Battle of the phone pres for my system.

@letch 

I’m glad to hear you found a path back to enjoying music. Hyperacusis can make this hobby incredibly challenging, and the fact that you’ve spent the last year and a half carefully building a system around your listening comfort rather than chasing specs speaks volumes. I may be right up there with hyperacusis, albeit without the ringing symptoms. As a precaution, I keep my listening levels modest, typically in the 60–69 dB range. I also never attend concerts or movie theaters without some cotton in my ears for added protection.

I think the Softone is an excellent choice for exactly the reasons you’ve outlined. It’s musical, natural, and avoids the etched or hyper-detailed presentation that can become fatiguing. Combined with the ZROCK3, you’ll have another valuable tool for tailoring the tonal balance to your ears and your room.

I would like to leave with a note for the future: once you settle down with M4, do experiment with cartridges like Hana ML. Please don’t automatically assume that a more resolving cartridge will aggravate your hyperacusis. In my experience, the Hana ML is actually less fatiguing than the SH despite extracting more information from the groove. The MicroLine stylus tends to track cleaner, with less groove noise, less sibilance, and fewer high-frequency artifacts that can trigger listening fatigue. It’s not necessarily brighter-just more refined and composed.

Many listeners equate resolution with increased treble energy, but the best cartridges reveal more detail while sounding smoother and more relaxed. The ML does a better job separating musical information from distortion, which can make longer listening sessions easier rather than harder.

That said, I’d absolutely enjoy the Softone first and spend some time rolling tubes. You may find you’ve already arrived at the balance you’ve been searching for. The most important thing is that you’re listening to records again and enjoying the experience instead of analyzing equipment. 

Please do report back once everything is set up. I’ll be very interested to hear how the Hana, Softone, ZROCK3, and MF A1 work together in your system.

@lalitk Thanks for the excellent response. The other piece of that puzzle is whether it’s worth the expense. I managed to get good value for my old system and now I’m just spending more money on things. In today’s world with the future uncertain and the end always near, I’m a little stingy at the moment. I nearly went with the EAR just on cost savings alone. But I'll consider it down the road. Since you put the bug in my ear (EAR! get it? hahaha, ouch!) I'll probably start obsessing over that. 

I went to a LOT of rock, punk, noise and jazz concerts over the  years before the ringing didn’t stop. Currently, I can go to the opera and sit in the back. It’s lucky that in the 90’s I worked at Tower NYC in the classical dept and learned to love opera. I do bring earplugs and shooting muffs. Once I forgot the muffs for Tristan and Isolde a few years ago and had the most sublime and painful experience. Powerful performance but the liebestod was way too loud. It was a few months before my hearing recovered from that. 

@pindac I like your notes, I’m hoping the Softone is what I need to just sit back and enjoy the music. I’ve had my fair share of equipment over the years and feel good about what I have currently, just need to be able to dial in a little extra to smooth the path to listening enjoyment. 

@macg19 Thanks for the help and encouragement with my predicament. I’m looking forward to celebrate good times, come on!

@letch Time to relax and enjoy the sights; the excursion bus is stopped, and you're off the bus, capturing the delights now in front of you.

Enjoy, Enjoy, enjoy the fruits of your invested time that are now borne.  

The Softone arrived. I'm listening initially with the provided Sovteks. It's so different from the Manley, more rhythmic, more driving, but less silky, for sure. It had a larger soundstage but sounded thinner. The Manley felt more coherent but less defined while the Model 4 rocked a little harder, which I liked it. I figured it would sound even better with other tubes. I have some to try and some to buy. 

When I'd done some AI searches, it said I should put the Musical Fidelity A1 in Direct mode (pre bypass) and set the volume knob at 10-12 o'clock and use the Zrock to set the system volume. So, I did all that and it was different. Less nervous energy and more depth. After listening a bit, I wondered about the HIGH MC setting since I have a high output MC. I listened to LA Woman on MM and then listened again with the Softone on High MC. I had to lower the volume, but it sounded great. Then I read the instructions and they have a table that shows that I should be using the MM setting with the cartridge. But why'd it sound so good?

@lalitk A friend suggested I trade in the two cartridges I have: The Hana SH and Benz ACE H and get the ML. The Hana has less than 3 hours of use. The ML looks like it would be used with the High MC setting (I'm assuming that > 100 ohms means I would choose the 100 ohm setting and accept I'm on the edge.) I do have an pair of extra speakers and some cables I want to sell as well, so that would cover that expense handily. From what I've read it sounds like a great cartridge. 

@pindac My excursion is about to make a detour!

@letch This latest development from my perspective is great to be informed of.

For me it means your personal preference for a Vinyl Source's electrical influence is well understood and as I state a attraction or repulsion when end sound  is evaluated. 

Not that I know your initial thought, but I assume you are aware something that has attraction can be fettled with further to become more alluring.

It looks like with the Valve Roll Options and the MF A1 Amp having a option for adjustments increases the permutations able to be configured.

Note: In such a circumstance the individual making the changes adopts the role of being an Engineer. 

Trade Off is the outcome of Engineering, it will be keen to learn where there is change made that is recognizable for occurring, but also if the trade off is discernible.

My take on such an opportunity is to record a permutation that is quite stimulating but not the final go to selection. Use the alternative assembly when other changes occur within the Analogue Channel. The alternative can quite easily take first place as the go to option. 

In the late 80's / early 90's I was a user of a MF A1, which is not known by too many is a TDP of EAR design, produced on a Napkin for the owner of MF.

Napkins have a lot to answer for, when it comes to innovation, I always got ones in a pocket that are to become loaded with draft notes. 

As in all excursions a trek of the beaten track can create an indelible encounter.