Phono Stage for a VPI Prime Scout


Hi All-
I'm trying to whittle away at the TT?phono stage learning curve. Tried a TT and a few records months ago and really have enjoyed it so much that I am going to get a VPI Prime Scout. The recommendations for the phono stages are so numerous that I thought I could narrow it down by polling the vast experience of this forum. Any suggestions, regrets or thoughts?

Thanks
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Showing 5 responses by zyphryx

What can I get in the $1,000 range? I may upgrade to the Prime, or something else at the level in the future, so it would be nice if this was the last phono stage I need.
Thanks everyone for the useful feedback. I went to hear a Prime Scout that had a Zephyr MK3 cartridge. They had it hooked up to a Sutherland phono stage. Sounded great but it has no respect for a budget whatsoever
Right now I'm looking at a Zephyr MK3 ES. The speakers have a port on the front and the bottom
@mattmiller Most of the records I have collected are from pretty good sources. There's one off of ebay that I regret. I'd love to try the Manley Chinook but so far they're all in the mid to upper $2ks so it will have to be an upgrade in the future. I'm going to look into the Nova as well as a few others before committing.
Thank you everyone for your help. I did find a used Manley Chinook so I'm going to try that out.@chayro Funny you recommended the Pro-ject Tube Box. I have the S2 now paired with the Debut Carbon.
@frozentundra I expected it to sound better but not this much. Quite a significant change. Some of these records sound like whole new recordings. At the moment I'm listening to the Dead's Ripple and the guitar and mandolin sound beautiful. And I haven't even switched the TT yet. I am still listening to the Ortofon Red 2M on the Project Debut Carbon.