Pure tube phono preamp


Any excellent sounding, quiet, all tube phono preamps under 10k for low output mc carts?  
tyan42

Showing 6 responses by tablejockey

Pure tube=rectified,active gain from the tubes(no step up transformers) with enough gain 65db+ for low MC AND quiet? 

I'm curious to see suggestions for your requirements.
"All tube" seems to be a tough find. Most have one thing or the other, but not BOTH.

A manufacturer needs to step in and clarify the tube rectified thing. From my understanding, SS(diode/bridge rectifier) is the way to go from a technical standpoint?

Quiet is a personal tolerance thing. With my "all tube" Foz, the volume at 1:00 o’clock or so you hear hiss. Once the needle hits the first groove-no hiss. Hiss between tracks also. I doubt even the "best" tubes would completely eliminate that.

You can hear hiss(VERY little) in THE FINEST tube based setups, so prospective users need to get over it. It’s the same thing as the errant tick/stitch we hear now and then regardless of how great your "stamper" and cleaning regimen is.

I like the Decware piece. I considered it years back, but vetoed against it since it wasn’t a one box solution. You still need a step up for LOMC.

I hope an NVO owner will drop in in to describe their experience. I heard the NVO only once, but I remember what I heard. The entire system was WOW, but I’m certain the NVO is responsible for a good part of that.
Look this brand up. It was flavor of the month years ago here, on Agon.
https://theaudiophileman.com/nvo-spa/

Rare find in the used sections.

Research to find who the US distributor is.  I'd love to own one. A low budget unit that fits the requirements with a 60dbs active gain is the out of production Fosgate. They go for $1500 or so. I use one. Get the 2.0 version. Very organic sounding and more convincing when I lined up a few popular models side by side-subjective, naturally.

All tube is noisier than the popular models here discussed here, which are SUT, SS recitified.
The OP determined what the requirements are-

ALL TUBE-rectified, tube gain(NO TRANSFORMERS)for LOMC. The majority of suggestions here do not fit the requirements. Looks like few understand the question.

So far the following meet them-
NVO & Aesthetix? 
My "cheap" used solution of my discontinued Fosgate. 

Let's see some gear that follows the OP's thread. I'm curious to see what's recommended.
bigkidz-

Consider putting pictures of the products the company is manufacturing.
Update the site.
"An all tube, no transformer, unprohibitively priced, phonostage seems to be a unicorn.  Nothing against SUTs, it just seems like a shortcut and another thing in the signal path that could affect the sound."

The "affect the sound" thing with an SUT is totally subjective. I'd be more concerned with having onboard SUT instead of adding one to an MM only phonostage. Why have more stuff-(SUT/IC's)?

There are likely other choices, but it's going to be a off the radar, small "boutique$" unit. 

Seems the used NVO gets listed from an owner who either $teps up the food chain or gets out of analog. If you want something "reasonably priced" consider keeping  on eye on the listings and be ready to jump on one.
Otherwise, all those suggestions of everything but your requirements are solid.