Right at your budget is the Sutherland 20/20 with the PSU.
Works great for me with Hana ML at loading of 100, gain 64.
My analog journey - time for a new phono stage or?
With help from members of the forum, several years ago I upgraded the cartridge on my then primary turntable. A year later I purchased a Musical Surroundings Phonomena II+ phono stage after demoing it at my house against a comparably priced Soundsmith unit. Last year I took the plunge and purchased from Upscale Audio a Rega P6 with a Sumiko Songbird low output MC cartridge. I purchased after demoing a Clearaudio Concept and the Rega locally, deciding Upscale was more knowledgeable than that dealer.
My virtual system can be viewed for all the details, but key components are the downstream Ayre Acoustics K-5xe preamplifier, Proceed HPA-2 amplifier and Aerial Acoustics Model 8b speakers.
My issue is that I find that while the new turntable and cartridge definitely improved the detail/clarity of the sound reproduction, both the low and high ends seems to be missing complete extension and the soundstage is rather two dimensional, although instrument and vocalist placement and separation are very good and there is a seemingly clean background with no noticeable noise. I make these judgements compared to my digital front end, listening to the same albums/tracks on both. I don't necessarily expect to match the sonics of my digital gear, as I realize analog can be far more costly. FYI, I listen primarily to classical and jazz, some vintage rock, but typically acoustic music. My wife and I both play musical instruments and we attend live concerts, so we have a good handle on how instruments, bands, orchestras should sound and realize it is a fool's errand to seek to match the live performance.
I've read several threads on this forum and a number of review articles. A better phono stage may be an answer, emphasis on may. I experimented with loading and found the 121 or 150 ohm settings on my current phono stage work best. Below that and I lose high frequency detail. Above that and I end up with unacceptable sibilance on some recordings. FYI, the cartridge manufacturer calls for loading of >100 ohms, so my findings make sense. As a sidebar, I have come to realize how variable the quality of recordings and pressings are. The better TT and cartridge only emphasized this.
So looking for more extension, deeper soundstage and a fuller, more natural sound lead me to a preliminary list of phono stages, with the goal of keeping within a budget of $2,500 or less. (I am agnostic as to solid state vs. tubes and will consider used gear from a good dealer or individual with happy customers.)
Pass XP-15
Whest Two.two or higher end model
PS Audio Stellar Phono
Parasound JC Jr. or JC+
Allnic Audio H-1201
Aesthetix Rhea or Rhea Signature
Rogue Ares or Ares Magnum
Manley Labs Chinook - Upscale Audio's favorite around my budget
The list is long because there are thankfully many seemingly suitable options. I am open to others that would meet my goals and budget. I am hoping to hear from those of you who have auditioned or owned one or more of the above.
A few technical questions:
I have been sensitized to the need to match phono stage output to my pre-amplifier's input. One article I read suggested a rule of thumb that the input impedance of the pre-amp should be at least 10X the output impedance of the source. Is this accurate? FYI, my pre-amp has an input impedance of 20k Ohms on the unbalanced and 40k Ohms on the balanced inputs. So if the rule of thumb were correct, I need a phono stage with an output impedance of 1,000-2,000 Ohms or less.
The pre-amp, amp, my DAC and CD player are all balanced. While the Rega TT dos not have balanced outputs, I noticed that many of the phono stages have them. Is there a benefit to using the balanced outputs from the phono stage e.g. lower noise and greater gain?
Last question is whether my cartridge or cables from phono stage to pre-amp are a potential cause of the limitations I'm hearing. The cables are Transparent Music Link Plus 1.5m. I presume a more costly cartridge, particularly one with a line contact stylus could make a difference.
Where to invest the dollars??? Thanks for reading this long, detailed post.
- ...
- 61 posts total
@vonhelmholtz Your admission of hypocrisy is refreshing and I did laugh. The reasons for maintaining an analog front end are three - I own about 300-400 LPs, some my Dad's dating back to the early days of LPs. Second, some of the things I have on LP are not available in digital format because of their age, but the performances are excellent, some of them classics. This is especially true of old classical recordings by artists long gone. Finally, I'm not expecting my analog rig to match the quality of my already quite good digital front end. I'm just looking to make what I view as a modest improvement, and based on my reading and limited auditioning a quality phono stage may provide that improvement. As the saying goes, "don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Not looking for perfect, just better, which based on hearing some gear at dealers, is reasonably possible. @grislybutter Thx for the response and the tongue in cheek about my lack of concern regarding aesthetics. What about the Manley units was stunning? Can you be more specific about the sound signature? And what TT/cartridge was delivering the signal to the Manleys, if you can recall? Which model(s) of the Manleys did you hear? Chinook? Steelhead, which is way out of my budget? Thx in advance for your response. I appreciate all the input, particularly from people who own or have auditioned the gear on my list. As you well know getting to dealers who carry this stuff is very difficult, much less getting units to try at home with my gear and in my listening room. |
@sameyers1 so I have zero feelings/critique against audiophiles who don’t care about design. In fact you have probably more options since many great sounding brands are not about the design. My sense is that design is representative of culture and culture affects sound. For this reason, I am most comfortable with brands between boutique and mainstream - they have a mix of quality and design (and reliability/track record/customer service)
|
joey54 The Rhea is on the list. I may have some questions about it as I review the responses. My concern about the Musical Surroundings Nova III is that its sonic signature may be much like my Phenomena II+ - very quiet, good clarity, but how extended is the frequency response at the top and bottom (is the bass solid, deep and crisp and are the higher frequencies extended, natural sounding, not overly bright or etchy? Have you owned or auditioned it? I have owned the Nova II and III and they are definitely much better sounding than you Phonomena. I have only used it with two cartridges, the Benz Glider and the AMG Teatro, both LOMC cartridges. Great bass and a very natural extension on top. I would never call either bright or etchy sounding. Can you get your dealer to loan you one? Listening in your system may be the only way to know what suits you. The Rhea is better of course but at 3 times the price it should be. I just recently sold my Nova as I upgraded to the internal phone card of my Aesthetix Mimas integrated amp. I have heard good things about the Allnic as well but I have never heard one. Good Luck! |
After fairly recently replacing my Modwright Line Stage with a Herron Line Stage, and being very impressed with what the Herron did for my system, a Herron VTPH-2A phono pre came avialable (in my area of the country), so I picked it up, and my vinyl listening is now an incredibly moving and pleasant thing I get to partake in. Highly recommended. Regards, Dan |
- 61 posts total