Aesthetix IO (1995)
MFA Luminescence C (1990)
Croft MegaMicro (1987)
Conrad-Johnson Premier 15 (1996)
Phono Stage - The great analog tragedy
In the world of analog playback, there is an interesting observation. There has been tremendous innovation in the field of
Turntable - Direct, Idler, Belt
Cartridge - MM, MC, MI
Tonearm - Gimbal, Unipivot, Linear Tracking
For all of the above designs we find some of the best reference components designed in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Most of the modern products are inspired from these extraordinary products of the past. But when it comes to phono stage, there is hardly any "reference component" from that era. They just standardized RIAA curve for sanity and left it. Manufacturers made large preamps and amps and allocated a puny 5% space for a small phono circuit even in their reference models, like a necessary evil. They didn’t bother about making it better.
The result? It came down to the modern designers post 2000 after vinyl resurgence to come up with serious phono stages for high end systems. Unfortunately they don’t have any past reference grade designs to copy or get inspired from. Effectively, just like DACs, reference phono stages is also an evolving concept, and we don’t have too many choices when we want a really good one which is high-res and natural sounding. Very few in the world have figured out a proper high end design so far. And most of the decent ones have been designed in the past couple of decades. The best of the breed are probably yet to come.
It is a tragedy that our legendary audio engineers from the golden era didn’t focus on the most sensitive and impactful component, "the phono stage"
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The Phonostage being a Tool to amplify sent electrical signal from my own perspective of today is not a Tragedy. The Phonostage is the device that made using Vinyl as a medium user friendly, where it has been this user friendly attribute, that made having a range of Vinyl Recordings at hand attractive. The range of Vinyl at hand, developed into a collection that is readily at hand to be experienced. Over time an side interest in Phonostages developed and as a result over a period of many years, I was able to audition a substantial amount of Phonostages, where different circuits have been in use, such a Valve Input/Output - Valve Hybrid - Solid State. I don't believe I have a preference for a Circuit Choice for a Phonostage, I have been equally impressed by all three circuits types produced by certain designers, as well as being equally unimpressed by all three circuit types produced by other r certain designers. In the next few weeks I will have a Trilogy of Phonostages where a SS Design is to be added and make Phonostage readily available in the three circuit types. More importantly, I have the confidence to be sure, that there is not too much more that can be experienced in Phonostage Designs that can undermine my present thoughts on what is to like about a Phonostage performance. Electronics Skills and Components produce devices that transfer electrical energy as an amplified energy, there is no sound to be heard. Sound is formed at the Speaker and Speakers function at their best in the environment they have been designed in, the so called ' Worlds Best Phonostage' will meet limitations of how its processed electrical energy is perceived when it is converted onto sound. The World Best of one Device is dependent on being used in conjunction with the Worlds Best of other supporting devices needed to produce the end sound, if the success of the designs are to be fully materialised - Yes / No ? |
@noromance in the list you have suggested, only the Aesthetix IO can be considered to be in the company of a high end analog setup. That one was designed towards the resurgence of vinyls in 1995. I am talking about the golden era of audio which ended in the mid 80s, during which all the best of the analog innovation happened. We got the best direct drives, idler drives and belt drives which are still today the reference by which current TTs are measured. We got some serious MM carts and top quality MCs like the TSD15, SPU, Neumann DST and such. Where were the equivalent phonostages? Not one of that calibre was designed. Full function preamps with a small phono section was all we got. Hardly any standalone phono stages. We have no reference from that era against which today’s phonostages can be measured.
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@newton_john i didn’t mean to pit the importance of phonostage against bearing, Tonearm or cartridge. All I am saying is the standard of the TTs and cartridges were so much higher than the phonostages they made in that era. It was almost a neglected child which was there for the sake of completion. No serious effort was made to make top quality phonostages to match the remaining analog innovations. |
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