Looking for phono preamp suggestions


My system 
sme 30/2 with Dynavector 17dx catridge, cardas clear beyond phono cable with xlr termination ,
ayre kx-r twenty preamp ,
ayre mc-r twenty monoblocks 
kef blade speakers 
cardas clear cables for rest of system .
cureently using ayre p-5 Phonostage .
asking for recommendations for upgrading the phono stage .
requirements xlr inputs and outputs.
looking for more depth and separation in sound stage and more sweetness / magic/ romance 
Thanks in advance .

newtoncr

Showing 11 responses by newtoncr


I was thinking of how the boulder 1008 or 1108 will compare with the ayre p-5 xe . 
That would be in my price range .

the  Luxman Does not have balanced input.
i want to run balanced from needle to speaker .

i am not a big fan of the 17dx catridge. I am working with my local dealer to get a good deal on a Lyra Etna lambda catridge . Hopefully soon 
currently my digital front of lumin u1 and ayre Qx-5 twenty with cardas clear interconnects bests the analogue front of sme and 17dx and ayre p-5. I am trying to get my analogue front to sound better . 
@gestalt the van den hul seems very nice , what the price .
the others I am considering are boulder 1008/1108, Zestos Andros , 
Jeff Rowland i can’t find much on it .
which among the above would be the best match for my sme 30/2 with currently a Dynavector 17dx catridge and in future hopefully a Lyra Etna lambda catridge . I would love to save some money on a demo or preowned unit . I am inclined to solid state .
thanks 
I have narrowed my choices down to boulder 1008/1108 vs van den hul the grail sb.
between these 2 which one would suit me for my kind of music , which is vocals, jazz, acoustic music and classic rock 
thank u 
Sutherland does not have balanced input and output . They use the same tech as the grail .  Still deciding between boulder 1008/1108 and the grail sb/sb 
Ron Sutherland replied to my query about balanced input saying he’s going to release an upscale version of phono loco with balanced input and balanced output at 16,500 .
that brings it to the same price range as van den hul grail se version and boulder 1108.
tried to contact the boulder dealer and was not very impressed with the interest they showed ( they don’t have any phono stages on demo for me to listen to ). So now inclining towards vdh and now Sutherland.
has anyone compared the vdh and Sutherland. Would love to hear some first hand experience. Thanks 
Thanks everyone for your advices. I have decided on getting a van den hul , the grail Se version .
it seems to meet my requirements the most .Will report on how it sounds in my system soon . 
thank you 
Got the Lyra Etna lambda sl catridge to pair with the van den hul the grail Se phono stage ( which is current amplifying) . The match is perfect . Am in vinyl bliss . Also got the Nessie vinyl master record cleaning machine which makes vinyl cleaning a breeze. Thanks everyone in helping me attain what I intended to .