My vinyl goes to a solid state phono, and from there to a computer interface, and then to the computer.
My "Geek" took care of the computer interface, and the computer card that down loads it into the computer.
A great advantage of doing things this way, is that I only have to handle a record once. After that I can set up a play list for my 2 track Technics reel, and that playback yields an improvement; and at the expense of so much tape, it should.
While people who don't know will tell you that something will be lost with this kind of setup; recently, people who know, confirmed the results I've been getting; all the nuances of vinyl are revealed on playback; what ever your cartridge puts out, that's what you will get.
I have a modified Audible Illusions 3A pre, that feeds into PrimaLuna Mono Blocks. Although the end result of all of this is quite neutral, I get every nuance of the LP. No, I don't use the phono on the Audible Illusions.
This is what I have and I like it, the solid state phono is dead silent, but puts out only what you put in.
Although I've often read about these great tube phonos, like Herron for example, I've never heard one; consequently I don't know what improvement you would get over one which duplicates whatever cartridge you use.
A tube pre, and solid state amp work quite well together, but personally I would not have a solid state pre.
Enjoy the music.
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Inna, or anyone else who has auditioned a number of phono amps; could you explain the improvement over whatever cartridge is on the input. As I explained, I get out, what I put in; others have implied they get out something better than what the cartridge puts out, and well they should with the price of some phono amps.
My question is simply, what improvements do you get over what the cartridge puts out?
Enjoy the music.
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Inna, I'll go with VAC anyway my bankroll will allow; it's most certainly my favorite.
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Since every one on this thread seems to know a lot about phono preamps, instead of starting a new thread, I'll direct my question to you guys.
I have a solid state phono that I use for my high out put "Grado". Not long ago, I went from Platinum to Sonata, and I enjoyed it immensely; I detected every minute difference in the upgrade.
My solid state phono is nonexistent; I mean no noise, no nothing. Is a phono amp supposed to improve the sound? It's as if my phono is not even there, I just hear the cartridge; is that good or bad?
Enjoy the music.
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The cartridge is the most important piece of equipment in your entire rig, it should not be selected the same way you might select a preamp, by buying the "best". No, a cartridge is a very personal thing, that can only be selected after you have tried many cartridges. It should be selected based on the elements of the music that you enjoy most.
Right now, I'm not talking about some fantasy hypothetical thing, but a reality with limitations in regard to expense. I think you should first identify the "house sound" of the cartridge family, and then go from there.
Corey Greenberg was my favorite reviewer at "Stereophile", and I have a number of items he reviewed and recommended that I'm using and quite satisfied with. If Corey said it was OK, and I needed it, I bought it.
That worked out just fine, until we got to "cartridges"; he had ever so much praise for the "Blue Point Special", which I purchased, only to discover that it was not the cartridge for me; he liked rock, and I like jazz, especially jazz vocal, and that made all the difference in the world in regard to cartridges. That made me aware of the fact how personal a cartridge is; just because everybody says it's the best, it may not be the best for you
Enjoy the music.
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Actually Inna, I'm going to upgrade to the next highest "Grado". I've got a proven winner for me. What this cartridge does with female vocals is incredible.
Believe it or not, I'm quite satisfied with 100% of nothing; no noise, no hum, just the sound of the cartridge without any alteration.
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Theo, although I have SS Phono, I have tube pre and amplifier, plus "Grado" is a relatively warm cartridge. I believe my end result is the same as yours, because that's the way I would describe it.
What I'm hearing in regard to phono pre, is that you could buy a lesser cartridge, and get the end result of a step up in cartridges; by having a boss phono; is this true?
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Theo, I've been doing some serious thinking about what you said in regard to the phono stage, and it seems 3K, or in that price range, is what a tube phono which would be similar to yours might cost.
There is no free lunch in "High End audio", and quite often, anything cheaper turns out to be a waste of money.
Could you comment on good tube phono stages?
Enjoy the music.
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When I got into "high end", there were two high end salons within driving distance. I spent so much time in these places that my wife swore I was seeing another woman; "There is no way you're going to come home late every evening listening to some dumb stereo equipment", she stated when I walked in the door.
My purpose was twofold; one was to verify the validity of the "Stereophile" rating system, the other was of course to hear equipment I could not afford. I discovered the "Stereophile" ratings were quite valid.
Now there is no way I can audition expensive equipment; I have to rely on you and what I read.
Upon examination, I see my rig has a component no one else has "A computer interface"; it does whatever it does, and has an adjustment for level in. SS phono, and computer interface do 100% of nothing in regard to improvement or detraction of audio.
High end computer interfaces were not available at that time; I rebuilt, using expensive capacitors to such an extent that I had to design another cabinet, that one wasn't big enough.
It would cost in the vicinity of 3K for an unknown that I can not audition; therefore it's not in the cards anytime soon.
Enjoy the music.
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