New Gold Note PH 10


I had posted a question a while ago about hearing from anyone with experience comparing the Gold Note PH 10 vs. the Bryston BP2 or Clear Audio Smart V2 phono preamps.  I never heard anything back about this subject, so I decided to just simply purchase a new PH 10 and compare it against my Clear Audio preamp.  

First impressions:  As much as I love my Clear Audio Smart V2 and in particular its sound stage and imaging qualities, I have to say that the PH 10 was considerably better at detail and picking out the instruments, especially the low and mid range ones.   The Clear Audio seemed to be a little better at the upper end imaging and the sound stage.  But keep in mind this was with the PH 10 new right out of the box.

I was told the PH 10 needs at least 50 hours of run in time to open up, so I used it for two nights and left it on for several days.  After allowing it to settle in and enjoying a lot of music, I still thought the Clear Audio had a leg up on it in the sound stage/imaging department.   So I decided to listen to a well known record to me with excellent recording and a lot of dynamic range on the PH 10, then switch the wires over to the Clear Audio (which I had not heard in several days by this time), and replay the record.   YIKES!!!  it was like a blanket was draped over my speakers.  I had become so gradually accustomed to the new PH 10 that I had not noticed the slight changes going on with the break in.  When the Clear Audio was swapped back into the system (it took me about a minute to do this), it was night and day the differences.

The PH 10 was by far a much more detailed, pronounced signature with a superior sound stage and the imaging was hands down better.  I am using it with the Audio Technica AT20ss vintage MM cartridge which has an extraordinary frequency range of 5-50K hz, so I was able to take advantage of the Enhanced RIAA curve the PH 10 has.  It is pretty outstanding.   Make sure you break things in!   I love this phono preamp.
128x128slimpikins5

Showing 18 responses by chakster

@chakster,

Knock Knock!
I am considering the PH-10/PSU-10.

You have to hear it, try it. This phono stage is the most versatile for two tonearms with whatever cartridges. It is also one of the most beautiful piece of audio gear (nice design). I'm still using mine.  

My fingers are fine:) There are better phono stages for much higher price, but very few can offer two MM/MC input for two tonearms connected at the same time to one phono stage. Gold Note is a complicated design. 

On the other hand the 47 Labs Phono Cube is very simple current-injection phono stage designed for low impedance MC only, this is real killer, no adjustments. Also superb design. 
I'm still with Gold Note PH-10 with PSU-10
Any more users of Gold Note here ? 
No matter what cartridge you're using with Gold Note phono stage, i don't think people change loading for each record, this is crazy! 

What you can change is RIAA for certain pressings, this is Gold Note exclusive. 

Why do you want someone else to tell you "what is the best" settings, it's a personal thing, system dependent. Most cartridges (MC) are great with 47k Ohm loading (unloading), you can try this. 
 I am using it with the Audio Technica AT20ss vintage MM cartridge which has an extraordinary frequency range of 5-50K hz, so I was able to take advantage of the Enhanced RIAA curve the PH 10 has.

Very nice cartridge! However, i use my PH-10 with MC cartridges.
For MM cartridges i love the JLTi phono stage, some MM must be loaded at 100k Ohm instead of 47k. The Gold Note loading for MM is fixed to 47k which is also ok for some cartridges, but not for all cartridges. 

I've bought the external PSU for my Gold Note and it was a nice updrage. 

I think Gold Note is superb phono stage for LOMC cartridges, but not superb for MM cartridges due a lack of optional loading for MM. 



@slimpikins5  hey, i paid really great price for both PH-10 and PSU-10 buying them from official Italian dealer who does not charge VAT when exporting the items outside of EU, that was serious discount for a brand new units with warranty. I think i had amazing deal on Gold Note stuff, so i can not complain. Also i think it's well worth the investment. I don't trust my power outlets and when it comes to power supplies i just need a proper PSU. Actually i was so impressed by the quality of PH-10 so i made my next purchase - the PSU. 

I have ZERO noise with PH-10 with any LOMC cartridges, except for the Ortofon MC-2000 with 0.050 mV output (extremely low output, the lowest ever). The unit is dead quiet, especially with PSU-10. 

Yes, i know that i can replace the resistors, i did that with 2 other phono stages, Vishay Naked Foil resistors are the best ever. 

I just don't want to do that with PH-10, because i use it for LOMC and it's damn good for LOMC and fully adjustable. 

My JLTi phono stage is customized, so i can plug-in any load resistor from the backside (RCA plugs) in parallel to very high internal resistors in my phono stage. I have not find yet any MM that sounds better with higher loading such as 22k Ohm, but unloading the cartridge to 100k Ohm is superior for Victor, Grace, Stanton cartridges from my collection (as i've posted long time ago: 47-100k Ohm is recommended even by the manufacturer for those models of Victor and Grace in the original manual).  

 
My ex Audio-Technica AT-20Sla impressed me with 100k Ohm load on this phonostage, at that time my main arm was a tube one. Now i have much better resolution with First Watt F2J power amp and Aleph L preamp. It's system dependent, you're right. But Gold Not does not allow to unload MM cartridge using higher numbers that 47k for MM.

In my experience every phono stage is better with 100k Ohm for MM, here is what i've had from cheap to expensive. 

In other words i would like an MM phono stage with optional loading (lower and higher than 47k) - this is a great option and every user can choose what's the best.  
I've mention At 20SLa just because it is the closest to your SS which must be better )never had that one). However, i have AT-ML180 OFC and OCC and both are fantastic with 100k Ohm. Grace F-14, Grace LEVEL II and Victor X-1II are superb at 100k Ohm, but all of them are also OK at 47k Ohm, so no problem with that. All those carts have extremely wide frequensy response and the most advanced cantilevers/styli. 

