Ugraditus is calling....again. Phono stage?

Budget is not really an issue but not sure what ratio to value of tt/cart would be fair and sensible.
Will read up on the ones suggested
Thank you

Read up on the 3 mentioned so far.
What cost for phono stage would be regarded as sensible when you take into account cartridge cost which is approx $1150 new?

You've gotten some good recommendations that I won't try to improve on, only to add that I once had the Dynavector phono stage, and it didn't take much to prove that it definitely was a weak link. I think you will find that going with the examples given above, you'll find it was money well spent. 

I’m also interested in finding the holy grail phono stage. When it comes speakers, amps, turntables, etc. I have it all pretty much covered, or at least know where I want to go next.

But a phono preamplifier is the absolute hardest component to get right, IMO. And that’s mostly because just about all of them on the market are terrible. And tubes are definitely not the answer. Mushy bass. And incredibly bright if 6922 tubes are used.

I own and use Parasound JC3, Goldmund Mimesis 7PH, and Micromega MyGroov. All are great, but I still somehow walk away feeling like they’re the weakest link somehow.

I know @rauliruegas uses his own DIY contraption. But maybe some of the other regulars here can list what they like to use, or some of the better stages that they’ve heard?

Hi Uberwaltz,

John (Jmcgrogan2) has listed three outstanding phono stages. However while I have been delighted with my Herron VTPH-2, which like several other members here I use in conjunction with an ~$1K Audio Technica AT-ART9 cartridge, I’m highly doubtful that it (or its similar successor the VTPH-2a) would be a suitable match for your Lyngdorf 2170 in terms of impedance compatibility.

The Herron phono stages provide only unbalanced outputs. The unbalanced input impedance of your 2170 does not appear to be specified, and I couldn’t find any published measurements for it. However the balanced input impedance of the 2170 is spec’d at a very low 10K, which suggests that the unbalanced input impedance may be even lower, very possibly 5K. The manuals for the VTPH-2 and VTPH-2a recommend that optimal loading of their outputs is 50K or more, although by various accounts values as low as 25K or 30K may also be acceptable for most systems and most listeners.

A likely consequence of that kind of impedance mismatch, btw, would be mushy bass, as was attributed in the post just above to tube-based phono stages generally. But I and I’m pretty certain all of the numerous other members here who use the Herron phono stage would absolutely not characterize it as having mushy bass, **provided** that it is used to drive a preamp or integrated amp having suitably high input impedance.

The Allnic’s output impedance is spec’d as being a fairly high 1.2K, which I would feel pretty certain would also not be a suitable match for the 2170 if the design has capacitively coupled outputs. The Allnic might have transformer coupled outputs, though (I’m not sure about that), in which case a 5K input impedance **might** be acceptable, although again I’d be doubtful.

Based on its specs, the Chinook should have no problem in terms of impedance compatibility, however. I have no personal experience with the Chinook, though, and so I can’t comment on its sonics beyond my awareness that it has an excellent reputation.

Best of luck as you proceed.

-- Al