Hi Raul, a provocative post that makes a lot of assumptions. Let me just say that enjoyment, involvement and putting on another record are the absolute goals for me. If the components that do this are neutral or coloured is neither here nor there. I dont evaluate equipment cerebrally but use my heart. In fact some of the most neutral, accurate pieces i have heard ove the years have often also been the most tedious to listen to. I hope that helps.
Stand out phono stages
This topic has been started before by others and myself as well, maybe too many times, but it is worth revisiting since the source is so very important!
So far I have had the pleasure to enjoy two worthy phono stages: the EAR 834p and the JLTI.
I have to admit they are spectacular. Obviously the record and all the equipment downstream play a role in the sound heard. In some cases I prefer the JLTI and in other cases the EAR. But neither out do the other dramatically.
What phono preamps outshine others by a big margin, those that can be considered the last phono preamp ever needed.
So far I have had the pleasure to enjoy two worthy phono stages: the EAR 834p and the JLTI.
I have to admit they are spectacular. Obviously the record and all the equipment downstream play a role in the sound heard. In some cases I prefer the JLTI and in other cases the EAR. But neither out do the other dramatically.
What phono preamps outshine others by a big margin, those that can be considered the last phono preamp ever needed.
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The phono stage in my Rowland Concentra integrated was stellar. That said I have been listening to MM cartidges latley and settled on A Soundsmith Boheme cartridge mated to there top MM stage. I have just spent the last three weeks on the power supply adding more filtering and I cannot believe how good the stage is. I have another power supply on the back burner and waiting for parts to complete. I am not opposed to dumpster diving for records and at present the system extracts very good results from bargain bin vinyl. Good mint vinyl really shines--very easy to listen to. |
I did a load of tests about 6 years ago and gave it to the Whest 0.2 in my system. That said, I loved a custom made phono stage by Paul Hynes - who unfortunately no longer makes them anymore- shame - coz it was the nicest sounding phono stage of the lot. For sheer unfatiguing musicality, believe it or not, the EAR 834P is very good indeed. I tried a Klimo VIV and found it to be lacking both grip and drive. Many will disagree, but in my system I was spectacularly disappointed with 'the groove' by tom evans. I am told that his latest phono stage is very good, but if it is more of the same of 'the groove' then I'm not sure if I would like it. I will say, howevver, that the best reviews for the Groove have come from valve based hifi amplifier systems, so my transistor Lavardin IT may not be the best match. If money were no object I would try out the Whest reference (hence I won't audition it!). |
Has anybody heard the FM Acoustics 223 phono stage ? It claims to remove the scratches and surface noise on LP's. FM Acoustics claim that the tics and scratches are removed in the analog domain and not digitally so I wonder if there is a delay in the music. Below is a link, sorry cannot figure out how to make a direct link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-AW6lZLcuA What are your thoughts ? |
I do not know a lot about the technical side of phono stages, and I have not owned a lot of phono stages, but I can tell you that my Leben phono stage does an excellent job with MM cartridges. I can not say it is the best in the world but of the phono stages that I have owned, it is the best. It is a CR-Type of phono stage utilizing 12AT7 tubes, with a gain of 20.2db, and RIAA curve with-in +-.3%. |
Two years I bought a new Asthethix Rhea. After all my reading and a garranteed return if not happy, I bought Asthethix tube phono pre-amp. Yup, a match made in heaven! Flawless construction, 8 tubes never need anything, no adjustments swapouts. It is a perfect match match for my Myabi 47 MC cartridge. This is connected to my SME 345 arm on my Oracle Delphi. And my pre amp is a Cary SLP-05 driving a PassLabs XA100. Monoblocs. Yes expensive I know, but, in my defense, after 45 years of compromizing with mama this it! I play album everyday and for the first time I bring one album after another and guess what? No noise, click, pops, nothin but music. The synergy is just right. NOW, while I have thought of it, I have not decided to spend another 2500 to send in my Rhea to have it upgraded to signature. Maybe I'm afraid to approach mama! Supposedly from reading they say it is well worth the investment. Then again, I still got to see my wife everyday! She's my investment of 42 1/2 years. No corrolation gentlemen! |
Dhcod, Look first for your orientation at (www) audio-markt.de, second row by ASR . There are always ASR listings there in contradistinction to ebay.de. Any Emitter II from 2005 on will do. The batteries you can get everywhere. Idem for the Basis Exclusive but avoid the 2009 model because this one misses the MM input. |
