Great phono pre


I want to try out a very good phono stage to acompany my just ordered Boulder 865 integrated. On my very short list are Nagra BPM and AYRE P-5xe as well as Pass X-Ono. Has anybody experience with these devices ? Cartridges used are Denon DL-S1, Lyra Argo i and Dynavector XX-2 MK II. Arms are Ikeda Ti-345 CR 1 and SME. Turntable is Micro Seiki SX-777FV.
Thanks for any usefull input.
frankpiet

Showing 3 responses by t_bone

Frankpiet,
If you are willing to buy "old Japanese technology" which was truly top of its class (which you obviously do with your choice of TTs), you might try the Pioneer HZ-1 headamp as the first gain stage on your phono amplification. It is truly superlative - and is quiet in a way that people with Micro Seiki air bearing tables understand 'quiet.' They don't come around much but it is the best I have found so far. The technology in this is truly an audio designer's dream. I currently have mine plugged into the matching C-Z1 preamp, which is also quite good (same technology and same tweaker mentality built into it). I also run it into my ZYX Artisan stage and the stage in my Jadis JP80. My favorite pathway is probably the last mentioned. The Jadis is probably not the quietest of the three but it just feels right. I could imagine buying another phono pre eventually, but it will be a while before I find a better headamp I expect.
Congrats!
That was fast. I'd never heard of it before. Not much info on it in English, and I no longer speak much German so it will take a while to come up to speed on this.
The manufacturer's description page only shows the one a couple of versions ago, but it is here.