2. analog
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Phono Pre Amp Recommendation

I am more of a digital enthusiast than analog, but I do listen to vinyl.
After abandoning Vinyl at the dawn of the CD era (largely because my lp collection was destroyed in a flood and when I tried to replace it I found the stores had switched to the polycarbonate antichrist), I bought a Pro-Ject Debut about 10 years ago. While it reawakened my appreciation for vinyl it's limitations
were became soon apparent and seven years ago I bought a Rega P-5 with with it's stock mm Exacta cartridge. After a few budget phono preamps (Project, then a disasterous flirt with tubes with the Bellari), I settled in with PS Audio pre amp, which has multiple settings for mm and mc.
All was well until the stylus on the cartridge went kablooey. After dithering for a while I decided that I would use the opportunity to upgrade and try the world of mc cartridges. I got a good deal on a Clearaudio Concept table and mc Cartridge.
I appreciate the wealth of low level detail, improvement in speed stability, and blacker backgrounds that the Clearaudio brings to the party compared to the Rega. However, I think that despite it's issues, I enjoyed the Rega more. The music sounded warmer, more alive, and with a good soundstage. The Clearaudio sounds dry, analytical, less expansive and just less fun.
I was wondering if perhaps adding a tubed phono preamp might solve this. As I mentioned, my one experience with a tubed preamp was the Bellari, which made everything sound like Topio Gigio with laryngitis. Having just shelled out for the table, my budget would be $500 to $1k, max.
I listen primarily to classical music (99%).
Rest of the system: Speakers B&W 803-D
PreAmp-Ayre 5xe
Power Amp--Parasound
DAC-PSAudio DLIII
CD/SACD--Denon "Anniversary Edition"
NAD Universal Player (no Blu Ray) feeds the DLIII for CDs
DVD-Audio.
Squeezebox, mainly for Internet Radio, haven't embraced downloading.
I've been looking at the Jolida phono preamp, which with or without modifications, fits the budget.
As i said at the beginning, most of my listening and expertise is digital, so I am really hoping for some good feedback from the analog lovers here.
richardfinegold
dhl93449
455 posts
 
Richard:

Why would you change your pre-amp and not the cartridge? If the PS Audio (GCPH???) sounded fine with the mm cart, perhaps a HO mc might be a better compromise?

Also, seems like your budget would better fit a cartridge change vs a pre-amp change as to move up from a GCPH may require a bit more than $500-1000.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
Interesting. I also lost most of my LP collection (in 1979) to a flood.

After 3 years with a Cambridge 640P I upgraded 3/11 to the Jolida JD9A. I happened to have some NOS Sylvania Gold 5751s and replaced the stock 12AX7s with those. I also put Herbies tube dampers on them, placed Vibrapods under the feet, and swapped in a Zu BoK power cord. I'm really happy with this preamp. As some have pointed out to me, the tubes in this preamp power the buffer stage. Gain is supplied by op amps. Even so, the phono stage is on a full-sized chassis and has a nice big power supply compared to the wall warts that often accompany phono stages in this price range. Furthermore, possibly the best feature of the JD9A is its high level of configurability, with three gain levels, two output levels, and a wide range of capacitance settings for MM/MI carts and resistance settings for MC carts.

Now, if you liked the Rega MM cart better than the MC but still want an improvement, upgrade to an Audio Technica AT150MLX. This cart is *easily* the equal of the Rega Exact, but is available for less (check lpgear.com) and has a replaceable stylus. Set the capacitance on the JD9A to 147 pF for this cart and you're good to go.
elee
28 posts
 
Just curious, what is your TT sitting on? It's true that the MC's lose a little bit of warmth. You need to go up in price to get more warmth. However, there are a lot of classical vinyl junkies out there who would not give up their Clearaudio cartridges. I certainly wouldn't give mine up. When I upgraded my TT support, increase in bass depth and warmth blew my mind. Just my 2 cents.
aigenga
131 posts
 
I have a modified Jolida for a few years and highly recommend it.
richardfinegold OP
196 posts
 
Maybe it is a break in thing. It is starting to improve the more that I listen to it, although it is still on the dry side, soundstage has definitely opened up. I'll give it more time and report back. Thank you to everybody.
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