Very familiar with the JD9 and an assortment of other sub-$1K units. The JD9 is not really a pure tube phono preamp. You can really tweak the JD9. Some good NOS tubes, upgraded fuse and AC cord make a BIG difference. You can also change out resistors (little to no change in my unit), add some sorbothane, remove the tube protectors, upgrade the feet, etc., etc. I have tweaked mine pretty extensively and I can't seem to find anything better unless you start looking at some things that go for $2K or more. Obviously, I can only sample what I can find in the local shops in the SF East Bay area, so I have not demoed more than 5 or 6 units. But I am a big fan of the JD9 for the money and with some upgrades.
Jolida JD9 Mk2 vs MS Phonomena II Phono Stage
New to analog / vinyl. Started with a Pro-Ject 1.3 and 651p, wanted to go deeper. Demoed an RP8 and RP3. Based on forum recommendations and threads discussing entry level options, I ended up with a Technics 1200 Mk2. I lucked out -- it has a known audiophile pedigree (not used for DJing) and even a couple mods. It was well taken care of!
So here I am. I'm looking for a good preamp match -- the 651p isn't quite cutting it. I can hear some of the background hiss on recordings. I've been eyeing the JD9 and the Phonomena II seem to be standouts in the $600 price point. Biggest difference are the tubes in the Jolida. The upgrade path on the Jolida is there too.
Cart is an Audio Technica AT120E/T.
Thoughts?
So here I am. I'm looking for a good preamp match -- the 651p isn't quite cutting it. I can hear some of the background hiss on recordings. I've been eyeing the JD9 and the Phonomena II seem to be standouts in the $600 price point. Biggest difference are the tubes in the Jolida. The upgrade path on the Jolida is there too.
Cart is an Audio Technica AT120E/T.
Thoughts?
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