Pre-amp newbie question


Hi,

I've recently returned to vinyl after a long hiatus. Please excuse my naiveté on the subject of pre-amps but back in my younger days I couldn't afford such equipment and never really researched it. Now, I constantly have the upgrade bug. My question is: Would I hear a big difference by by-passing my stereo pre-amps phono stage and going with a dedicated phono pre?

I currently have a Rega P3/24 with a Dynavector 10x5. Further down the chain is a Parasound P7 pre-amp and Parasound A21 Amp. The phono stage of the P7 is MM/MC with input impedence of 47k and 100 ohms respectively. With the high output Dynavector the sound is remarkably good but could it be better with a dedicated phono pre-amp?

I'm looking at a Musical Surroundings Phonomena II which has multiple settings for impedence and gain and is compatible with both MM and MC (high and low) carts.

Embarrassingly, the whole subject of ohms, loading and gain confuses the heck out of me so any input would be greatly appreciated.
mjm1124

Showing 1 response by jrtrent

I agree with Daverz; whether an outboard phono stage is better than what you're using now is something you'll need to determine by listening. For example, I found the Grado phono stage to be better than the built-in stage of my LK1 preamp, but not quite as good as the phono stage in my Audio by Van Alstine OmegaStar PAT-5 (when using a Grado Green cartridge; I did end up buying a Grado PH-1 so I could try Grado's low output cartridges, which my OmegaStar lacks the flexibility to support).

The Dynavector P-75 sounded good, but no better than the built-in stage of a Linn Wakonda I was auditioning at the time (comparison made with 10X5 cartridge), and I didn't like the combination of the 10X5/P-75 as well as the less costly Grado Green/PH-1 set.

I've only heard the Musical Surroundings Phonomena II in a dealer showroom and it impressed me as a good-sounding phono stage with lots of flexibility, but I didn't compare it with anything familiar to me. If at all possible, compare it to what you're using now before making a purchasing decision.