Price: $1350

Website: www.densen.dk

Michael said: If you’re not ready to take a big leap into high-priced analog sound, the DP-Drive is an affordable alternative. It’s a minimalist design, it sounds good, and it’s well built -- a good value that should find a home in many mid-priced analog rigs.

Read the SoundStage! Hi-Fi review.

The gist: Solid but not extravagant basic phono stage.

Price: $1199

Website: www.musicalfidelity.com

S. Andrea said: I was thoroughly impressed with the performance of the Musical Fidelity M1ViNL. It’s the cleanest, clearest phono preamplifier I’ve heard in my system. Those qualities allowed me to hear more fine detail than I could have imagined from records I thought I knew well. If you’ve ever had any doubts about vinyl’s potential for being a high-resolution medium, the M1ViNL should help to dispel them.

Read the SoundStage! Hi-Fi review.

The gist: Excellent phono-stage performance and an even better value.

Price: $349.99

Website: www.parasound.com

Ron said: With the Zphono.USB Parasound has created a niche product that, for audiophiles and music collectors of a certain age -- or any age, for that matter -- may prove supremely useful. As a phono stage it hits way above average, and if offered alone would be exceptional value for the price. Actually, it is offered alone, in the form of the original Zphono (still available for $200). Consider the inclusion of the flexible, high-quality A/D converter as almost a gift. This is a smart, sensible, well-made product that makes it fun to be in this hobby.

Read the GoodSound! review.

The gist: Analog to digital done right . . . and cheap.