Thinking about an Audio Research PH5


Am I nuts? This is a $2000 piece that I can probly get a good deal on from my local dealer since I'm a good customer.My TT is a music Hall MMF9 that they sold me at a Big discount mainly because the MMF7 I originally purchased was defective. Is this overkill for this TT or will I be able to hear a difference. My current pre-amp was tweaked by an Agoner last year at a cost of $550. It's an Adcom and the tweak was noticable. The appeal of the Music Hall was the lack of constant tinkering involved. Is this a good move or should I keep saving for a better rig? My main amp is an Audio Research 150.2 and my main speakers are JM Lab Electra 926's. Thanks for the input!
john_fink

Showing 1 response by sdcampbell

About 6 months ago, I did an in-home audition of the PH5 and thought it sounded quite good. In its' price range, however, it has a LOT of stiff competition. (I eventually bought a "low mileage" Bryston BP-1.5 phono preamp for $1100.)

Since you asked for opinions, here's mine, FWIW: I think you should spend the money on a really good preamp instead. Feeding a high-resolution signal from your analog front end into the Adcom does not, to my mind, make good sense. Don't misunderstand -- I'm not bashing Adcom -- I have owned a good deal of Adcom gear, and also sold it professionally. That said, I would not pair the AR PH5 with an Adcom preamp.