Audio Systems: MP3s too weak - can we use preamps?, phono preamp, rca input

Question
I have a component system from the late 80's that I use in my studio; running into a 600W amplifier.  The amp is pushing 4 speakers at any given time. The sterio and CD player are strong through the amplifier; but the MP3 player when run through the sterio is weak.  Can I use a phono preamp between the MP3 player and the sterio?

Answer
Yes, you definitely can... I have done this several times myself. You will need the appropriate cables to go from whatever the CD player has for outputs to the RCA jacks on the phono preamp. You'll also want to make sure that the phono preamp supports stereo sound. Many older preamps are monaural only, and will only work on one channel of audio. You can tell by seeing how many RCA input jacks it has... if it's got 2, you're all set. If it has only one jack, it won't work for left/right channels.