Currently at 12au7 in Hagerman: '50s Raytheon matched set. RIAA 12ax7s NOS RCA. Very balanced.
Key 12au7 in Rogue Amp: Mazda '60s 12au7. Clear sounding.
Should I move on from my Hagerman Trumpet MC Phono Pre?
Hi all, currently I'm delighted with my Hagerman. Yes it can be a touch noisy at high volume but that goes away once the record begins and doesn't bother me. I've got it loaded with all NOS high end tubes and it sounds fab. However I recently picked up a Koetsu Urushi Wajima cartridge and I now find the plush midrange push of the Hagerman might be too much combined with the plush midrange push of the Urushi. FYI I'm running a stock SL-1200G into Rogue tube amplification. I'm going to try some OPEN / nicely bright 12au7 tubes to see if that can offset the lack of high end and a touch too much midrange emphasis I have now, but thought I'd also enquire about what folks thought about moving on from the Hagerman? I did get one suggestion of the Herron VTPH-2A but good luck finding one... thanks all. - Rich
Showing 5 responses by fastricky
Give me a recommendation! |
Very salient points thanks all. I'm going to keep an eye out for a used MW Phono Stage, sounds like it'll be up my alley. For the record (hehe) I'm not opposed to warm tone from my phono stage, it's just that with the tubes I had incorporated into the Trumpet MC and the cartridge it was too mid heavy. Well I had a lengthy listening session last night, and beforehand I was surprised to find a pair of Sylvania 12au7s I had forgotten about so I put those into the front-most row on the Trumpet and a BIG improvement in openness. Also I have added the SBooster to mine and yes, a worthy move. So in short I'm going to buy some more open sounding tubes and experiment further. The sound of the Hagerman is outstanding, of course I haven't tried something much more expensive but aside from @medium_grade who here has tried the Hagerman? I suspect once I arrive at the right tube set I'm going to be satisfied. The elevated noise floor isn't that bad truthfully. |
@billpete Yes those are the exact tubes I'm using! Sound terrific. |
