Price: $299.99

Website: www.cambridgeaudio.com

Thom said: Its sound was almost always steady, calm, reliable -- very British characteristics. But when presented with strong rhythms, it could do something else very British: kick out the jams like a Marshall amp whose volume knob goes up to “11.”

Read the SoundStage! Access review.

The gist: Proper phono stage from a reliable British company.