Is Pass Labs Xono An Overkill For Rega P5 TT?

Some on these forums consider the phono stage to be THE most important component in an analog front end. There is a thread on this very topic. I have an Xono and find it to be very neutral, quiet, flexible, and extremely reliable. On the used market, it is a quite good value. You should try to audition it first and experiment with the many loading options. The single-ended output sounds better than the balanced output.

It is by no means overkill. You have a table and cart capable of great performance. You should have a phono stage that allows you to fully experience it.

That said, the XONO may expose weaknesses downstream...

Cheers

Thanks for the recommendation Tvad. Results can sometimes be unpredictable in that a lower cost phono can outperform a much costlier and reputable unit like the Xono. I guess matching does play a part sometimes. This unit from a Hungarian outfit does look quite promising. Will keep my options open.

The XOno is one of the best values in phonostages IMO - still haven't heard a better SS phono (even though some other I heard are in the $8k price range).

Thanks for the response Ghostrider45. I am using a Denon DL103 cartridge with the P5 and was informed the cartridge was not optimized since the Rega arm would only come into its own when matched with a heavier one. Anyway I reckon the built-in phonostage in my integrated amp is the weakest link at the moment so it makes sense to look at it first, cartridge later.

Cheers.

I use the XONO with a rebuilt/rewired Yamaha PX-2 and a Denon DL-304 cartridge. It seems like a weird combo but it sounds very nice.

The XONO is am excellent phono pre and I would go ahead with it if you can get it for a good price. It has enough gain to handle just about any cartridge (the DL-304 is .2 mv), is very low noise, and has good dynamics.

The really important thing is to use a cartridge that's a good match for the P5. There's probably plenty of opinions on this in the forums.