If you want top of the line or near top of the line, one option would be the (current-based) CH Precision P1, with or without the X1. Another approach with SUT would be Ypsilon VPS100, or the EMIA LR Phono Corrector.
Phono preamp or SUT for low output moving coil
I have three low output moving coil cartridges
- Cello Chorale
- Van den Hul Grasshopper II
- Zu/ DL-103 Mk II
My phone preamps have phono input (Nagra PL-P and Conrad Johnson PV-7) but do not provide sufficient gain. Looking for suggestions. Open to any and all suggestions including stand-alone Phono pre into preamp line, SUT or electronic equivalent of SUT etc.
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- 51 posts total
You could get BOTH Hagerman’s Piccolo ZERO (transimpedance) and Piccolo MC (voltage drive) head-amps brand new for just over $500 and be covered for virtually any cartridge’s needs in the future (and already mentioned, "transimpedance" is not a good match for every cart, like Benz Ruby / LPS, VdH Colibri, or that Denon). Pick your favorite MM stage to pair them with, especially tubes. Synergistic parings are hard to nail down for any given cartridge & system (ad the MC stage is where it matters most!), but these units generally sound very good and are much more flexible than the typical SUT. I’ve gotten particularly amazing sonic results from the little ZERO paired with Koetsu Blue Lace Diamond and Ortofon SPU Classic GE Mk II. The lower the output, the more efficient the ZERO is at amplification, as long as its coil impedance is going down proportionally (like with the SPU). The voltage-mode Piccolo is just a good basic head-amp - I find Hagerman's offerings here typically a bit warmer and more musical than you'd find in e.g. Herron or Audio Research, but with the caveat being a bit higher noise floor than average. At their prices, just add them to your toolkit lol. It’s also a good baseline to determine whether a fancy expensive SUT has good synergy to your cart or not. |
@viridian Thanks for pointing that out. Do you have any idea what would be considered low impedance? Sutherland's website doesn't give a range. I'm using a Hana ML cartridge and it works well. I checked with Ron Sutherland before I bought the TZ Vibe. |
- 51 posts total