Two others here suggested Hagerman, one of those mentioning the Trumpet. I recently purchased a Trumpet MC and have been very pleased. It is silent, musical, offers great dynamics, and versatile. While basically neutral it does offer a bit of tube "glow".
High Value Phono Stages
The current phono stage is an Esoteric E-03, which I am quite content with. I have an Origin Live Agile w Transfiguration Proteus on one input and an OG Kiseki Blackheart on an Audiomods 12" Series 6 on the other.
I have a third tonearm, an Audiomods 10.5" Series 6 in the system with a Benz Micro Glider on it going into the onboard phono stage of the Trinov. Which is OK, but not excellent. I have a 4th tonearm that may come into play some day.
So what do you like in good quality phono stages that may not be TOTL pieces. I know the Darlington is a popular answer. Graham Slee often is. Some folks like the SOTA Pyxi.
Thoughts on output devices, topology and so forth are certainly welcome. Not a SUT user so that is not on the table. I have to admit that small format stages are interesting, like the Ray Samuels Nighthawk.
Any thoughts?
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@neonknight I’ve been using a Hegel V10 (~$1500) for several months and am quite pleased with it. Was favorably reviewed by Michael Fremer. My better LPs generally sound better than high-res digital counterparts. I’ve heard from another Hegel V10 user who upgraded from it to a far more expensive unit and didn’t hear much of a difference. I’ve rarely seen used ones for sale, so that suggests other users are also happy with theirs. I suspect the Law of Diminishing Returns applies here as it often does with high-end audio. Also, gear from countries that have nationalized healthcare (Hegel is Norwegian) can provide better value because the companies don't have to include the cost of private-insurance healthcare for their workers in the prices of their products like US companies do. Private-insurance healthcare tends to be far more costly than nationalized healthcare. My cartridge is a Lyra Kleos. |
The Proteus would play well with the Sutherland Dos Locos, low output, low impedance. The OG Kiseki Blackheart's impedance is probably too high and it depends on which Benz Glider you have. The Dos Locos supports two inputs; there is no switch it just amplifies whichever cartridge is playing. It might be worth calling Ron Sutherland to see if he has an opinion regarding the compatibility of the Kiseki; if it would work you would be astonished by the sound. The Dos Locos is truly amazing, with my cartridge (Koetsu RSP) its performance matches the reviews, precision, musicality and spatial resolution are second to none. Previously I had the Sutherland Duo, which is a very fine performer, and there is a Sutherland above that. The Duo's sound is precise, musical and resolving, though falling short of the sui generis Dos Locos.
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@drmuso You sure Hegel's "better value" isn't because Hegel is manufactured in China? |
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