Am not familiar with the AR PH5, but have owned the Cary for about a year.
A couple of caveats you may want to consider:
1. The PH-302 has fixed impedences for MM (47k ohms) and MC (100 Ohms)cartridges. This does not seem to present any problems as most MC cartridges sound best at that setting and, therefore, most MC users settle on that impedence anyway.
2. The MC gain of 54 db is considered by some to be a bit low for many MC cartridges. Personally, I have no problem with it using my AT OC9 (0.04mv).
3. The specs of the PH-302 on the Cary Audio site are incorrect. The unit is about 7" high, not 4". I called Cary about this and they said they would change it, but never did. So the unit is larger than indicated.
Having said all that, the PH-302 is a handsome piece of equipment. It is extremely well built. Most important, it is damn quiet. As far as the sound is concerned, I have nothing to compare it to, it being my first outboard phonostage. I relied on the reviews of this unit and on Cary's reputation when making the purchase. I find no untoward anomolies in the PH-302 and am very happy with the unit.
Hope this helps.
A couple of caveats you may want to consider:
1. The PH-302 has fixed impedences for MM (47k ohms) and MC (100 Ohms)cartridges. This does not seem to present any problems as most MC cartridges sound best at that setting and, therefore, most MC users settle on that impedence anyway.
2. The MC gain of 54 db is considered by some to be a bit low for many MC cartridges. Personally, I have no problem with it using my AT OC9 (0.04mv).
3. The specs of the PH-302 on the Cary Audio site are incorrect. The unit is about 7" high, not 4". I called Cary about this and they said they would change it, but never did. So the unit is larger than indicated.
Having said all that, the PH-302 is a handsome piece of equipment. It is extremely well built. Most important, it is damn quiet. As far as the sound is concerned, I have nothing to compare it to, it being my first outboard phonostage. I relied on the reviews of this unit and on Cary's reputation when making the purchase. I find no untoward anomolies in the PH-302 and am very happy with the unit.
Hope this helps.