I'm an Allnic fan, so anything Allnic produces in a fan of. I went from the H5500 to the H3000 and I couldn't be happier. I just picked up the Van Den Hul The Grail and am adjusting to the solid state sound and how that compares to tubes. Definitely some give and some take, but I can recommend Allnic and VDH as viable options.
Phono pre amp recommendations? - upgrading from ICON AUDIO PS1 MK II
hey everyone, I am kindly asking for your phono pre amp recommendations, especially if you have experience with my current amp (icon audio PS1 MKII).
for the first time in my audio journey right now my system is so close to perfect (to my ears) and im incredibly happy about that. my current set up is Marantz tt15 turntable with dynavector 20x2 cartridge, primaluna prologue premium integrated and elysian 4 speakers. its very transparent, detailed, smooth, open, and in my opinion pretty neutral. when I swapped out my phono pre amp for one that my friend made(also tube design), it was like everything came to life, I couldn’t believe I was listening to the same system as I was 5 minutes ago. everything had more weight, and was more life like, it was darker and yet more lively, the vocals jumped out in front: so detailed and life like yet smooth and warm and not edgy or sharp or fatiguing like I often hear. it is currently the sound I am chasing (my friend will not sell this amp, or make another one like it, some friend huh?).
can anyone recommend a phono pre in the 3-4k range that can accomplish most or at least some of these qualities? my conclusions are that the icon audio is great, tonnes of headroom, detail, smooth, super quiet, big soundstage, but that it is too neutral for my ears and system and not warm enough, or its too polite, it seems to disappear in the system which may be a great quality for some.
does anyone have experience with this amp and can make a recommendation for an amp that has more warmth richness and weight (and forwardness?) in the midrange without giving up the other qualities I mentioned? I’m not looking for that vintage mushy sweet tube sound, more looking for what I have with just a hint more of that magic lol.
a couple of amps I am looking into are the modwright ph9, lab12 melto 2, and Allnic h-5500 (although a bit out of my budget).
I would appreciate and advice you can give me or any experience you can share with me.
thanks so much
Showing 5 responses by j-wall
@lalitk the Allnic I'm not sure I would call "warm" per se, but it is definitely romantic. Tonally with brass and metal instruments sounds better than I've ever heard with any other phono. Awesome depth and it just feels very human and natural to listen to. Going to a transimpedance phono, I've gained a vastly quieter sound with tons more detail, but it has a little bit too much in your face detail and transient swings. Not bad, just not what I'm used to. The Allnic, at least my H3000 is incredibly human sounding and very soulful feeling. Tube rolling in the power supply is supposed to yield great changes, but I've only swapped in a cheaper $40 5AR4 RCA so far. |
@dentdog Tell us more about going balanced with the Allnic! I was under the impression Kang Su Park implemented his circuits to be run single ended, but offered the balanced option for convenience. I believe I heard this from a dealer and he mentioned the "magic was lost". I don’t take it as gospel or truth, but I wrote off running balanced because of that knowledge. Comparing my H-3000 to a transimpedance phono, I’ve noticed the H-3000 does sound a little recessed and doesn’t have as much detail and is very relaxed. Does going balanced help with this or do you have any opinions? |
@palutena I don't mean recessed in a bad way to be completely honest. More of a descriptor than a negative mark. What type of music do you listen to? If there are varying and more real world instruments, I'd jump at the chance to hear it. I'm not a jazz guy so I can't comment there, nor am I a blues guy, but I did just pick up King Bee by Muddy Waters and the tonally accurate sound of the guitar, room interaction with his performance and instrumentation is just on another level on my H-3000. I feel Allnic is a brand I could stick with for a very long time, so I feel if you're looking for tonal accuracy and density, you can't go wrong. The one thing I'm not a fan of is the tanking of value when buying new. You will definitely be able to find a buyer but expect to lose a ton of the purchase price when going to sell. And I only purchased a transimpedance phono to hear what they sound like and to also see what cutting tube heat will do for my room. A definite move to suuuuper low heat and crazy dynamics, but I lost some soul, heart and richness in the process. Can be good or bad, but I'm struggling to even think of selling the Allnic. It really is that good. Plus, I haven't even gotten to the crazy rectifiers and Stillpoints yet. Time will tell. |
@dentdog I think you've convinced me to pick up my long desired Shunyata Alpha XLR's to test. Im in trouble now.... |