Great responses everyone, I appreciate the feedback.......of course an in home demo would be the best. You read just a ton of excellent things about the Manley Chinook which is pretty much the same price as the Ayre, yet it has quite a few more options but is single ended. Same goes for the Ayre which is balanced of course. Maybe it's a matter of tube vs. solid state, which will affect my system in ways I have no idea. I haven't purchased the table yet, but will most likely go with the VPI Classic 2 or 3. I suppose I could buy both to demo......figure it wouldn't be too hard to sell the one I decided against. As of right now I've got a slightly warmer McIntosh based system with sightly cooler Avalons.....so I figure an analog setup will put my room into audio nirvana. Demoing the table at home this weekend. Can't wait. If I go off the wealth of internet feedback, you'd think that the Manley is the way to go.
Balanced or single ended phono stage?
I'm currently researching phono stages but may not have the opportunity to demo them at home. I've taken a look at the Parasound JC 3 and the Ayre P-5xe which both have balanced outputs. I've also read great feedback about the Manley Chinook and the Audio Research PH-6 which can be found used for similar pricing used but are single ended.
My question is whether the balanced option should tilt me in favor of one type vs. another. I'm not too familiar with how important it is to consider balanced outputs when it comes to phono stages.
Current system is running balanced currently with a McIntosh C220 tube preamp, MC 402 amplifier and Ayre C-5xeMP SACD player, all hooked up balanced. I'm most likely going with one of the VPI tables in the classic line but haven't decided yet. Any good advice as to whether a balanced phono stage should make or break the decision since all the stages I've mentioned have great reputations?
My question is whether the balanced option should tilt me in favor of one type vs. another. I'm not too familiar with how important it is to consider balanced outputs when it comes to phono stages.
Current system is running balanced currently with a McIntosh C220 tube preamp, MC 402 amplifier and Ayre C-5xeMP SACD player, all hooked up balanced. I'm most likely going with one of the VPI tables in the classic line but haven't decided yet. Any good advice as to whether a balanced phono stage should make or break the decision since all the stages I've mentioned have great reputations?