g'day all,newb here..be gentle. just replaced long serving denon dp30l mk.2,M.F.A3 amp. w/ NAD M3 & THORENS TD700 T/T w/ ORTOFON 2M blue, & well, using a NAD PP2 phono stage was distinctly underwhelmed,forum cruising turned up local south oz PS AUDIO dealer...HMMMM. a phono stage costing 60% of T/T. outlay, dunno 'bout that? how far do you go up the slippery pole of diminishing returns using M.M. carts ? MIKE from Magenta audio [PS AUDIO dealer] assured me this phono stage would be the SH#T! i needed to get on track [& take care of M.C. upgrades if so desired ]& he was so on the money!!! every, & i mean EVERYTHING i've thrown at my new setup has leapt out of my DYNAUDIO 72's with a vengeance...timing/energy/depth of field/taut bass/clean vocals [ first up used TERRY REID.. a BAS##RD to get a listenable vocal from] & this was STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOX, can't wait to see if 'burn in factor' kicks in down the track. point here from my perspective being ..if you're a vinyl music fan, a GREAT phono stage HAS to be your first consideration. cheers folks!! |
Good point on the price comparison between the upgraded EAR 834P and the GSP. A more fair shootout would be the new GSP Reflex and modded 834P, although the GSP is still significantly cheaper, I think.
I preferred the GSP over the Rogue Stealth and EAR for the exact same reasons as Bolson. The difference was significant. |
I bought both a GSP Era Gold MkV and an Ear 834P and lived with both for a couple of months. Each had its strong points, and I could see how some people might prefer the Ear. But I preferred the GSP's speed and slam.
I saw in Audio Asylum discussions that there are some effective and not-too-expensive upgrades that can be made on the Ear, mainly upgrading capacitors and resistors and putting in better tubes (Telefunkens are probably best). After making those changes, the Ear 834P improved so much that it clearly bested the GSP (to my taste). But the Ear is more expensive to start with and if you have someone else do the upgrade on it, the Ear becomes about twice as expensive as the GSP.
So the GSP remains the champ at its price level, and better than many preamps costing 2, 3, 4 times as much. |
I was reading the Stereo Times review on the new Music Man Classic cartridge and was suprised to read that the Mk V could not pass all the info from the cartridge while the Graham Slee Reflex had no problem and was used to develope this new cart. |
I had the rogue. It is not in the same league as the GS. |
heard one at a dealer yesterday w/ the shelter 501 and some step up tranny.
this is one fine phono stage !!!! |
I prefer my GS Era w/ Elevator to both the EAR 834P and Rogue Stealth. It sounded significantly clearer and more dynamic in my system.
The EAR & Rogue are terrific units, but in my case, my SET amps already provide a lot of the best benefits of tube amplification. And my S&B transformer volume control really helps maintain the pureity and resolution along with great tone. The two phonos seemed to slightly muffle the transparency and hinder the speed I was getting. Probably just a synergy thing and not a true trait of those phono pre's since no one else seems to have experienced this. |
My Goldring G1042 sounds brilliant through the Era V Gold. Really gets your toes tapping! |
I have it since late last year, and have tried it against a Linn Linto, it was game for the GSP, I tried it with a Shure V15 XMv without the elevator, and then with the VDH Frog Gold (0.65mV) with elevator and with the last one I bought, the Colibri XCM (0.30 mV), now currently wondering if something can sound any better than this!
I´m thinking of one with XLR outputs and are considering several options, but all (EAR 324, BAT VK10, Manley, Xono, AR REF) are all thrice the money I´ve spent on the ERA...so it is either keep it or go try out the CEC PH53...any clues here?
Brgds, Marcelo |
An excellent piece.But upgrade the power cord; Audioquest has two ($69 and $130). |
I'm using the Granite Audio phono stage burn-in CD, a terrific product. Why didn't somebody think of this earlier? Another product that is badly needed is a burn-in LP, an LP that repeats itself automatically. For cartridges and tonearm cables.
