Current sensing phono stages w/Rega?


Hey folks,

Anyone using Channel D Lino C 2.0 or the Sutherland Little Loco with a Rega RP8? 

I got some great advice here on researching my first cartridge and phono stage upgrade.

Cartridge was upgraded from the Exact MM to the Ania Pro MC on my Rega RP8.

After researching the suggested phono stages, I home demoed a Musical Surroundings Nova III (with both stock walwart and optional LPS), Rega ARIA MK3 MM/MC, Black Ice Audio F159, and a Konus Audio Vinyle 1000MC Mark II.

The Konus is the only current sensing unit and the one I like the best. 

Two other current sensing units I would like to try are the Channel D Lino C 2.0 and the Sutherland Little Loco but came across the following:

The Absolute Sound Channel D Lino C 2.0 review excerpt:

Briefly, any phono cable/tonearm combination where twisted-pair-conductor cables are employed and the two conductors are not connected to the turntable (or shield) ground can be used. An example of a tonearm/cable that can’t be used would be a standard Rega ’arm where the shield is connected to one of the outer shells of the RCA, which is also a signal connection.

Stereophile Sutherland Little Loco review excerpt:

Your tonearm wiring must be fully balanced between cartridge and phono preamp, with no connections between any of the tonearm leads and ground. That means that the Little Loco won't work, for example, with your Rega arm, unless it's rewired. 

Has anyone rewired a Rega to work with either?

Thanks everyone!

hleeid

Mijostyn, you are extrapolating from “your own experience “ to a general principle. The results will vary according not only to internal R but also voltage output of the cartridge and input Z of the phono and intrinsic gain of the current driven input stage. Your report is valid for your Lino and your cartridge. I’m saying the BMC works fine with the 12-ohm ART7 that puts out only 0.12mV in terms of voltage. Thus you can discern it doesn’t make much current. Yet the +7db setting on the BMC will blow you out of the room with the linestage attenuator at 9 o’clock.

judging by my own experience, a cartridge over 10 ohms would have so little gain in current mode that the signal to noise ratio would be pretty bad. 

Clearly you have little experience.

I use a current sensing step up with a range of MC's from 3-40 ohms - ultra quiet and plenty of gain.

I also listen regularly to a Van den hul grand cru, a high impedance mc,  with the van den hul current gain phono stage - ultra low noise floor - as in deathly quiet.

I have also heard the Nibiru and BMC current phonos in a friends system.

With these 4 current type phonos - they all react differently to cartridges with different internal resistance.You cant generalise - each current type phono has to be assessed individually with a variety of cartridges.

I have a Konus 1000 Phono stages (it’s wonderful), with a Rega P10 and it’s making a very undesirable, very audible hum to my speakers. This is mainly due to Regas old school ground wiring scheme. It will not be a simple easy fix, which is counter-intuitive to why I chose this table. Supposed to be easy set and forget, which it is, at the expense and limitation of using certain phonos and carts. 

This will likely preclude me from using any dual mono, (possibly fully balanced) Phono stages without living with this hum issue. This to me, is yet another limitation to the Rega tables, and to me the P10 shouldn’t have this lack of flexibility at it’s price.

@jc51373 I posted a response to you in another thread.

My older Rega RP8 is working very well with the Konus 1000 MC.

Unfortunate that you are experiencing this. I have had my Konus and Rega set up for a while now with no issues.

The upgrade has worked out very well for me.

Hope your hum issues are easy to resolve.

Thanks, was just responding to your other post. 
 

Did you just plug yours in with no hum?