Which Phono Pre to upgrade to?


I now use a Scoutmaster/ Sumiko Blackbird into the phonostage of a Musical Fidelity A308. If I want to upgrade the phono stage, just how much would I need to spend to get improvement over what I have now.

Is it worth doing at all unless you go to a Sutherland PhD, or a Whest, or a Steelhead?
dolifant

Showing 1 response by clio09

Decware is an excellent suggestion. I had one in here and compared it to the Whest and Hagerman Trumpet. It held it's own even though I selected the Hagerman in the end. Steve Decker is great to work with too.

I might also suggest you check out the Hagerman Coronet, gets you 80% of the way to the Trumpet. Perhaps the used Cary PH-301 on Audiogon now would be of interest, I owned one and loved it, sold it to finance the Whest, which is a fine phonostage but very system dependent IMO and you'll need to watch for EMI/RF issues. The prices on the Whest are dropping though so there are some deals to be had. Many people also like the EAR 834P which can be had used for about $800 and can be upgraded in the future by Mitch Singerman ifyou want to get more mileage out if it.