Which Phono Preamp for my System????


I'm looking for a decent phono preamp for my Linn Axis Turntable. I am primarily listening to digital CD sources though my Arye C-5xe, but want to re-connect my turntable for the 100 or so odd LP's I have in the closet. My associated equipment is the Aesthetix Calypso preamp and a YBA 2 Alpha amplifier. I'm considering the following:
Creek OBH18, Bellari, VP129, Graham Slee Amp 2 SE, Music Hall, Pro-ject Phonobox SE, or the Pro-ject Tube Box II

Any suggestions as to what would be a decent match for my system/turntable?

Calgarian
calgarian5355

Showing 3 responses by kurt_tank

In order to properly give you advice, we need to know what the output is on your phono cartridge. (i.e. is it a MM or a MC, if the later, a high output or low output?)

Also, in reviewing your system, and looking at the list of phono preamp candidates you listed, it appears, (to me at least), that the rest of your system is well beyond these phono preamps, in terms of sonic quality. I would consider increasing your budget. Given that you are already listening to music on near SOTA components, to go down to merely good components might not really give you the sound you are looking for. (I believe that the phono preamp is the cornerstone of a good analog system. IMHO anyway.)

PS If you have not used your turntable, and therefore your cartridge, for a few years, it is possible (probable?) that the suspension on the cartridge has lost it flexibility, and therefore will not function as it once did. You will probably need to get a new cartridge, which means you should tailor the cartridge to your new phono preamp. (I highly recommend getting a MC cartridge myself.)
Since you asked, I will give you my opinions.
(Remember, these are my opinions, based on my sonic tastes.)

One, I would consider getting a decent tube preamp. Look for one that will accomodate both a MM or a medium output MC. (i.e. it has around 50-55 db of gain.)
I recommend a used ARC PH-3. They are a little bit noisy, being a tubed preamp, but since you already use a tube preamp, this will probably not be a problem for you. (On the other hand, it was a problem for me. I am particularly sensitive (overly sensitive perhaps?) to tube rushing for some reason, so I have gone the solid state route myself. The sound of the ARC PH-3 is very good, and used you can usually pick these up for around $700-800, and they have 54db of gain, if memory serves, which means it will work fine for MC cartridges with outputs of 0.4-0.8 MV or more.

Two, As far as the cartidge is concerned, I recommend that you contact Briankutch about his Koetsu Black that he will be selling for $500. (It would mate nicely with the ARC PH-3 by the way. I know this, because I had exactly that setup!) FYI, the Black is not without its limitations. It has a slightly rolled off treble (not bad mind you, just very slightly rolled off, and if you had nothing to compare it too, you might never really notice), and the bass is a bit loose (this is more of the limitation, as it is not deep and tight, and if you listen to classical music or jazz, you might be concerned. It works fine with Rock 'n Roll, IMHO, as the bass is there, it is just not incredibly deep and tight. But for Rock, who really cares?! And I say that as someone who listens mostly to Rock.) On the other hand, the mid-range of the Black is classic Koetsu. It sounds incredibly lush, especially for vocals. (I will point out that I am a fan of Koetsu cartridges, so you can take my recommendations with however many grains of salt you like.
An alternative would be the Shelter 501. It has better frequency extension than the Black, but not as good a mid-range, IMHO. It has a very good mid-range though, one that is just a bit more neutral. Used, you can probably get the 501 for around $500. (It is a tossup as to which cartridge I would get for $500.) The one nice thing about the Koetsu line is that they have a lower noise floor, so the music has a blacker background. (The Shelter is good, just not Koetsu great in this regard.)

FYI, I currently use the Shelter 90X. A very good cartridge, as it has great frequency extension, espeically in the bass response, and very good, almost a great, mid-range. I prefer it slightly to the Koestu Rosewood Signature I used to use, because of its bass response. (Although, the Koetsu had a great mid-range, very good treble extension, and good bass response.) But the bass response on the Shelter 90X is tough to beat, IMHO. Someday, I will find a cartridge that combines the bass response of the Shelter, with the mid-range of the Koetsu line. (I have heard that the Koetsu Jade Platinum does, but that is WAY beyond my price range!)

