First phono stage upgrade


Hi everyone,

Looking for some perspective on upgrading my phono stage.

I got a Rega RP8 and a Vincent PHO 8 as a first step into analog a few years ago.

My Exact cartridge got damaged during a recent move so I sought out advice here on a replacement.

I traded in my Exact for the Ania Pro and arranged to sample some phono stages at a local shop.

After replacing the cartridge, they demoed my table with Musical Surrounding Nova III and a Black Ice Audio F159.
 

After several hours, the sales guy says they're closing up in a few minutes and asks if I would like to try these units at home.

I ended up taking just the Nova III with both the stock Wall Wart and optional ($650 ish) power supply.

I wanted to A/B test the power supplies first.

Then A/B test against the F159.

Are these units (or this "range") a good next step?

Am I shooting too high or low?

Still very new at this.

Thanks!

 

hleeid

Showing 4 responses by lalitk

There is no substitute for the ability to audition gear within your system. Let your ears decide what’s sounds best in your budget. 

Around $2K, the phono options comes to mind are Tron Convergence, Gold Note PH-10 and Konus Audio Vinyle 1000MM Mark II. If you’re interested, give Colin a call @gestalt audio for a possible home audition. 

@jerryg123 

Thanks! IME, the phono stage is a very critical component in analog chain. Not saying cart, tonearm or TT is any less important but man, finding a ‘right’ phono stage may take few trials. Been there :-)