RIAA amplifier or not?

[Albron]

I wonder whether it is worth getting a separate RIAA amplifier, and what would be the benefit.

My equipment: Turntable Thorens TD280 Exclusiv with Audio-Technica AT150MLX MM-cartridge. Connected to phono in on Yamaha RX-A 2030 receiver, and Canton Reference 3.2 DC loudspeakers.

I can buy a 2-month-old Thorens MM008 RIAA for 90£, but is it going to give me any significant “improvement”?

 

[Al ears]

I wonder whether it is worth getting a separate RIAA amplifier, and what would be the benefit.

My equipment: Turntable Thorens TD280 Exclusiv with Audio-Technica AT150MLX MM-cartridge. Connected to phono in on Yamaha RX-A 2030 receiver, and Canton Reference 3.2 DC loudspeakers.

I can buy a 2-month-old Thorens MM008 RIAA for 90£, but is it going to give me any significant “improvement”?

It's probably going to be an improvement on the phono stage in that receiver however whether it will be a "significant" improvement only you could say .
Personally I would go for it as they are £300 new and will allow you to go down the Moving Coil route should you want to.
See review here:

https://www.hifinews.com/content/thorens-mm-008-phono-preamplifier

 

[Albron]

Yes, I know, but then the question is if my turntable is good enough for a Moving Coil? It is a quite "basic" Thorens from 80th. And then perhaps a new amplifier? (instead of the Yamaha). And so it ends in £££. That's why I wonder if my current system would gain from this minor upgrade. 90£ is of course not much....

 

[Al ears]

Yes, I know, but then the question is if my turntable is good enough for a Moving Coil? It is a quite "basic" Thorens from 80th. And then perhaps a new amplifier? (instead of the Yamaha). And so it ends in £££. That's why I wonder if my current system would gain from this minor upgrade. 90£ is of course not much....

As I said, the Thorens is probably better than the phono stage in the receiver even if you stick with cartridge you have.
Cannot say how much of an improvement it will be, only you can do that.
New vinyl isn't cheap so entirely up to you whether you think the outlay will be worth it to you.
Any doubt just stick with what you have.

 

[nopiano]

At that price it’s well worth the investment. If you don’t enjoy it, then resale should be easy, so literally nothing to lose.

Many folk seem to like a dedicated stage as often the gain is a bit higher, and that often feels better, as though the amp is working with less effort.

Moot point about actually choosing a MC, because on the one hand you can get them for around £300 upwards, yet on the other, the latest MMs like the Nagaoka MP-700 are superb and cost over £1,000.