I'm wondering if a significant contributing factor to the noise levels of your prior setup may have been noise induced by ground loop effects (which can result in high frequency buzz, as well as low frequency hum), and/or noise pickup in interconnects.
I see in your system description that you are now using a Pass INT-150 integrated amplifier, which obviously eliminates the possibility of ground loop effects between a preamp and power amp, as well as noise pickup in the cables that would connect those components. Also, perhaps you are now using a balanced connection between the Pass phono stage and the INT-150, while I suspect that your only option connecting the phono stage to the previous CJ or Rogue component would have been to go single-ended. Balanced connections are of course less susceptible to both ground loop effects and noise pickup than single-ended connections.
Assuring that a perceived sonic effect is attributed to the correct variable can often be a challenge in audio.
Regards,
-- Al
I see in your system description that you are now using a Pass INT-150 integrated amplifier, which obviously eliminates the possibility of ground loop effects between a preamp and power amp, as well as noise pickup in the cables that would connect those components. Also, perhaps you are now using a balanced connection between the Pass phono stage and the INT-150, while I suspect that your only option connecting the phono stage to the previous CJ or Rogue component would have been to go single-ended. Balanced connections are of course less susceptible to both ground loop effects and noise pickup than single-ended connections.
Assuring that a perceived sonic effect is attributed to the correct variable can often be a challenge in audio.
Regards,
-- Al