Tube Phono Stage Recommendations


Hey,

Lately I been getting the itch to try a tube phono stage.

So, I wanted to reach out to get some recommendations.

Budget would be $2K or lower.

I am aware of the following that usually get good reviews and recommendations:

- Hagerman Trumpet MC
- Decware ZP3 (Looks like a real hardcore tube phono stage)
- Tavish (although not sure if they are producing at the moment)
- Black Ice Audio
- Schiit STJARNA
 

These are some that I am not really considering:

- Pro-Ject
- EAT
 

Any others that can be recommended that maybe I am not aware of?

Thanks

jay73

@jay73 looked at your system. Very nice!

when considering a tube phono stage please keep in mind you have a low output MC cartridge. Old school tube equipment could be noisy and pushing it with high gain requirements of LOMC will potentially make it too noisy. On the other hand modern tube equipment is very quiet but doesn’t really give you that classic tube sound in some cases. 
Add Rogue Ares to the list. I was watching Huff’s review of Black Ice phono stages and I gathered they’re quiet but not your classic tube sound. 
 

If you are looking for that classic tube goodness then what @tablejockey recommended with SUT is the way to go. 
 

What I would recommend? Spend the $2000 on a cartridge upgrade. Most likely a better path forward. 

I agree with @tablejockey you are far more likely to be happy with a MM only phono stage in your price range.  Then later add an SUT if you want to delve into low output cartridges.  I am now coming full circle on that, however, rediscovering how very good MM cartridges can be.  But that is a different discussion for a different day.

curious why not the EAT?

My system is all tubes, but I selected a low output moving coil cartridge for my new turntable. I selected the EAT petit due to the tube input stage and feeling that it will give me the quiet gain I need to push the cartridge output to my tube preamp and tube monoblocks. yesterday I watched the video of Sting playing his new record and I was reassured that his system was using the EAT petit (even though he can't clean a record) I still trust that Sting has a good ear and probably had his system hand selected to suit his taste. 
 

I highly recommend Zesto Andros Spirit. It's just a tad over your budget, but well worth it. Adding it into my system made a world of difference. I have a Rega P3 with Nd7 cart, Zesto Andros Spirit, and Rega Aethos. Love it

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