Pure tube phono preamp

Dear @stuogawa : Really good system and that 901 is very good cartridge ( I owned ) with that classic TT/tonearm combination: Sota/ET.
Yes, you need to add that DAC.

Enjoy your playing ! !

R.

Dear @stuogawa : I don’t remember before about your unit till you mentioned in your post.

Many years ago when I owned tube electronics I listened the MFA that I never had enough money to buy it.
Latter on and after I switched to SS electronics I had the opportunity to listen to your Wavestreams Kinectics in the place of a gentleman that hosted me for a few days ( California. ) and there we were listenibng it and comapring against two top fully SS phonolinepreams that were the Dartzeel and Essential 3150 and I have to say that the WSK is truly competitive and with no detected distortion anomalies very often found out with tubes electronics.

Good that you are a proud owner of that all tube unit that according the @tyan42 needs yours is the best advice over the thread.

http://www.theaudioarchive.com/TAA_Products_Wavestream_Kinetics.htm


R.

Dear @lewm  : you posted:

"  . I am a happy owner of an MP1 for about 25 years. "


Between other things is not what the OP asked for but never mind the issue is that you don't tell the complete " history " on your unit but only a part of it.

Why did not tell in your post that you made it a heavy modification at the SS input gain stage in your unit and latter on ( years latter. ) you bougth a second hand fully SS Phonolinepreamp that twice in this forum you posted ( one of them to mijostyn ) about its superiority/quality against what you were accustomed for all your audio life because you are a tube lover but even that you still own that SS.

Maybe today you don't like it any more and if it's this way then why not share the complete history, makes no sense to me but obviously that you have a precise and specific reasons for not do it that way.

R.

Dear @tyan42 : This is what I posted in other forum on the same thread subject:

""" For me the functions of a phonolinepreamp first than all is that can achieve an accurated inverse RIAA eq with zero frequency deviation at each phono stage channels ( both channels should have evenly frequency about. ), other main target is to have active high gain to handle any output level cartridge ( LOMC or MM). As a fact phono stages exist because these two main targets/functions.

We need that high gain but we need it along very low noise. These 3 targets are the heart of any phonolinepreamp and the true challenges to any manufacturer because it’s really a hard task to achieve those targets at the same time ( even for SS electronics. ).

I like many phonolinepreamp in the market some of them already mentioned here: FM Acoustics, Gryphon, Spectral, CH, D’angostino, etc, etc.
Yes only SS because tubes in this specific function can’t do it and I owned from humble ( Jolida. ) to top design tubes electronics by around 10 years so I’m not speaking of my preferences but audio devices that its technology can in true be nearest to those targets..

This is only an opinion and I think is valid as any of your opinions.

I don’t like very much to talk about tubes in phono stages but I will put an example through Aesthetix IO ( I listened the first time at A.Porter house and latter on 3 more times in other systems. ) where they say the unit has active high gain with low noise and yes it has 80db of gain that’s a tribute for an all tube design but unfortunatelly failed on noise level that was measured a poor A-weigthed 57db and where the RIAA eq. deviation has ( by manufacturer spec. ) a high 0.5db swing deviation.
That frequency response goes even worst because it depends of the control volumen that at different volume position different frequency response.

RIAA eq. frequency deviation levels is critical because in theory must be to mimic in inverse way the recording RIAA eq. to we can have a flat frequency response.
Not an easy task even for SS designs because that eq. is not a " delicated/tiny " one but goes from around -20db to +20db, this is a huge equalization with several problems not only about frequency response but phase and other issues.

Look, graphic equalizers in the audio market as Accuphase, Soundcraftsmen, Crown, Klark-Teknic, etc, etc. ( I owned all and other ones been parametrics. ) in the best case its control levels by octave or 1/3 octaves can give you a range between: -15db to +15db and the RIAA demands -,+ 20dbs ! ! """



Here an all, 35K+ dollars, tube design by Lamm and you can see that is not really accurated on the RIAA inverse eq.:

https://lammindustries.com/pages/phono-stage-lp1/

but the Aesthetix I/O is over 16K dollars and can't do it.

So, it does not matters an all tube can’t mate those 3 phonolinepreamp targets. Today the best you can do for 10K is to go with SS.
Today SS electronics are really good designs and way different to the 20-30 years ago designs, even for less than 10K you can meet everything any one can desires about with any cartridge.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.