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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
wings2hockey
9 posts
 

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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njkrebs
46 posts
 

Modwright makes some very good tube phonostages with easily adjustable gain and loading with knobs on the front of the unit as opposed to annoying switches inside or on the back of the box. Most importantly they are highly recommended across the board and sound wonderful. New ones make be slightly above the $2k point, but find a gently used model. 

porchlight1's avatar
porchlight1
95 posts
 

If you really want the magic of tubes, investigate the Sunvalley EQ1616D phono stage.  All tube, including a tube rectifier in the power supply.  Passive equalization stage.  It’s designed for tube rolling if you’re into that. It does include a FET head amp for the extra gain for moving coil cartridges. Extremely versatile with variable EQ curves, adjustable gain, and a mono switch. Bought assembled, it just meets your budget but build it yourself and it’s about half the price. 

slaw's avatar
slaw
26,476 posts
 

Find a used K&K Audio phono preamplifier.

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