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Natural, musical, dynamic phono preamp 700 used

Hello fellow analog enthusiasts. In my quest for a better phono preamp I must ask everyone this question -

If given $500-$700 to spend on a phono preamp which can run moving magnet and moving coil (or just moving coil) which would you choose?

Must be:

Tonally accurate
Musical
Dynamic

Not Dark or clinical/cold sounding

Replacing a Grado phono preamp which is ok, but I think I can do better and it can't do mc anyway.

Possible Contenders -

-Modded PS Audio GCPH (stock form was awful sounding imo, so the modded unit would be a leap of faith but heard they were good)

-Dynavector P75 MK2

-Sim Audio Moon 110LP (amps are too cool for me but heard their phono stage was decent)

-Used EAR 834P (getting on in age so not sure about this one)

Probably more I am not aware of, hence the reason for the thread.

Thanks and Peace
jeremy72
sufentanil's avatar
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sufentanil
782 posts
 
I have both the GCPH and Dynavector. The GCPH is more versatile, and, most importantly for me, has balanced outputs. But overall I prefer the sound from the Dynavector. It's more engaging and organic.

My vote is for the Dynavector; it's a great value.

Michael
frogman
7,357 posts
 
Tonally accurate, musical, dynamic? EAR 834P. Have lived with this preamp (highly modified), and can tell you that it sounds (now, and pre-mods) like what you are looking for. Getting on in age? So are LP's; in the opinion of many.
jeremy72 OP
97 posts
 
No offense to the EAR 834P (which is a decent performer) but I am afraid there are newer phono stages out there which give this aging piece of equipment more than a run for its money. Have had the opportunity to spend time with the 834p also, so this is IMO. Its better than the Grado I have sure, but the best for my budget, not so sure about that. appreciate your thoughts though.
bajaed
264 posts
 
I have a cheap ART DJ II that is a great deal but I never intended to keep it long term. I have the same budget as Jeremy72 and am looking forward to hearing a better stage in my system.

If gear makes a difference in stage selection, I have the following:
MH 7.1 w/Goldring 2400
Rogue Cronus Magnum Integrated Amp
Energy RC10 speakers

I do not like harsh clinical sounding gear. In the future, I may upgrade my cartridge to an Ortofon 2M Black, Nagaoka MP-500 or something else you guys might suggest in the $5-700 range.

One thing I do like about the Art is the adjustable gain. I use it every time I play an album to get the best output from the stage.

Maybe adjustable gain is not as big a deal as I think in a nicer stage like the ones being discussed here.

So, is it:
GCPH
Dynavector
JD9
or something else?

Hope this is not a hijack Jeremy as we are talking about the same thing.
frogman
7,357 posts
 
Jeremy72, we will have to disagree on this one. IMO, you are making a mistake with the " getting on with age" concern. Think about how many classic pieces there are that are still held in high regard. I have not heard the Sim Audio, but have heard the Dyna and the PS Audio, and if one's concern is wether the preamp let's pass through it something resembling the sound of music, the EAR is head and shoulders above the other two.

Just curious, why then was the EAR one of your contenders?

Good luck.
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