MiniMax Phono

I use my Mini Max with a nottingham ace space/spacedeck and shelter 501 MkII. I have also heard it with the Clearaudio Concerto and that will probably be my next cartridge. One thing I cannot recommend highly enough, a tube upgrade. I had Andy at Vintage tube Services put together a set of RCA NOS 5751's for the mini max and Bill at morningstar set me up with a Tungsol rectifier. And wow, what a nice phono stage. Greater clarity, air, bass definition and musicality.

Davt : Same here..RCA 3 mica B/plates 5751 and Tungsol Rectifier.. Also find the Stock power cord does not help matters either..V/D Nite Power cord works wonders for me...Real nice phono amp...........

Dynavector 10x5 (HOMC)/Linn Basik LV-X
Virtuoso Wood (MM)/Clearaudio Satisfy

Since this phonostage is MC capable, I'm curious if anyone has used both MM and MC carts with it and can compare. Does it perform best with either type?

Thorman: So far, the GE 3-mica 5751's and Tung-Sol rectifier are working well for me. Thanks for the suggestions :)

Roblanger:
You bet my freind........!

It's going to sound good with any cart. I've used one with a Blackbird, Denon 103, and several other LOMC carts with excellent results.

I would strongly recommend it in MC only. I did listen to it with a dynavecto 10x5 and felt it was only so-so, a little flat and thin. I would recommend reading michael fremers old review of this phono stage and it will explain why. It is a good phono stage with MM but it is the special parts for the MC that really make this a magical phono stage.

Davt,

Would you happen to remember which issue MF's review was in? I read the inital "blurb" in a recent Stereophile Recommended Components issue, but can't seem to find it.

Maybe my local library would still have that issue on file?

Are you currently using the MiniMax with an MC cart?

No, I don't remember which issue but perhaps if you did a google you would find it and many others. I use a shelter 501 mk II right now, I have also heard it with a shelter 7000, very nice, and a clearaudio concerto, very very nice. I think the compliance of the clearaudio was a littel better match to my tonearm. When I listened to the clearaudio we hooked my minimax up to an Audio research L26 preamp and Ref 110 amp driving Wilson Sophia II's. It was really nice and had great detail, air, super base. Perhaps a little forward on upper mids but I think that might have been a difference between the wilsons and my verity parsifals. We then hooked up Audio research's top phono stage in place of the mini max. Sounded wonderful! Just as good, well almost identical to the minimax. If price was equal I could be talked into taking the AR but I would not pay more for it. That being said the AR had stock tubes and it does have a lot more adjustability than the mini and perhaps with a differenc cart. I would have noticed an improvement with the AR as I hear it is a real reference piece. But, with my $2500 and below carts, and carefull cart selection the mini max is a keeper.

Davt: I'll try to track down that review, since I'd really like to find out more about the MC side of the MiniMax.

I'm also stuck with a bit of a compliance issue - my current arms don't really have enough effective mass to work well with the majority of MC carts. I think that the Shelter 501 might work with one of them. The Ortofon Rondo carts seem to be fairly compliant.

Paul: With my current setup (all tubed) I'm feeling like I might want to stick with either MM or MC, rather than HOMC. I'm trying to keep the level of the noise floor down.

the shelter 501 with my acespace arm gave a calculated resonance frequency of just over 15hz, definetly at the high end of things. The clearaudio compliance with higher and calculated resonance was just at 11hz, much better. Both sounded great however.