I think it would be difficult to go wrong with any of those phono stages.
Of the phono stages on your list. I have only heard the Luxman, which is an excellent phono stage. IMO a great performer in its price range.
Tube phono rec’s for AT Art9XI - Allnic, Modwright, Luxman…
I’m looking for a tube phono pre to pair with my AT Art9XI (0.5mV MC). Under $5K would be great, could stretch a bit higher if convinced.
It’s unlikely I can audition any of the following in my home, but have read great things about Allnic H-5500, Modwright 9.0x, Luxman eq-500. I think it’s unlikely many have had experience with all of these, but would appreciate any thoughts, and am open to other tube suggestions. I’m open to buying used. Can I go very wrong with any of these? Should I be looking at a lower (Chinook, Allnic 1202, lottery ticket on a Herron, Decware) or higher price range? I would guess future carts will be MC’s in the $1500+ range.
Fwiw, TT is a SL-1210gae - currently into a Hegel h-390 (has balanced ins) via the to-be-replaced Parasound Zphono XRM. Love the Hegel, but long term main system (for which I want the new phono) will likely move to tube separates, maybe ARC. TIA for any thoughts!
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@coys21 I just received my Modwright 9.0x and I'm using it with the AT-ART9XA. It is still breaking in but I can tell you it is stunning. Meticulously Packed, Rock Solid Construction and just a beauty of Art and Engineering. I thought I would need to use the gain for the LO AT, but load set to 100ohm and no gain. It is crystal clear no noise, none. Deep bass, dynamics and very resolving. I was looking at the others mentioned. I initially had the SPL Phonos which I thought was very good. The air in between the instruments and little nuances I'm hearing is telling me I made the right choice. Dan is great to work with and a solid USA company. I did change out the JJ6922 for some Siemens E188CC/7308 gold pins. Good Luck to you in your search! |
+1 to the Modwright 9.0X. Dan and company are always a pleasure to deal with. The unit sounds great out of the box and simply fantastic after proper break in. I put on an LP after the upgrade (+ break in) to the "X" version and was pleasantly surprised how musical it sounded. It really drew me in. I mean it sounded great before, but there was something a more magical to it after the upgrade. Pardon the pun, but it seemed to have that "X" factor going for it. 😉
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