Best Phono Pre for Teres

Dear Gary: Stay away from Step-up transformers. All of them ( does not matters price, technology or design. ) do a heavy degradation to the critical signal that comes from your beloved analog rig.

Which your budget?. In the midtime take a look to: www.whestaudio.co.uk

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Gary: Read this:

+++++ " Btw, in my opinion this analog audio stage is the must extremly critical for the quality/accuracy of the music/sound reproduction in any audio system. " +++++

You really can't do a serious/liable tests/reviews of cartridges with out a top performance phono stage, that has to be: low noise, low distortion, impedance versatile, extreme accurate, etc...

We have to remember that in this single stage we have to reproduce ( mimic ) exactly ( inverted RIAA equalization ) the signal that comes from the cartridge ( that in theory is what was record in the recording process and that comes with the RIAA equalization standards. ) and any deviation from this RIAA equalization do big changes to everything about.

I know that any single deviation on any link of the audio chain, do severe changes on the quality music/sound reproduction, but in my opinion and when we are talking about analog reproduction: nothing is more important that our PHONO STAGE. "

If you really cares about music/sound reproduction you can 't do any mistakes with the phono preamp: this is not a matter of money, this is a matter of know-how and care about music. Unfortunatelly any tube phono stage fits the audio standards on this critical stage, they can't, they have heavy limitations. Take a serious look to the link that I already give you.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear friends: Especially who cares about music/sound reproduction, not who cares about sound reproduction.

All of us put a lot of money ( thousands dollars ) and time ( overhang, VTA/SRA, VTF, Azynuth, vibration devices, cartridge/tonearm match, and the like. ) to extract all the MUSIC information that was recorded on any single LP: we take really high care about that, and for what? if latter that signal goes inside a tube device that destroy it!!!!! or even worse: inside a step-up transformer ( it does not matters if this SUT is an Expressive Technologies ) and then to an additional tube device stage. This does not have any common sense.

All of us know that a tube device generate his own harmonics: THAT DOES NOT EXIST ON THE ORIGINAL SIGNAL ( and other limitations, like: heavy degradation of the sound at the frecuency response extreme. ). So, what we are hearing through a tube device?: not even a picture but only a: bad CARICATURE. We need, at least, a good picture not a caricature. I know that many of you loves that caricature, but this is not the issue..

Somewhere, in the time, we have to analyze those things that happen with a tube device and that goes against the music/sound reproduction and try to do changes on our audio system for the better.

I know that almost all of you are in love with the tube devices for the phono preamp, I asking you why? if you love the music.

I'm not against the tube devices " per se ", it is only that is imposible to have a good all tube phono preamplifier because the physics laws do that the tube devices unfit for. No body can do nothing about.

If any of us wantt to have a great music/sound reproduction through a home audio system is a must to have the right tools to do it and only the right ones.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Kogan: I agree with Cello about the KRSP against the 901.
Now for your kind of music and audio system that you own, my advise goes for the: 90X, none of the ZYX can beat it. With the 90X you will be extremely satisfied: you can't ask for more!!!!

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Topoxforddoc: +++++ " as a top notch tube phon section " +++++

This is what you write about the Tron preamp: Can you explain the " why's " of this statement that directly are in " touch " with the music/sound reproduction, other that you own it?

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.