Solid state or Tubes preamp phono stage.

@yogiboy Again, "classic" is exactly what I meant. There are "classic" tube stage sounds and what Lew characterizes as "modern" stage sounds. "Classic" was NOT intended to pigeon-hole all tube stages to be colored and slightly rounded on top. This statement was specifically to classify the Hagerman.

@bigmac1963 Thank you for sharing your appreciation. Hopefully I did not say anything in my guidance that biased either or, and you made the decision given the considerations that were shared. As with most gear selection, there is usually a tradeoff somewhere.

Also, this forum will likely continue with people debating and expressing opinions, and it may make it hard to feel confident in your decision as a result. But I say trust your instinct - you made the decision that you felt was right for you.

@bigmac1963 Can you describe the rest of your system for us? And what phono cartridge are you using?

Both phono stages will handle your cartridge well.

The benefit of the Musical Fidelity is that it works as a 'stack' with your amplifier. Its SNR specs are quite good, and Musical Fidelity has a pretty solid reputation for their phono stages. Sonically, the M6X is very neutral and will not give you harmonics and bloom, if that is what you are looking for. But some prefer to have harmonics come from their preamplifier, amp, etc.

The Hagerman Trumpet will provide the classic tube amp sound which is known to be colored and slightly rounded on top. It uses six tubes, all of which there are plenty of options to upgrade and roll to suit your sonic tastes. It may end up becoming more involving than the M6X, but it likely won't be as resolving.

Your choice should come down to:

1) How is your analog sounding now? Can it use more bloom or more resolution?

2) How much do you listen to vinyl vs digital? Is it better to increase the harmonics at the phono stage or at the preamp/amp?

3) How enticing is tube rolling to you, and can you afford to invest down the road to experiment with different tubes?

@lewm I was speaking about the Hagerman specifically, not tube stages in general. I don’t know how my comment was perceived to be a general statement on tube stages. In stock form the Hagerman is known to be rounded. Rolling better tubes helps this, for sure. I’ve had a lot of love for tube phono stages, and generally prefer them unless spending $6K+ for quality solid state.

+1 lewm

I just get frustrated when I am trying to help and people misinterpret and assume that I am influencing decision-making in an illogical or biased manner (lewm, though thank you for acknowledging my clarification) or question my integrity (yogiboy).

I am not alone in classifying the Hagerman as a classic tube phono pre. From Fremer, whose experiences actually mirror mine (and Lewm we’ve already discussed how much I question Fremer!):

"Beyond the JFET input the Trumpet MC is a classic tube design that produced a classic tube sound, though it was also commendably quiet even being driven by low output MCs. So what’s “classic” tube sound? Start with a rich, full midrange that worked wonders on some thin, barren modern recordings and also did well with some older ones... This was a sonic presentation you could crank up to high SPLs and fully enjoy, though the lower-midbass was clearly slightly “thickened” and overall transients were slightly softened... Female voices didn’t fare quite as well, with the added midband “thickness” impeding lightness and flow on recordings that should produce that... Mitchell’s voice on both pressings had a slight but acceptable “chesty” quality when played back on my “big” front end (Mitchell’s voice “soared”), but it became excessive through the Trumpet MC."

Conclusion

The $1099 Hagerman Audio Trumpet MC offers big, warm “tube sound” in a compact, versatile package that can accommodate any MM or MC cartridge you choose to use it with. It will provide sufficient gain and low noise for even the lowest output cartridges and it will accommodate them all while producing quiet, hum-free backgrounds.

I’d advise pairing it with a lean or “analytical” cartridge and not with one that brings its own warmth to the table.

If you are looking for timbral neutrality and a light overall touch, the Trumpet MC might not be for you, though that depends on where your system’s sound is now and where you wish to take it..."

Agree with you as well tablejockey and it was never my intent to go there.

I don’t know what to say, @bkeske. I had the same experience as the review. I didn’t even know the review existed until after I tried the unit. 

For context, I borrowed a friend’s trumpet in stock form to compare for a few days against the Modwright PH 9.0X when I owned it, mostly because a friend was looking to sell it and I had a number of spare 12AU7 and 12AX7 around. I found the Hagerman came nowhere as close to the presentation of the Modwright with regards to its fidelity and holography. Rolling the tubes with others such as Telefunken, Philips, and Psvane opened up the sound and improved detail and delivery at the frequency extremes, but still I much preferred the Modwright. 

Just because I preferred the Modwright in just about every dimension, does that make it “better” objectively? It still comes down to the user’s preference, especially with the synergy with the rest of their system. I find it natural that people will debate and prefer one or the other, but in my case, my experience was similar to that of Fremer’s.

@bkeske His review was also not the only one. Just came across this one which coincidentally also classifies the unit as a “classic” tube stage.

FWIW, though the unit may reveal more than a listener had heard before, it doesn’t mean the unit is fully resolving. Just in the way I describe the Modwright above, I thought I was getting everything out of it. It wasn’t until I upgraded to yet another phono stage that I realized that there was even more possible improvement from the Modwright. That said, it is a unit that retailed 3-4x that of the Modwright. At this point, I’m open minded and looking forward to being surprised even more.

Don’t get me wrong, the Hagerman is a lovely stage, especially for its price. I also owned a Don Sachs phono with a fancy Hashimoto transformer which ran probably double the cost of the Hagerman, and I would put them at about head to head with each other. It still is an incredible stage for its price point and still very enjoyable despite what I thought to be its limitations. Hearing the sense of air and space better depicted by other stages, though, I could never live with it.