Phono stage rec for Rega P25 with ZYX R100-02H

I have a friend who owned both. He loved the sonic presentation of the Nighthawk better, but it presented some noise issues. So he switched to the Clearaudio Basic Plus. While he said the Clearaudio was dead quiet, he said it was rather sterile sounding when compared to the Nighthawk. In the end, he sold them both and wound up with a Manley Chinook which he is very happy with. Sorry, this may not have been what you wanted to hear.

Hahaha -- I appreciate the reply. I had also wondered about the Chinook which is quite a bit more than either unit. I've read some on the forum about the Chinook but haven't seen a lot of pro reviews. What do you think about the CHinook?

What about Jolida JD9 vs Nighthawk?

Sorry, I can't help from personal experience. I have never actually listened to any of these phono stages. I do own a Music Hall PA 1.2 phono preamp, which I keep as a back-up. It is a surprisingly nice inexpensive phono stage, though I do not use it often. Most of my phono preamp experiences are with much more expensive stages that are out of your price range. I have heard the Manley Steelhead, but I have yet to hear the Chinook. My friend who went through this lives a couple thousand miles away from me. We only exchange e-mails, so I never heard any of the units personally. Happy hunting.

Thanks! I think finding the right amp under $1000 is not so easy. This is for a second system. My main home system has a Parasound JC3, which I really like. I ended up going for a new Jolida JD9 II, which I got for a good deal from an online dealer with cyber week specials!