Phono stages: Hagerman and Sun Valley 1616 possible giant killers


In the course of researching phono stages I came across two that if all the comments are true might certainly be giant killers ( defined by yours truly in the 5000 dollar price range ).  But alas, so much of what I read in reviews , both professional and audiogon users, doesn't always pan out.

So, has anyone had the opportunity to hear either the Hagerman Trumpet or the Sun Valley 1616? If so, I would be interested in your sonic thoughts.

As always, I appreciate your insights and would appreciate the absence of snark!

rivinyl

Showing 2 responses by noromance

@mulveling oops. Thanks for the correction. That’s embarrassing. I always assumed Hagerman was a genius for pulling that off without FETs and using 6 tubes instead of the usual 3 in MM amps. Ah well...

No longer posting here but @bkeske was impressed with the 6 tube MC version of the Trumpet—especially after rolling in Telefunkens etc. Note that as it’s a tube MC section, likely a little noisier than FET or SUT.