Buy the best phono stage you can afford. Matching to the brand of either your turntable or your cartridge is absolutely unnecessary. However, if I am correct in my belief that the Maestro is a high output MM cartridge, this means you only need a phono stage with enough gain for MM cartridges, assuming you have no near future plans to buy a low output MC cartridge. If you can afford to spend $1000, then spend it all on the best MM phono stage you can find. I'll leave the specific suggestions to others, as I am not familiar with products of the type and in the price class that you need. You can get much more bang for the buck also if you are willing to buy used equipment.
Which phono section to buy: match table or cartridge?
Hi All,
I have a Rega P-25 turntable and a Clearaudio Maestro cartridge. Both Rega and Clearaudio make phono stages. Is there an advantage of choosing one over the other? In other words, would if make a difference if I matched the phono stage to the turntable or to the cartridge? I want to stay as much under $1000 as possible. Any other sections I should consider given my gear?
Thanks in advance,Russ
I have a Rega P-25 turntable and a Clearaudio Maestro cartridge. Both Rega and Clearaudio make phono stages. Is there an advantage of choosing one over the other? In other words, would if make a difference if I matched the phono stage to the turntable or to the cartridge? I want to stay as much under $1000 as possible. Any other sections I should consider given my gear?
Thanks in advance,Russ