Separates w/internal phono vs Integrated + phono

Dear Musichead: Obviously that depends on the quality of those audio items but everything the same I prefer a Phonolinepreamp + amplifier.

In a Phonolinepreamp the delicate cartridge signal has a short paths that with a stand alone PS and with lower degradation. An amplifier is almost always a compromise about sharing strong electromagnetic pollution and some kind of noises that contaminate the phonoline signal.

At the end in a Phonolinepreamp the output signal is a strong one and if the Phonoline preamp has a low output impedance then we can be sure that the audio signal that goes to the amp is in " pristine condition ".

My take is to take care the most for the cartridge signal that is the source where every degradation to that signal you can't recover any more.

regards and enjoy the music,
R.

Dear Musichead: To maximize any cartridge there are some desired characterisitcs like: very low noise phonolinepreamp, accurate inverse RIAA eq, very low output impedance and very low distoritons.

You are using tube technology in that phonolinepreamp that can't fulfill those desired characteristics because it's not accurate ( you can ask to the manufacturer the RIAA eq. deviation, noise level and phono distortion level. ), it has high output impedance and not the low noise required for a LOMC cartridge.

So IMHO that unit can't maximize the XV-1s needs. A change of unit is in order: independent if is a external or integrated phonolinestage unit. You need to change of technology at that precise stage.

regards and enjoy the music,
R.