Customer Reviews

Rolls VP29 - Phono preamplifier

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For the money, this product far exceeded my expectations. Providing two types of outputs and the amplification needed to convert those old albums to a output level that I could accurately recorded them with my computer's sound card. Converted 2 dozen albums now and people tell me they like the sound better then the original CD pressings.

The Rolls VP29 hooked up easily and works great. The fact that it has RCA as well as headphone jack outputs is a great feature, and RIAA curve adjustment for optimal sound quality coming from your record player. I also liked that it has a screw for my record player to be grounded to - a feature that not all preamps I've looked at had.

All together a failry good looking (in a techie way), compact design that most importantly sounds great.

*update* hooked up the VP29 directly to my line-in jack on my laptop (MacBook Pro) and got a clean, full digital copy of my vinyl - beautiful. Great buy so far.

This phono preamplifier worked well enough to allow me to access 33 LP records being played on my Dual record player. Since the Dual record player was just the player, i.e. no preamplifier, my record collection was virtually useless to me. The Rolls VP29 is a good product at a good price.

I purchased this as an early xmas gift for my Grandmother who just doesn't understand how to use the full rack Denon Stereo my Grandfather purchased. A few years after his death she got a Bose Wave radio/CD player and likes it and actually uses it, but misses the vinyl in her collection. I chose the Rolls because it was small, had no dials or buttons to confuse her and I wasn't willing to pay too much for a better sounding preamp when she doesn't have the best hearing anymore (she's 84 now). It works well to connect her Denon turntable to the Bose and she seems happy with the simplicity. I personally found it to be a tad noisy and missing the clarity and depth of soundstage of my Cambridge Audio Azur 540p (phono preamp)linking my 1976 hotrodded Thorens TD 166 to my Cambridge Audio Azur 640a (amplifier)through NSM 5se's and Energy 15" sub. The Rolls is a nice solid unit that works well for the average user who occasionally pulls out a record now and then, and certainly superior to those "retro" looking oak radio/turntable combo's aimed at the nostalgic but tragically misinformed consumer, but I would not use this to pair up a serious turntable like a Thorens, Dual, Raga Pro-ject etc. to a serious receiver (and no, Sony doesn't count here.) This is for the average Joe, which is fine, because there are lots of Joe's and Joanna's out there that need to groove to their vinyl now and then, but this is not for the discerning listener and audiophile. I would give it one star more if all readers here understood beforehand that this is not a serious hi-fi unit, but I'm giving it three stars because it is in fact OK for the average Joe. If you're not too picky and just need to play some records now an then, go for it. But if you aspire to serious hi-fi and want a starter unit, I would save up another $50 bucks and go for the Cambridge Audio Azur 540p ore even $110 more for the 640p. Also, make note this Rolls is ONLY for Moving Magnet cartridges or perhaps some really high output Moving Coil cartridges like a Denon DL 160 (but then again if you're looking at a Denon DL160, you certainly want to be spending at least $150 on a preamp, period!) Hope that helps you in your decision.

...just plug it in and listen to your vinyl through any receiver without a phono jack. My vinyl collection has never sounded as good as it does now through my new Sony system. I don't have the software to use the preamp to convert vinyl to mp3, but I hope to work on that soon. From what other reviewers are saying that also seems to work well with this little preamp. I wanted to get the Rolls tube preamp instead of this one, but it was a bit pricey. I'm glad that I didn't decide to shell out the extra cash, becasue this little guy does the trick just fine. Reccomended.

Works well & the fact that its made here in the USA makes it a number one choice! I have an old tube pre-amp but this is much smaller and I dont have any knobs to fiddle with:-)

Works well. Made In America. 1/8" & rca style output jacks, rca style input jacks and a ground wire terminal. If you need one of these I would recommend it.

We used this to download ALL, over 400, of our LP's into I-Tunes. Worked flawlessly with our turntable & Mac. NOW the Ipod fits in my life!!

I dont have anything to compare this too. But I have a Harman Kardon avr 330 H.K. dvd 22 Infinity primus 360 speakers infinity alpha sub and a sansui turntable with ortofon super 10 cartridge and about $1000.00 worth of cables hooking it all up bought this to get me by until I can afford a tube phono stage (bought this system piece by piece over about 4 years)

Sound is clear and good. but like I said I have no way of compareing it to anything but Im sure its better than a thirty dollar radio shack unit. build quality seems good solid mettle with a green led power indicator on the front, which does not turn off by the way gold plated outputs, and an oversized finger turnable ground plate for turntable. if you looking for an enixpensive better than plastic radio shack unit this is it.

Works as advertised. All I wanted to do was hook up an old turn table to a new 5.1 amp that had no turn table connections. Even able to use my old MMC needle. I am not an audiofile but it sounds good to me.