I bought the Hana SL last night. Elusive Disc is having a sale and takes trades, so I pulled the trigger. They recommended the Sutherland KC Vibe phono stage. My gripe with it is the gain and load switches are buried inside the case. I'd rather have them accessible. I've read a number of reviews on both the SL and ML. More than a few stated that while the ML was better, it wasn't good enough to justify the extra cost. .
Final Analog Upgrades
I've been on a three year upgrade path of my stereo equipment, and am nearly at the finish line. I have a SOTA Sapphire with the upgraded electronics, an Origin Live Silver tonearm, Hana EL cartridge,Jolida JD-9 phono stage, Modwright KWH225i and Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII speakers. I'm going to replace the Hana EL with a Hana SL cartridge, and I'm looking for a replacement for my venerable Jolida. Which phono stages are out there that will bring out the best of my equipment? I'd like to keep the phono stage under $1500. I've research previous threads on this subject and many of the recommended phono stages have been discontinued or new models introduced. I look forward to your thoughts on this subject.
Thanks,
John Cotner
New Ulm, MN
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- 19 posts total
I've read good things about the SL as well. I'm sure you'll like it. I had people recommend a Darlington Labs phono stage. Seems like a lot of bang for the buck. I had a KC Vibe, but I was using it with a Goldring MM cartridge. I haven't heard it with a Hana cartridge. @lewm I'm going to stop mentioning the TZ Vibe except with the Hana ML. Thanks for pointing that out. |
Good luck though.- 19 posts total