I concur that the IO is a great phonostage. Amazing how some issues from the past still resonate today. I have yet to expereience a better sounding phonostage than the IO Signature I have owned for the last 6 years. I have demoed and A/B'd Pass Xono, ARS, BAT, and heard a Steelhead at a dealer. None of these phono stages did it for me, not even the Steelhead. I know the Steelhead is an outstanding phono stage, however, it did not give me the feeling of emotional involvement as I get with the IO. Just something about tht IO that keeps me coming back for more.
I have never felt that I had major tube rush except when a tube was going bad, which can happen in any setup. I used matched tubes from one of the tube sellers, Jim, and mixed and matched some on my own, with oustanding results.
Glad you like the Steelhead, I wanted do, but it just could not satisfy my desire for a truly in depth experience lifting the emotional veil and causing music and vocals to be portrayed in my room as sounding rool, sometimes spooky real. Voices and drums or instruments that pop out of the air, can catch you off guard, and be startling at times. Sometimes, I think I hear a knock in the door, or someone is talking in the room, seriously, the IO phono stage has brought that level of detail to the forefront, in an enjoyable way. Just my thoughts.
Audioquest4life
I have never felt that I had major tube rush except when a tube was going bad, which can happen in any setup. I used matched tubes from one of the tube sellers, Jim, and mixed and matched some on my own, with oustanding results.
Glad you like the Steelhead, I wanted do, but it just could not satisfy my desire for a truly in depth experience lifting the emotional veil and causing music and vocals to be portrayed in my room as sounding rool, sometimes spooky real. Voices and drums or instruments that pop out of the air, can catch you off guard, and be startling at times. Sometimes, I think I hear a knock in the door, or someone is talking in the room, seriously, the IO phono stage has brought that level of detail to the forefront, in an enjoyable way. Just my thoughts.
Audioquest4life