I agree, the Enhanced stage is where the magic lives with the P75. |
it does take about 50 hours for reasonable breakin. but play with the settings, then switch it to "enhanced" for a real treat(assuming you have a low output mc). |
I picked up a Dynavector last week, just couldn't resist at the price. It's breaking in, but sounds very promising. Comparing it to an EAR 834 and to my Benz PP-1. |
Dan, that is my understanding as well, unless a direct inquiry will get the piece at a reduced cost (which is often the case). OTOH, the Graham Slee is no match for the K&K in terms of performance OR flexibilty, IMHO, and I agree with Sberger who cites the Dynavector as a better bargain, as well. And yes, I've heard all three units. |
The Elevator head amp can be purchased for $650. |
On the web site, it sure looks like the head amp is around $1K, which
means about $1800 for the package. Not chicken feed. Puts it in the
league with the K&K, pricewise that is. |
Get your Graham Slee ERA Gold MkV from Walter at Underwood. He'll take care of you. I bought it and the Elevator EXP from him. I'm waiting on my Shelter 501 mkII to replace my new Dynavector 20HX, then I'll report on its performance.
Has anyone done a comparison between the ERA Gold MkV and any Tom Evans products? I see there is a Microgroove here on Audiogon that would ordinarily not have lasted even five minutes. Several people are moving there Leherman Black Box pre-amps too. |
The head amp for the Era Gold Mark V is significantly under 1K. |
this sounds great for mm or hight output mc, but for low output mc, you need the most appropriate step up transformer which, according to the lpgear.com website, will run you an additional $1000. For those on this thread that might be looking for an incredible phono pre for either mm, high or low output carts, look no further than the dynavector p-75. i know very little has been written about it here, but it truly is an amazing piece of engineering. and it's only $595. here's a link to learn more about it:
http://www.dynavector.co.jp/english/frame_cart/e_p75.html |
Walter at Underwood HiFi is a great guy. 770-667-5633 or Underwoodwally@aol.com Good luck. |
Where is the best place to purchase the Era Gold Mark V ? |
Era Gold Mark V has 41.5 db of gain with a 2.5mV input. |
You need an output voltage of 2mV - 10mV. Or you need to add the step up |
You are correct. It needs a output voltage between 2mV-10mV |
How much gain does the unit have (can't find that anywhere)? I'm
curious to know if most of you happy owners are using MC cartridges
and, if so, are you using a step up? Because the basic unit is a fixed 47k
load. The Elevator (which more than doubles the cost--eek!) gives you
some choices, which are ALL 100 ohms or less. All of this sounds
potentitally challenging for the average MC user. |
I am glad that people are beggining to use this piece. I can't think of a purchase that I have made that excited me more than the Graham Slee. |
I just bought a ERA Gold Mk V, and am completely amazed by its performance. I bought the Elevator EXP also, because I know there is no way the price will stay what it is. I read about its design, and am willing to bet that it is better than the Tom Evans Groove.
The sound is far exceeds by expectation, even after reading the Stereophile article. I expected. A well recorded album sounds better than its CD equivalent. The sense of space and depth is incredible; and the transient response is something to be heard. It sounds great, but as it warms up its performance becomes phenominal.
My configuration is:
VPI Scout w/Dynavector 20XH
Pass Aleph P
Krell FPB 200
Martin-Logan ReQuests w/Magnan Signiture speaker cables
My Krell KAV 300 is no slouch, but it can't deliver the type of spacial effects resolved in my analog system.
BTW - I'm using some MAS Grey silver interconnect sold on this site for only $60/1 meter pair, and they sound fantastic. I highly recommend them. |
Wcmustang- join the club man! I can't say enough about this phono stage. It is incredible. |
Just bought one for $700 and it is outrageous. I hear the price is going up quite a bit next month. |
I was using the Rogue Stealth, and a CJ pv2 before this. |
Scottht.Would you please tell us what phono pre,you were listening to before the Graham Slee.So I can better understand where you are coming from.
Thank You |
Yep. But no one is going to admit that this $750 pre is better than their $2000 unit though. Like I have said before. I can not believe how good this piece is. I expected all notes to be solid like the reviews described. But I wasn't prepared for the speed. I didn't even know my previous pre lacked speed until I heard this thing.
I don't know if you can find one to try out but, I bet you will be completely satisfied if you do. |
