Phono Amp for new Rega Planar 10 with Apheta 3

Welllll - he did say -

"At least for now!"

Oh well - my post might be of help other readers.

Nothing on this forum is ever a waste of time - except the obvious :-)

There are some great products listed here - so I’ll just add another to the pot...

Take a look at Simaudio MOON phono stages

I have an older LP5.3 RS and have not even bothered to look for anything else.

But I did originally try an LFD phono stage, which was a disappointing match to my system/cartridge. Fortunately the store owner is a friend, so we just swapped to the LP 5.3

It is basically identical to the current LP310 model, which can be improved with the purchase of a separate power supply.

It is also very configurable to almost any cartridge out there except the very low output models.

I chose to use a very good power cable in place of the power supply and it works extremely well.

There are higher priced model in their lineup if you feel you need it

My phono stage is extremely quiet - even if you turn it to full volume - i.e. without playing of course.

But also take a look at Bryston - another great Canadian product with an excellent 20 year warranty

Hope that helps - Steve

@mofimadness - all is good :-)

WRT...

Sad, but it happens all the time

Too true - but then there are the people that return to vinyl after many years and the new adoptees from the younger generation.

So all is not lost :-)

@arturgorniak - I’m not an agressive proponent of vinyl and have spent many years fine tuning the various aspects of both the digital sides and more recently the analogue sides of my system.

For me, the real eye opener for both sides was
the introduction of some excellent cables.

I found the cables actually made a significant contribution to the effectiveness of the various components on both sides - to the point where I am unable to tell the difference between them anymore.

However - I do tend to agree somewhat with your statement regarding

it is very difficult for analog to match or outperform digital without spending major $$$$$.

In my case the analogue rig has cost approximately 3 times the amount I spent on the digital rig.

The other factor that works against vinyl is the quality of the actual pressing, as it seems there is no sure fire way of guaranteeing a great product. e.g. Scratches, debris in the grooves, poor cutting techniques etc... Then there is the maintenance aspect of vinyl, which is time consuming.

Whereas with digital, you can ensure that each track is "digitally complete" before playing.

But there is still "something" about vinyl that people are unable to quantify.

That "something" seems to be responsible for the resurgence of vinyl after many years of digital production.

And with todays entry level turntables, cartridges and phono stages it makes vinyl affordable to those wishing to dip their toes into the "analogue pool" if only to appear "COOL".

For me, the vinyl recordings I have (even the older albums) convey a sense of realism. In that they transport me into the venue, regardless of it being a either a live recording or a well engineered studio recording.

I do have a few digital albums that also meets that benchmark, but alas, they are few and far between. But I believe that will be rectified over time.

But - I have to wonder why you initiated this thread to begin with, when you now seemed resigned to abandon further analogue pursuits?

Just curious :-)

Regards - Steve