Rega Naia Aphellion 2 phono preamp

@drambuiequillhill Thanks for posting this. I recently got the Naia package and also wonder about suitable phono stage. I currently have an EAT eglow petite with a Zesto SUT, which makes a more full bodied sound.

@jcoehler Re the REGA Aura, it is MC only, so not suitable for use with SUTs. I also find the load selection only up tp 400 Ohm rather low. With my old rig with a SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC* cart, it sounded best with a 1000 Ohm load. The Aphelion does sound best at around 100 Ohm. Ditto also for only 2 gain settings.
The Aura may be good if one wants to stay in Rega's walled garden. But for a bit more exploration, it may be rather limiting.

Looking for other suggestions: Sutherland, Manly, PrimaLuna, Zesto, PassLabs...? With "rule" of PS cost = half of TT, I would want to stay in the $5-10K-ish range.

@superhonestben thanks for this. never seen it before. What have you used before? What cartridge are you using on P8/Mofi?

I notice there are no capacitance settings on the Whest, so no adjustability for MM carts. Also not sure whether the dip switches can be combined, say 100 + 220 Ohm = 320 Ohm. Looked at manual, but not clear from it.

Otherwise I like dual mono and class A output stage. So on paper looks interesting. However, I generally detest poorly accessible dip switches (had that on a Vincent PHO701), much prefer easy access front knobs, like on my current EAT eglo petite.

@superhonestben Thanks for all the details. OK the GH elevator is a step up transformer. I use a Zesto Alesso SUT, and it sure makes a difference in sound with the Aphelion2, more full bodied. Played around quite a bit with setting on the Zesto also to check which combination of gains on SUT vs PS plus volume setting of pre-amp (PrimaLuna EVO 300 pre) plus resistance in SUT vs PS sounds the best to me in my system. Lots of fun!

Will keep an eye on the Whest products. But I am not in a hurry. It typically takes me a year to place an order. I am not one of the high gear turnover people. I rather think long and hard, then keep and forget about it.