Phono stages belong to which tier?

I am reluctant to "rate" any particular product -- a lot depends on taste, system matching, etc. So, I will submit some names of phonostages that sounded really good in a particular system I heard.

I own, and really like the Viva Fono. Music through this phono stage is very vivid and harmonically dense. Like most good tube-based phonostages, notes seem to bloom into space and then decay naturally (no artificial and mechanical sounding "edge").

The better Audionote (uk) preamps, like the M-9, and separate phono stages (M-10) are very good. For solid state, I've heard a system with the Connoisseur phono stage that sounded very good -- dynamic and lively without being unduly edgy or grainy sounding.

These are all approaching "crazy" expensive, but they do deliver the goods.

Pedrillo,

A lot of fine phono stages listed here, but, I wouldn't draw any sort of conclusions based on the number of favorable mentions. Some are quite rare, like the FM Acoustics, Connoisseur, and Viva Fono, so I doubt that many have heard them. At audio shows, the Io and the Lamm can be easily found, so some have at least "heard" them, though I don't see how anyone can make a fair evaluation under those circumstances.

I've heard some that have gotten widespread praise that really just did not work well in the particular system I heard them in. The whole matching thing can be quite complex. Even stages that seem so incredibly flexible and adjustable can simply not work well in certain situations.

If you are making a list of contenders to try to audition, then yes, comment here can be useful. But, if you are trying to divine some sort of "consensus" single best, this approach will not yield a useful result. Also, there are some fundamental differences in sound between tube and solid state phonostages and tube stages that use a step up transformer and those that do not. You would need to listen to different types to narrow the focus of your search.

Stratguy,

I had a Linn Linto, which I used with a Lyra Helikon. It worked very well with that particular cartridge -- lively and engaging without being unnaturally etched or edgy. I don't know how well it would work with other cartridges, particularly since it does not provide any way to adjust loading (it has a fixed resistor and a case that defies opening). I believe that either the Linn cartridges are made by Lyra or share the same designer, so there may have been a synergy with my Helikon.

Still, if you can audition the Linto with your own cartridge, I think it is a pretty good phonostage for the money.