ART DJ Pre II

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Phono Preamp

With the DeeJayPRE you can connect a turntable to a conventional line input such as a mixing console, a sound card or a tape deck. The DeeJayPRE is a phono preamp with built-in RIAA equalisation and is simply put between turntables and line input. All required connections and patching possibilities are included in the DeeJayPRE of course.

Phono preamp with RIAA EQ
Switchable low cut filter
Knob for input gain and signal/ clip LED
Outputs with low impedance for use with almost any sound card
Inputs and outputs: RCA connector
Frequency range: 10 Hz - 50 kHz +/- 0.5 dB
Dimensions: 106 x 44 x 88 mm
Weight: 570 g

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

3-Year Thomann Warranty

Available since May 2005

Item number 180352

Sales Unit 1 piece(s)

USB Interface No

Gain Yes

Output RCA

£52

Including VAT; Excluding £10 shipping

Sales Rank

in Phono Preamps

Turntable goes line

If you want to use the audio signal of a turntable with conventional line inputs, you cannot avoid using a preamplifier. The ART DJ Pre II Phono Preamp is a preamplifier specially designed for phono signals, which enables the connection of turntables to line inputs. In this way, the signal of a turntable can also be fed to the AUX inputs of mixing consoles, sound cards, or tape decks. For this purpose, the phono preamp picks up the unamplified signal of the turntable via RCA sockets, raises the signal level via the adjustable gain, and passes the amplified signal on to the connected device via RCA sockets. The ART DJ Pre II does not have an integrated audio interface, but it does have numerous features that make it a specialist...

A specialist thanks to numerous features

The frequency response of the ART DJ Pre II Phono Preamp covers a wide range from 10 Hz to 50 kHz and thus extends far beyond the range typically perceived by the human ear. To ensure that the resulting sound is neither too dark nor too shrill, the preamp can be optimised to suit the connected cartridge, with a choice between 100 pF and 200 pF for the input capacitance. For its integrated equaliser, ART employs an RIIA EQ that harmonises the sound of the phono signal. In order to be able to optimally adjust the gain for the signal level via the control knob, the Art DJ Pre II offers a multi-coloured clipping LED that lights up red in case of overload. In addition, the low output impedance of the preamp enables it to be used with as many devices as possible.

For MM cartridges

The ART DJ Pre II Phono Preamp is interesting for all those who want to use a turntable with an audio input that is not a dedicated phono input. DJs use it for its powerful sound, as do podcasters who play vinyl tracks, because the phono preamp also excels in conjunction with audio interfaces. The unit's technical specifications are specifically designed for working with MM cartridges. Thanks to its additional switchable low-cut filter, which kicks in at 22 Hz, vinyl fans who wish to cut some of the boominess from older distorted vinyl, or a turntable’s drive rumble, without cutting much out of the mix should take note of this device.

About ART

The acronym ART stands for "Applied Research and Technology". The aim of the company, founded in 1984, has been to redefine the performance-versus-price barrier in a series of innovative audio products, designed with the needs of the musician in mind. Their large portfolio caters for both the studio and the stage, and has 35 years of experience in the field. Their product range includes digital interfaces and mixers, rack mixers, amplifiers, and monitor speakers, as well as headphone amplifiers, power conditioners, patch bays, and also “intelligent” graphic equalisers, tube preamps, compressors, and of course microphones.

In a DJ setup or with an audio interface

The ART DJ Pre II phono amplifier can, for example, be integrated into DJ setups in which very old-school turntables are used. Weighing in at just over 500 grams, it is easy to transport. To ensure that this can be done without damage, the body is made entirely of aluminium, which allows it to be robust without weighing too much. Its length of barely more than 10 cm and depth of less than 9 cm also takes up very little space, so it can feel at home in accessory bags and the like when travelling. Its optimum height of 4.4 cm means that it can even fit exactly into a rack's height unit. If you are in a situation with numerous powered devices and want to avoid humming, there is also a ground terminal on the back of the preamp.

This is what customers who viewed this product bought

219 Customer ratings

5 136 Customers 4 73 Customers 3 7 Customers 2 1 Customer 1 2 Customers

4.6 / 5

handling

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quality

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118 Reviews

Good entry phono pre-amp with GAIN knob.

Abïri 29.08.2021

It's one of the cheapests phono preamps you can get with a gain knob. I choose it for that reason, however I thought it was a volume knob, and those are different things. However it was still useful considering I had no knob (or at least «easy to reach» knob) to control loudness in my first setup, where I had the turntable conected to this and then directly to active speakers. The gain knob only lets you adjust the strenght of the signal within a certain range. Doesn't let you, for example bring the sound to a «mute».
Either way I still have it in my current setup, and even though a better one can impact the sound quality, I find this one perfect enough, as there are other components (like the speakers and the needle) that have a much greater impact in the final result.

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Not as good as expected

Bazoo27 16.06.2019

I bought this for a Stanton ST.150 Mk2 for use in my home studio as I thought it would be better than the deck's internal preamp but this wasn't the case. Regardless of input level or capacitance settings the bass response was weaker and the treble too bright with my Ortofon 2M Red cartridge. The Stanton's own preamp is noticeably superior.

It might be an improvement on some internal preamps and good with other cartridges or for live use perhaps.

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Like it like that

MandyK 05.06.2014

I bought the ART DJ Pre 2 a couple of month ago and i digitized a lot of LP´s.
Really great - for that price, the quality is very good.

Its very small so you can travel with it or bring it to friends very easily. it could be a little bit more heavy, but if you use the gain poty very rapidly, then it moves some centimeters.

The soundquality is awsome - very low noiselevel. even when you push it real hard.

Can not find any bad things about the DJ Pre 2, except the lights.
They are very very bright - a lot to bright ;-) It really hurts my eyes, if the room is dark.
Not that big deal, because its easy to paint it with a black pan, or which color you like.

So in the end: Fair Preamp, i would by it again !

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A decent, full-featured phono preamp

jkt 31.03.2021

Disclaimer: I am not an audiophile.

I bought the ART DJ Pre II for a relatively specific reason - both my record player and my AppleTV (via a bluetooth receiver) were outputting directly to my living room speakers, and the record player signal was MUCH quieter than the AppleTV, even with the AppleTV turned all the way down.

Because of this, each time that I wanted to play a record I would have to go over and manually turn UP the volume. And afterwards, you would have to remember to turn it back down - otherwise the AppleTV would be ear-shatteringly loud! Quite an annoying situation.

The ART DJ Pre II provided a very flexible and clear way of boosting the phono signal to match the volume of the AppleTV. Unlike many other phono preamps, this one has an easy gain knob that lets you dial in a specific amount of amplification.

Because of this, it was incredibly easy to manually adjust it so the two signal strengths roughly matched.

No more shockingly loud movies from the AppleTV! No more putting on a record and straining to hear anything. Finally everything was in balance.

So in summary, the plus points:
1. Easy to setup
2. Easy to use (volume adjustment is very nice)
3. Sounds like a clean preamp, not coloring the sound in a detectable way
4. Inexpensive

All in all, I would heartily recommend this preamp - the volume knob alone makes it worth buying.

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ART DJ Pre II

Phono Preamp