Looking for phono stage recommendations

John,I totally agree with you,and was just offering up some overall insight into the possibility of, really, any heat based design.I happen to love the Aesthetix stuff,big time.I have a dedicated 13x22.5x8 ft room.A/C and heat/humidity are controlled by a dedicated system.No prob,but the room is sealed,and since it was added on,specifically for music(it was built with it's own roof as a separate addition,so there are 4 sidewalls that are exposed to the outside,except for a door entry from my den)it is quite sensitive to any heat generating source.I'm not complaining,and love the configuration,but if I were in my basement,there's no doubt any heat issue would be greatly reduced!Best of luck!

Nrchy,one thing I did not mention,and you may want to(actually should)consider,is the "ergonomic" aspect of everyday use,regarding heat dissipation.Believe me all of the experienced guys in my little part of the world take it SERIOUSLY!

Tube units can be fabulous,and I too lust for the IO/Callisto combo,but the heat given off by these,and other units do not make life very pleasant in summer heat.With a full blown unit like the Io/Callisto you are going to increase the room temp considerably,not to mention the electric bill.Even with A/C,like I have in my dedicated room,I used to sit in my "Speedo" in the dead of winter when I was more tube oriented.Trust me --the kids at "trick or treat" time thought I was in an "Olympic Diver" get-up,though their parents thought I was weird,and all I wanted to do was listen in comfort!!Now I have moved to,only a three tube phono section.These considerations should be looked at,although my extreme example may be a bit overboard,though true(except the "speedo" at Halloween,I just wanted to be a bit creative).I do have some Tube loving friends(entire system,and obviously a tubed phonostage is not a real heat banger,except the Io/Callisto pre/phono)that will not listen in summer,sadly,as they have a few dozen tubes in the set-up.That's what drove me from a tube amp to my Rowland.

I know we are considering a phono section,but when conditions are right a tubed unit can put out enough heat to force a "speedo" on a Harley guy,like you!Best of luck.

Nrchy,you are really cute!Why do I get the sneaky suspicion that you already know what you are going to buy before you post the question?Well you seem to be a good guy,so I'll play along,again.I have to admit that I love this anyway!!

I have heard that the All solid state and battery driven AR Basis is a Killer unit.This I have read in TAS.Recommended by HP,himself,as the best,as of last issue,and we all know that could change in a month.Just thought I'd throw it out there.

The only advice I can offer up,based on real experience is to REALLY be careful of the "latest hot product" issue.This is the plague of this hobby(remember TENOR).

Make sure the mfgr has a track record and will be around for a while.I have heard the latest CJ/Sutherland/Aesthetix/Lamm/BAT etc.All these units are superb.The potential taste variances are even greater than those of the tonearms and cartridges, IMO!As with the arm issue,you KNOW that you are not as inexperienced as your thread question implies,so you WILL make a good choice.

Lastly,once you have made a final choice,if it is a tube unit,you can squeeze even more performance from many of these phonostages,by doing a bit of tube rolling with NOS types.No matter what the mfgr claims.Sorry,but true!This I have a great deal of experience with,in quite a few differing tube driven stages,in a number of differing set-ups.Not a necessity,but a cute little upgrade path for future consideration.Good luck,even though you don't need it!