Three, and this is the most important piece of advice! Get a RCM. Even a cheap Record Doctor or a Nitty Gritty (which is what I use), will do a good job on cleaning the records. You'll also need a set of decent brushes (the disk doctor brushes are good), and some RCM cleaining fluid (I recommend the Record Research Lab (RRL) Super Vinyl Wash, and most of the people here use it.) Having clean records is very important, as it allows you to remove all the grundge in the grooves, which means a quieter, blacker background to the music.

Well, those are my thoughts.
Good Luck in your quest!
Well, the table itself is a decent table (not great, but not bad - somewhere around the Rega P3 class, based on my research). However, your weak link is the tonearm. A Rega RB300 would be a step up.

However, in as that as you are just trying to get something to play your records on, I would think trying out the (used) Koetsu Black would be a good idea. (Hey, at only $500, which is 1/3 the new price, that is a good price, assuming it is in decent shape.) The Black tends to make all music sound good, as it is a very lush cartridge. (Kind of like tubes makes all music sound good.) If you eventually decide that analog is something you want to get into more, you can always upgrade the table (and its tonearm), to something better, and you'll still be able to hang onto the cartridge and phono preamp. The Black is a high end cartridge, but it can be bettered, albeit not for $500! The same can be said of the ARC PH-3 phono preamp. However, they both can be the cornerstone of a very good analog system. (If I was to put them in a Stereophile class system, I would put them both somewhere in Class "B", with the ARC being a solid Class "B", and the Black being a "B-" - IMHO.) Certainly not in the same class as your digital gear, but close enough that you will not feel you are missing a great deal.
And if you get into this in the right way, and if you don't mind the record cleaning rituals, you'll discover that analog really is better than digital. (My friend has a Audio Aero Capitole II cdp, (one of the best CDPs available), which sounds incredible, but his analog system just sounds better all around.

I was in your shoes exactly a few years ago. I was trying to find a decent turntable to play all my LPs from 20 years ago on. I had pretty much decided to get a Rega P3. I went and discussed this with my local dealer (Brian @ The Analog Room), and he basically said that while the Rega is a good table, it would not be up to the level that I was trying to achieve. He recommended that I jump up to the next level. I ended up with a Basis 1400 and a Rega RB300 tonearm. (FYI, the Rega Tonearms are tough to beat until you start spending some real money. The 300 is good, but the 600 is really good, as it has better cabling.) Brian recommended the Koetsu Black, but I did not want to spend the money, and so I got a Benz Micro Glider II. (A decent cartridge, but a bit too analytical for my tastes. It was kind of like listening to a CD, which is okay, but not what I wanted.) When the Benz got accidentally broken, Brian gave me 50% credit for it, on a trade in, and so this time, I took his advice and got the Koetsu Black. All of a sudden my eyes were opened as to what analog was all about! Since then, I have upgraded my turntable to the Basis 2001, and I have upgraded my tonearm to the Basis Vector M3. (I already told you about my cartridge upgrades.) I have also upgraded my preamp/phone preamp to the Ayre K-1Xe, with the phono boards. (The only thing that bugged me about my system was the tube rushing. As my analog source got better and better, I was able to hear the tube rushing more and more. Therefore, I went solid state, and I have never been happier. However, IMHO, to get solid state to sound as good as tubes takes a large amount of money, so beware of just heading in that direction. I recommend tubes until you can spend a couple of thousand $ on a phono preamp.)

Again, I will point out that the biggest thing you can do for yourself is to get yourself a RCM. Even a cheap vacuum RCM system will make your listening enjoyment skyrocket. Trust me on this. (I can't believe I just said "Trust Me" on election day!)

My two cents worth.