I have a Luxman L-590AX, it has a great phono stage.
Polling Integrated Amp & Vinyl Users
Just curious how many of you use a separate Phono pre-amp vs. the Phono section of your Integrated? I have an Anthem STR IA which has turntables plugged into both the MM & MC Phono inputs. I have a myriad number of cartridges. I have no complaints with the sound. To my ears, it’s a really nice Phono stage that does include some adjustable gain.
The compactness of an IA is what I like about them. No fuss, no muss. Less of everything. And yet! I do think about getting a separate Phono pre just for grins. Always wanting to compare. Wanderlust.
I’m going to resist the urge at this point in time. Perhaps another day. Not that hard a decision when I’m happy with what I’ve got.
Are you using your Integrated as intended? Or are you using separate boxes, i.e. phono, DAC’s etc. to complement your sound?
9 responses Add your response
My tube integrated amp doesn’t have phono stage so I had to buy a stand alone phono preamp. If I had your integrated amp I’d use the built in phono stage until I felt I need to upgrade from dissatisfaction with the sound of it. But first try to determine if your turntable and cartridge offer better performance than the capabilities of the Anthem’s phono stage. |
My 30 year old Creek 4140's phono preamp allows for either MM input or MC input down to
0.1mV. The amount of gain is switchable between MM and MC. Everything sounds great though I'm sure something could be better if I threw enough money at a new amp and phono preamp. Better to spend that time listening to music! |
So much of my equipment is modded its hard to say I’m using anything as intended. My integrated didn’t come with a pre out for example, but it has one now. You can see my phono stage, system, and a few of the mods here https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 It didn’t come with a phono stage either. The advantages in terms of sound quality from a good stand alone phono stage cannot be exaggerated. It will cost a lot more. Especially considering you need a pretty good interconnect to take full advantage. But once you do- wow! You will never go back. |