The best phono stage out there?

Ralph, of course I was including state-of-the-art, award-winning designs. Of course.

I invariably dial in the amount of feedback that I use by ear as well as meter, and sometimes the result is more GNFB, sometimes less (or zero).

FWIW, when a circuit sounds like it has too much GNFB, to my ears the sonic problems tend to manifest themselves as dynamic compression and timbral shifts in a decidedly unnatural direction, as well as spatial flattening.

My general experience has been that using GNFB to try to turn a poor-sounding circuit into something decent rarely gives acceptable results. A design that sounds good with lots of GNFB (global feedback) tends to sound pretty good without it, too.

So while I think there are similar aspects to our respective standpoints, Ralph, we'll just have to agree to disagree as to the usefulness of GNFB for SOTA audio.

As an aside, I've auditioned some highly-regarded commercial zero NFB designs that I liked and admired a lot (yours among them), while others (some also highly regarded) have left a different impression.

For example, perhaps two months ago, I had a chance to listen at length to a high-feedback preamp design of mine from the late 1990's, Charles Hansen's zero NFB KX-R preamp, and a contemporary highly-regarded European-made zero NFB preamp. It was my opinion as well as others who heard these same pieces that Charles' zero-NFB KX-R and my high-GNFB design sounded a lot closer to each other than either did to the European-made zero-NFB preamp (which FWIW sounded much more "contrived").

I stand by my opinion that the individual designing the product has a far greater effect on the sound than whatever technology that he happens to choose.

best, jonathan carr

Jcarr , we certainly agree about that! There are so many things that have to be taken into account that any designer that focuses too closely on any one aspect may well be doing so at his/her own peril. I think, like you (I imagine), that while its nice to get the specs to look good on paper, that there are so many things that we can't measure and so many things that we do that are not important- you **have** to listen carefully as well.

Audio Tekne TEA-2000.

The phono stage in the Dartzeel preamp bested everything I've had. At its price it better be great

I agree with Atmasphere's posts.
Some phono stages (mostly tubed and with no NFB) pass record noise as a "background" effect, barely noticeable, a very fast and clean transient that fades quickly, while others (mostly SS with lots of NFB) seem to emphasize and hang on too long to the noise, as if the phono amp circuit went into clipping or oscilation.

This is not a frequency response effect, it is about how the phono stage handles the noise spikes, which are very complex and steep signals.

Jonathan is correct that NFB is not bad by itself, it is a tool that must be used properly.
I have had in my system some excellent amplifiers with and without NFB.
In general, mild NFB improves signal to noise ratio, bass control and measurable distortion.
When properly designed, no NFB circuits (specially tubed ones) have great dynamics, aliveness and very clean midrange/treble, but are not the last word in bass control or S/N ratio.

Best is a VERY subjective word than can can only be stated within the context of someone's priorities, budget and limited experience. Regarding phono stages, the sheer number of possible interactions and adjustments makes it impossible to even attempt to rank phono stages.
A $2000 phono stage with good NOS tubes and proper loading/gain wil probably sound much better than a 10K phono stage with generic tubes and improper adjustments.

My best wine "moment" was a cheap Riolla spanish white wine, slightly chilled, accompanying a delicious Paella, though I have tasted several more expensive wines (not a wine expert anyway).

To end this rant and give you some kind of useful advice, I suggest looking up on Audiogon the price of used phono stages. Used prices are a good indication of a product's quality, reliability and desirability.
As far as I know, there are no "classic", highly sought-after SS phono stages. OTOH tubed phono stages tend to retain good value in the used market. Some even appreciate over time.

I hope this helps