Doge 8 and Conrad Johnson ET-3

The Doge will require upgraded tubes for a fair evaluation.

The Clarity had upgraded tubes from the factory. Now if you mean continuous tube rolling...well.

The built-in phono stage was entirely too noisey for MC, so I ditched it right away and went with the MOON LP 5.3 line stage. For $2,000.00 I didn't see it as a loss. I don't use a MM cartridge so I can't comment on background nosie, which is unservicable in the MC settings.

Yes, 30-days is a short duration for break-in, so run the thing 24/7 for two weeks on the radio. Don't expect the tiger to change it's stripes too much after two solid weeks of break-in, though. All my stuff has shown it basic fundamental sound by then.

I also have a Benz Micro, a RUBY 3, that I bought as a re-tip (notice I buy a lot of used stuff!) that sounds pretty good. But, my favorite was an Accuphase AC2 that I just wore out. A channel intermittently drops out. At 30 years old I guess that's expected.

I'm thinking of a Soundsmith The VOICE the next time around.

So Rower, are telling me that even at 2.5mv,the phono stage would be too noisy? That would be a deal breaker for me.. I just picked up a used Mod LS-100 W/ PHONO which I was going to compare side by side with the Doge.Now I;m not so sure... What does s it cost to evaluate one, $250?

Well, if you use the "MC" setting, you won't be happy with the background noise. It's terrible. The MM setting isn't so bad. The trial shipping (about eighty bucks) and a ~10% restocking fee, or another 200 bucks, so $250 to $300 is about right (depends on where you live on shipping).

Tubed phono stages need tubes selected for being especially quiet. Upscale Audio calls them platinum grade, others call them phono grade. Of course there's no guarantee that they will stay quiet throughout their lives. Another one of the joys of being an audiophile.