Rogue Audio Sphinx V3 Integrated Amplifier / Separate Phono Preamp
I have a Rogue Audio Sphinx V3 Integrated Amplifier with a built-in phone amp. I'm having an emotional desire to upgrade to a separate phono preamp based on Paul McGowan, of PS Audio, recent post saying it was the most important part of an audio system..What budget do I need to have to improve what I currently have and any suggestions?
Hi John - I liked the sound quality overall of the Rogue Sphinx v3 quite a bit, but I found the on-board phono preamp to be prone to hum and noise. Couldn't get to the bottom of it, so I replaced the amp. For a $2000 hybrid amp, I would imagine a budget of $500 max. The Parasound Z-phono or the Cambridge Audio come to mind. Granted, I don't know which TT/ cartridge you are using.
Rich
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From my experience the phono stage is really critical. I upgraded mine over and over, over the decades and it was not until I got to the Audio Research PH8 did it get out of the way. To put this in perspective this would be an investment level of Turntable (with Cartridge) = Phonostage = Preamp = Amp... an for that mater = DAC = Streamer in a system with the sound quality being the same for all media. You can see my system under my UsrID. So, in your case I would go for the very best you can afford. I'd recommend a used Audio Research, or Zesto if you can find one you can afford. |
Look into this one based on the EAR 834P. Depending on what tubes they supply you might want to pop a little more for a matched pair of 12ax7’s but you can use whatever’s supplied for the 3rd 12ax7buffer tube. $420 assembled/shipped, http://www.tubes4hifi.com/PH14.htm
DeKay
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