Phono Stage, Tonearm, Cartridge Question - Which is the most important?

A Phonostage is an ancillary only, and is an ancillary to be encountered early in the produced Signals Flow.

A Signal born from either a Digital or Analogue Source will only become an Audible Sound as the Signal exits the Speaker Xover and creates a movement of air via the Speaker Driver or Equivalent.

Setting the above apart, Phonostages 'will' be very influential on the Sonic being produced.

There are many models that will produce a Sonic that is OK, totally fit for the purpose of producing a Sonic that is a worthwhile listen. There will be discovered after a reasonable amount Phonostage demo's, where one is now experienced with a range of designs, the outcome being where some of the designs found have proved to be extremely impressive and much wanted to be kept in use. My experiences are that not all who produce Phonostages are able to create a extremely impressive Phonostage. 

At the point of discovering an ancillary that is perceived as being extremely impressive, one has to bite the Bullet and decide whether SS, Valve/Hybrid or Valve Input/Valve Output is the favoured option.

Decisions are required for what one wants to invest into. Inevitably some designs will be beyond ones foreseen budget to have a particular design as an immediate purchase to become a permanent at home experience.  

How the TT>TA>Cart' is supported on a Structure is an extremely important consideration.

When this is optimised, the Phonostage will then be better supported to carry out its role in the Signal Path.

 

In very Basic Terms a Phonostage receives Signal that is generated by the Interface of the Styli being in contact with the Groove and the Styli’s having LP Groove Modulation pass it, the undulations of the modulation are creating oscillation, which is transferred via the Cantilever / Armature into the Coils where the oscillation becomes a minuscule electrical Signal.

Note: Ambient Energies within the Listening Environment are able to be transferred to the LP Groove, resulting in a influence on the oscillation being produced by the Styli’s contact within the Groove. Contaminated Grooves also have the potential to influence the oscillation being produced.

The more faithful - unadulterated (not influenced by ambient conditions) the energy being generated and transferred from within the Groove as a Signal to the Phonostage. The more accurate a representation the Signal will be, when the transferred signal’s Gain is Increased by the Phonostage. It is not uncommon for a MC Cart’s Signal to be increased by a 1000x, which will be ideal for the next stage of amplification.

A Phonostage is Typically a tool to increase Voltage and carry out correction to RIAA.

RIAA is way to complex for myself, the Link will help if wanted to be looked into further.

What I am sure of over many years being a Vinyl Source Enthusiast and meeting with many who are similarly passionate through social interaction, is that Phonostages are not all viewed equally.

A Phonostages capability is as important to some as their most valued LP Pressings. Not everybody wants the same thing sonically from a Phonostage, in the same way not every bodies most valued LP Pressing is to be the same.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RIAA_equalization

In relation to the follow up inquiry about which is having the most impact on the sound.

I stand by the suggestion that a LP Sources Trilogy of Supporting Ancillaries, mounted on to a optimised support structure, will produce sonic far from what could imagine achievable. 

My take on it, is that expensive equipment required for Vinyl Replays, is being used to its least advantageous/ sold short, if not mounted on a optimised support structure.

I strongly suggest not spending too much money of any ancillaries seen to be an upgrade until the Support for the Trilogy of Ancillaries is addressed.

Ask anybody on any Forum would they revert back to former mounting methods used for the TT, after having discovered something perceived as optimised, the chances of getting a 'Yes' would be a hard find.  

Moving on from the Support Structure for the Trilogy of Ancillaries to enable a Vinyl Replay to occur, there are the ancillaries themselves to consider.

With the intention being to have oscillations produced within the Groove, transferred as a faithful - unadulterated energy, it is not only the ambient energies within the listening environment and contamination embedded in the LP Groove that can produce unwanted oscillation.

Note: For the individual on a constrained budget, there is much that can be done to create a mounting structure that will be an improved influence without too much outlay. If further knowledge is wanted, a request to learn a variety of these methods adopted by others should become quite fruitful. A Method to Clean LP's does not need to be expensive if particular cleaning solutions and application methods are adopted.

Where expense will be found and for many expense that is way beyond ones budget, is to substantially reduce the energies being produced within the Trilogy of Ancillaries.

A Cart' seen to be able to be be adequate at this role, will in most individuals minds be the Cart' of choice in use, (it is not untypical for a Cart' owner in this price range to be expressing a desire to aspire to using a more expensive model) typically meaning most Cart' users are using Cart's from a range of cost between $400 - $2000. Cart's in these price ranges will be seen to be fine for producing a sonic, but will also in general be seen to be lacking in the assembly, where a particular material seen to be required for an optimised performance are not present in the entirety. Cart's containing all the materials and dedicated time required for producing a Cart' that can be claimed to be optimised are usually found at a cost that is substantially more than the above price range.

Note: My own experiences to date have been that I have been quite content with Cart's encountered and demo'd between £1000 and £4000.

Cart's are extremely fragile and there is no guarantee that the Cart' at any Purchase Value will maintain an optimised function during its time in service. The listening environment and user interface can be quite a brutal place for a Cart' to live in. UV Damage to Dampers, Contamination/Crud build up on Damper and Coils and askew Cantilevers can appear after short periods of a projected service life. I was fortunate to have a well known Brands Cart' modified by a Third Party Technician using parts that are critical to the function of the Brands TOTR Cart's from a certain era. 

The Tonearm can pass on generated energies to the Styli impacting on produced oscillation. There is endless debate on Tonearm design and how design types are able to generate various unwanted energies through the function. I no longer use a expensive to purchase Tonearm as it has in comparison to another Tonearm Design been detected as having a unwanted influence, in relation to how the sonic being produced is perceived. I now have a Tonearm that I feel has an energy produced that influences the signal being produced in a much more attractive way as a sonic and in keeping with my own preferences.  

The TT's Platter Bearing Function can pass on generated energies impacting on produced oscillation. I am experienced in witnessing work undertaken to improve the interfaces within the Bearing Housing, where the exchange of materials and new tolerances selected for dimensions are undoubtedly beneficial. The work undertaken is discernable for being a betterment at the time of hearing the sonic produced. I have for numerous years been using TT's with bearing assemblies that are in my assessment much improved over the original and are offering a influence on the signal being produced that is much attractive as a sonic and  in keeping with my preferences.  

Any of the Three Items above can incur considerable costs for an individual  wanting the interface between the Trilogy to be optimised.     

In other words the Source LP used today, that is the material supplying the undulations and following oscillation, when being transferred to the Coils to become the Source of the signal flow, then to be increased in Voltage by the Phonostage. Is at present, with my level of understanding an improved Signal to other versions I have had in use for producing the same oscillation type. 

I can claim with conviction a Phonostage benefits substantially from receiving the cleanest signal possible, the Phonostage is limited in how it can filter out unwanted signal, hence the Phonostage remains a receiver of a signal primarily and is limited in its abilities to filter what signal is being sent.

As said previously, only some Phonostages are, as a result of experiencing them in use, as an assessment, proven the design to be exceptional in the role of receiving and sending a signal.