Phono Stage with Two Line-outs


I recently purchased a Wyred 4 Sound STP-SE, which is a very nice preamp. I did, however, neglect to notice that it does not have a line-out for recording. I am currently running my turntable through a full-function preamp w/phono, and hooking one tape-out to the W4S and the other to a Tascam CD recorder.

Are there any phono stages in the ~$1000 or less ballpark, new or used, that have two simultaneously active outputs? Are there any other remedies to my situation that I am overlooking?   
minkwelder

Showing 2 responses by lp2cd

If I understand your requirements correctly, the new Musical Fidelity MX-VINL may very well meet your requirements precisely. It supports two separate switch-selectable phono inputs, one balanced (Mini-XLR/DIN) and one unbalanced (RCA), and also features two outputs, again one fully balanced XLR and one unbalanced RCA, both of which are powered at the same time. It also features selectable MM/MC cartridge loading (which I find to be essential) and an external power supply. Retail is $999.

I've found no reviews of the MX-VINL yet, but it looks like a sweet unit and an excellent value. It is generally available in the US. FWIW, I've been using its predecessor, the MF M1-ViNL in a demanding and highly analytical studio application for several years and I've been very satisfied with its performance. I suspect you'd have to spend several times the price of the MX-VINL to obtain any appreciable improvement in overall performance.
The user's manual for the M1-ViNL is silent concerning simultaneous use of both the balanced and unbalanced outputs. There is no switching provision. But one reviewer noted this: "There are both single-ended and balanced outputs, the latter generated with a phase splitter -- this is not a balanced circuit." I've only ever used the balanced out, and in fact I have no easy way to test the unbalanced in simultaneous usage. But I would, ahem, assume they are both active at the same time. That said, the fact that the balanced out is "synthesized" and split from the unbalance might make me a bit wary.

While I have no reason whatsoever to complain about its performance, that ersatz balanced out is one reason why I'm considering the MX-VINL myself, as it is supposedly fully balanced. What's more, unlike the M1-ViNL, the MX-VINL uses an external power supply (a "wall-wart" no doubt...) that produces an input of 500mA @ 12V. That would seem to make it very easy and cheap to substitute an 8 C-cell series battery pack for the power supply.