Atma-Sphere vs. Supratek

I started with an A-S MP-3 and moved up to the MP-1. I was using an Audible Illusions preamp and was set on adding a Zesto phono stage. But after quite a few talks with Ralph and owning the great M-60s, I came to understand that the Atma preamps were unique in many ways. Significant ones that they are one of the very few that meet the true balanced standard. And, most important, they are designed from the ground up to play vinyl. My MP-1 has 14 tubes and 8 just for the built in phono stage. Being such an incredible “phono machine” . Not merely an add on phono stage or separate phono stage. You can sell your phono stage and the extra IC. I seriously doubt that the MP-3 or, especially, the MP-1 would not be way better than using your phono stage. Ultimately, I love not having to use an outboard phono stage. Keep it simple stupid-KISS.

The linestage in the Mp-1 i would say is excellent, very dynamic and transparent, one of the best that i have encountered in a preamp.  The built quality i wouldn’t say is top notch,  the chassis is cheaply made and the silk screen lettering are poorly put on, would fade after usages.  The phono section with 8 12at7 can be extremely noisy,  even at medium output say .5mv. still noisy As Hell,  finding tubes to match the phono can be a nightmare!!  Overall Linestage Excellent but the phonostage Is Junk! 

My Phono Stage in the MP-1 is dead quiet, if you use noisy tubes you’re gonna get more noise.

Nos Tubes dont work in the Phono Stage they are just too noisy. The Phono Stage runs fully balanced, i have balanced cable going into it. It is by far one of the best sounding phono stages i have owned. The Phono Stage alone has outclassed other standlone units that cost north of 20K so having both a Line Stage and Phono In one unit is a big plus.

If you’re encountering noise in the phono section try to use cheaper quieter tubes this has worked very well for me.

I agree on the Chassis its cheapy looking compared to others. However im paying for Sonics and Reliability not bling bling so it never bothers me much.

You can ask Ralph to build better Chassis for you thicker plates or what ever but be prepaired it will raise the cost much higher. Im more bothered about Chasis but i appreciate the Tech/Circuit Design and the SQ

Was it Ralph Karsten who built the first ever Fully balanced Phono Stage?

I think it is Ralph who designed the first, and still one of the very few, truly balanced phono stages. I run a balanced line from my TT.

It is very true that there are noise and microphonic problems with the stock Chinese tubes. Ralph weeds through a lot of tubes to find the most quiet. But they are junk compared to good NOS. But you have to find a horder of the good NOS.

I was lucky enough to get NOS Mullard military grade 12AT7s that transformed the phono. Incredible difference. And dead quiet. And really great Sylvania NOS 6SN7s for the line stage. Another terrific improvement in SQ. 
This was about a grand but grab them if you can find them. And, yes, you need to buy more then needed to weed out any noisy ones. And, yes, it is a bit of a nightmare to sort out and bad tubes but not that hard. Just takes some time and effort. Just go two at a time and see if the noise moves to the other channel.

Yes, the chassis is basic and simple. Clearly, the money is put into the innards.

However, I paid extra for the factory anti vibration treatment and use it with the top off.