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thoughts on adding phonostage

Thinking of adding a phonostage/upgrade cartridge on current set up;
EAT b sharp turntable
rogue audio cronus magnum iii
goldenear T66 floor speakers
KimberKable ascent 8tc speaker wire and PBJ interconnect.

currently I have a ortofon bronze 2M cartridge.   will upgrade to EAT jo no.5 , Hana ML or ortofon MC quintent bronze depending on best price etc. excited to actually hear the difference as i think the set up sounds pretty good right now.  

question is, thoughts on phonostage? the cronus magnum iii has a built in MM/MC phonostage, woudl it be overkill? and do i pair the phono to the rogue audio, or to the EAT turntable, or can I go with another brand?

 

pmzn
soix
11,256 posts
 

Given what you’re looking for my mind immediately went to the Liberty Audio B2B-1 phono pre.  I reviewed their B2B-100 amp that was outstanding and also had the qualities you’re looking for, and I think this review captures their sonic house sound and the phono pre’s character well (there are also a couple Stereophile reviews).

https://positive-feedback.com/Issue52/liberty.htm

They sell direct so you’re getting a lot of quality for the $ from one of the top minds in audio (Peter Noerbaek of PBN Audio), and I believe they offer a 14-day trial period.  Just one idea FWIW, and best of luck. 

pureclarity
96 posts
 

I’ve compared side by side with Rogue, Stock phono in a receiver, and Rega all with using a ss amp and the ortofon bronze cart. To my ears, the rogue with the tubes and separate power supply was the best sound. Smooth, clear, not bright

maam522a
164 posts
 

I am confronted with the same question.  My initial thought is to live with my current MC preamp in my Aragon 24k.  Adding 2 sets of cable and another audio device and then into an aux/cd/or tape input on my current system and out again seems like a lot of added stuff in my signal path.  and it is starting at a few microvolts.

johnss
684 posts
 

+1 for @soix comments. And if you are going to jump into LOMC land then consider a good step up with either tube or SS phono stages. With SUTs, you will want the widest bandwidth you can afford. 

dayglow
2,470 posts
 

My advice is try matching the phono cartridge with your loudspeakers. As you might know phono cartridges and speakers are the most flawed components in the audio chain. Explains why there is such a wide variation in sound characteristics.

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