I'm just trying to say that adjustable MM phono stage is a good idea, fixed MM phono stage is not as good as adjustable for those who own too many cartridges. 
Or perhaps I could use one of the loading resistors on the input RCA's which might do the same thing.

No, you can't. But it depends. The reason i asked Joe to modify my JLTi phono stage with 500k Ohm internal resistor, so i can add any lover value in the dedicated pair of RCA plugs on the back. This is how it works if i want 100k Ohm:

The formula for parallel resistors is simple if you have a calculator.

R=(R1*R2)/(R1+R2)

If R1 is 500K and R2 is 100K, then multiply the two. You will get a large value.

Next step, add R1 and R2. You will get a much smaller value.

Now divide the larger value with the smaller value and you will get the final value.

In the above example, it is 500K x 100K = 50,000

And 500K + 100K = 600

Now divide 50,000 by 600 = 83K333 or 83.333K if you prefer.

If the value of the loading is way under 500K or 1M, then the value in the
loading plug will completely dominate.

They are more concerned about capacitance options for MM than an additional 100K load option (which is not widely popular).

There was an early bunch of PH-10, then the regular production (which i have, serial #58009) and then they blabling something about new version in the future.

The original current production PH-10 is DEAD QUIET phono stage and not noisy at all. With external PSU-10 it’s absolutely amazing.

Of cause anyone can screw up the PH-10 to locate 47k Ohm resistors to replace them with 100k Ohm Vishay Naked Foil.

But since i alreay have a better MM phono stages (already upgraded with Vishay Resistors) i am using the Gold-Note primary for LOMC cartridges and i love it! I’m happy to use the 47k Ohm MM input on Gold Note PH-10 for my Luxman Toroidal Silver SUT for extremely low impedance MC cartridges (under 3 ohm). My Fidelity-Research FR-7fz on Fidelity-Research FR64fx arm via Luxman SUT to Gold Note's MM input (47k) blew my mind.
Price? Gulp, 6000 euros.

Oops, i'm happy to stay with my PH-10 :) 

@rsf507 thanks for clarification

upgrade is an endless quest, any LOMC cartridges i have tried with my PH-10 is dead quiet, i mean really all my 10+ (MC) cartridges (with output of 0.15 mV and higher), except for the only one with an output of 0.05 mV (this is the lowest output in existence). So i have no problem with my PH-10 which i bought in the summer 2018. Really don’t even need this 2019 upgrade.
Interesing @slimpikins5
What i’ve noticed about my Gold Note PH-10 is a lack of bass slam compared to my WLM Phonata Reference (a mosfet phono preamp).

Actually i feel the lack a bass using all phono stages in comparison with WLM Phonata with whatever cartridge.

Both the Gold Note PH-10 and my JLTi are great with everything, except the deep bass.

Listening the WLM with Miyabi MC or Grace LEVEL II i become addicted to bass. That phono stage was away for a long time, i got it back with replaced 47k Vishay Naked Foil resistors in MC section (with built-in SUT) , the independent MM section has been upgraded beforw with 100k Vishay.

I have no idea why other phono stages can’t reproduce the bass in such a good way as my WLM. The difference is huge in low register!

I wish to have same bass response on all my phono stages.
WLM was my first serious phono stage and still unbeatable in many aspects, i wonder how many phono stage we should try to find what we like. 

Great, thanks for the tip (got clarity caps in my zu audio speaker)

Seriously, how many phono stages can reproduce bass very well, not every phono can do that. Gold Note is not special in lower register.   
There they say that the phono inputs present a fixed capacitance of 330 pF .


what i can see on their website about inputs is 220pF for both inputs @lewm :


Input sensitivity: from 0.1mV MC to 7.0mV MM

Input impedance: 9 selectable options [10Ω, 22Ω, 47Ω, 100Ω, 220Ω, 470Ω, 1000Ω, 22KΩ, 47KΩ]


*** Input capacitance MM: 220pF ***


Gain: 65dB MC - 45dB MM with 4 options [-3dB, 0dB, +3dB, +6dB]

@lewm you can buy two, compare them, return one and report which one you like the most, haha :)) 
The Gold Note PSU does not improved the bass, the rest of this phono stage is beautiful, except for the lack of deep bass response. But almost any phono stage i have heard does not reproduce the bass as good as my WLM phono stage.

Each phono stage i have purchaced over the years gave me all required settings "on the fly" for any cartridge (MM or MC), but each time i’m using WLM i hear what i’m missing in low register. At the moment WLM is a champ in bass. My Miyabi MCA (LOMC) is the most organic and the most interesting MC cartridge i have owned, it’s definitely on the warmer side, the imaging is holographic and the silky deep bass is oustanding with WLM phono stage. Maybe this is all i need.

I decieed to pass on the caps upgrade, i did not realised how big is the size of each cap until i got them by post (almost like a beer can) so i returned them. But i have replaced all load resistors on my WLM, those naked foil vishay load resistors from texas components are oustanding.

At the moment nothing can beat the Miyabi MCA on Lustre GST-801 connected to WLM Phonata Reference.

P.S. thinking about Miyabi i remember 47 Labs current injection phono stage 4712 (input impedance is ZERO Ohms), i’d like to try it with my Miyabi. I think @pani owned 47 Labs Cube. Actually my Miyabi MCA was made by Takeda-San prior to Miyabi 47.
The Gold Note PSU-10 is not $1100 if you know where to buy it, directly from Italy (for non EU buyers) it’s just $740 (660 Euro) brand new and last summer it was even cheaper ! This is how i bought mine and i do not think it was a waste of money. This is obsious an improvement for fair price for such a nice power supply. But i would never buy it for $1k, again i paid about $700 including shipping from Italy for a brand new PSU-10 in the box. 

The Gold Note is not noisy at all, even without external power supply.