwxX&pd_rd_r=E8GA6CB25VQS5H5JS2Y7&pd_rd_w=Oh2rh&smid=A1FEN8WPYFT9YE

Amplifier: You'll have to take this one as a personal choice. It may not be for you. But I have read nothing but good reviews for this amp from a number of different sources. It's analog, and it's great for all formats, but especially good for vinyl. If I could ever stop upgrading my current setup and save a bit of money, I would have one of these;

https://www.amazon.com/Push-Pull-Integrated-Amplifier-Without-Protect/dp/B012CSK30E/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1523002033&sr=1-3&keywords=Yaqin

Not only is it supposed to sound much better than it's price would indicate, but it's also a work of art. There are caveats though. No surround sound. No remote. No subwoofer output. Exposed tubes will burn fingers! This is a simple tube amp that is made to play music. It does that one thing well, and nothing else.

Speakers: The most important part of the system. Some would say that these should occupy the bulk of your budget. But with no subwoofer needed, I'm going for great sound on this one.

Dynaudio Emit M10's. Super well reviewed. Small, but able to fill a room, and your room is quite small for footage. I gravitated to these because there is every indication that these speakers sound capable, and fun to listen to.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075MNM2DL/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B075MNM2DL&pd_rd_wg=UX29t&pd_rd_r=BQE9JHJX0NTV8VQJQZSY&pd_rd_w=69aAf

Outside of some stands and a few different cables, that's about it. This system, to me, starts to creep into the true "audiophile" ranks. It's simple, attractive without being too gaudy, and most importantly should sound excellent.

As before, these are just my opinions. I'm sure others will lend theirs as well. Good luck in whatever system you decide on!

if your table has a phono preamp built in, just hook it into any of the audio inputs on your receiver (CD for instance) and you're good to go. If it doesn't have a built in preamp then you need to get one. I use one of these

You can probably get by without an anti-skate weight but if you have some records that are skipping, don't play them until you get your weight in, but I suspect you'll be fine without anti-skate for a short time

Hey guys, I'm pretty new to vinyl and have been using the phono stage on my Onkyo TX-8020, but I'm wondering if buying a dedicated phono pre amp like the U-Turn Pluto will make an appreciable difference in sound quality?

Depends how much you want to spend. The cheapest recommended one around here seems to be the ART DJPRE. U-Turn makes one that seems to get decent reviews -
I think it's the one they offer with the upgrade? - and I've heard absolutely stellar reviews for the Schiit Mani