ESE Lab Nibiru v3.0. I owned the battery powered version (v2.5) for seven years and sent it for the upgrade (v3.0) about two months ago. The upgraded unit has circuit changes and is now mains powered using a "virtual" battery. I was very happy with the v2.5 sound but frankly the v3.0 is astonishing. To my ears there is a large step up in resolution (low level detail), better dynamics and better tonality. This gives great insight into the music. I hear how the guitar (John Fahey!) is being played - I can almost feel the tension in the guitar strings. The Nibiru uncovers intense detail, and the separation of musical strands is stunning, but still retains the musical whole - it has great focus. |
So, I'll add my thoughts to the discussion. I recently purchased the Manley Labs Chinook phono stage from Upscale Audio. All I can say is "great job". They have a solid winner with this model. It ran perfect out of the box - even with the stock Electro Harmonix Russian tubes. I was definitely impressed. I've also had the opportunity to speak with Manley Labs tech support regarding how to configure the unit to support the Dynavector 10X5 MC cartridge. The tech support team responded within one hour - incredible customer support! I can't say enough about this company or this product. Great job guys! |
Do research the Jasmine LP20MKII. I've seen it favorably compared to the Manley Steelhead, other TOTL units. I am an owner. The company stands behind their product and have been excellent to work with when I asked for a reduction in global gain prior to sending it out. http://www.jasmineaudio.net/lp20MKII.html |
Dhcod, I owned three versions of both: the Basis and the Emitter II. Scheafer the owner/designer is very fond of modifications. Each new mod means new and higher price but not necessarily any improvement. The 2005 Basis was worst then 2003 version. I was not able to notice any difference between ,say, 2002 Emitter II and 2006 Emitter II. The first 'golden' version (2008-9)of the Basis Exclusive was a disaster for me. I bought this one assuming that both MM and MC connections were present but Scheafer decided for some unknown reasons to mod this one with only MC inputs. So I was 'forced' to buy the 2010 version a year later. I have some relatives by ASR company so I wrote 'forced' with quotation marks. Now if you live in Europe you can buy Emitter II for cheap on ebay.de or Audio-Markt.de. The problem for those who live outside of Europe is the weight and consequently the postage cost. With the Basis phono however one can remove the batteries from the transformer part and reduce the weight with +/- 12 kgr. This means 2 packets with less than 20 kgr. with reasonable postage cost. Regards, |
ASR Basis Exclusive. I have the blue board version. It's a tad warmer (although less resolving) than the newer gold board version but I think it's right in the sweet spot of my system. I don't think I'll be needing another phono stage ever. Can't imagine what could sound better that was attainable price wise. Now if I could only get an Emitter to match! |
After spending no less than 30 hours trying to fix this phono stage, and my Aesthetix monoblocks I think I am giving up it is just to noisy for me and plagued with gremlins. Aesthetix sold me 4 new tubes for the front end that quieted down some crackling a bit however it is still pretty loud and I am thinking now it is just not a good match to my system. They maintain as well it is not good paired with the calypso. My system is Basis Debut TT > IO > Aesthetix Calypso sig pre amp > Aesthetix monoblocks > Vandersteen Sevens. I think on a lesser system it would be ok but I hear everything and this is really bad. I did switch tubes from side to side and the sides are pretty much equally as noisy. I tried some cheapo phono stages and they had about a 10th of the noise and over all sounded better because of that but not so dynamic so I know it is the phono section. Now I just need to figure out what to replace this with I think I am going to go more solid state if there are any suggestions. Its ashame Aesthetix was one of my favorite brands and I use to comment as such and recommend them but I guess like everything else they have good stuff and not so good stuff which makes this mixing and matching game for good sound so much harder. |
Dear Programmergeek, I am sorry and surprised to learn of your frustration with the Io Eclipse. This is the sort of thing that causes end-users to abandon tubes in favor of solid state. Don't give up too easily. You might contact Albert Porter; he used an Io happily for many years, although lately I think he must have switched to Allnic H3000, since he is a dealer. But he may be able to give you some tips. Sounds to me like you have one or more bad tubes in there. If the issue is on one channel vs the other, you might identify the culprit by switching one tube at a time from one side to the other, until the noise shifts with one tube change. Or variations on that theme. Never had any such issue with my Atma-sphere MP1. |
I would disagree I have an IO sig. I had major issues with it so sent it back to Aesthix and had it upgraded to the Eclipse spent another 5k on it just to make sure I got it back working perfect. It is horrible I can hear it from about 18' away it is super noisy and on occasion gets so many pops and noise I have to shut it down in fear it will blow a speaker. Also Aesthetix clames it does not pair well with my Aesthetix calypso sig pre and now wants to sell me tubes after they just had it for service and gave it the ok. Besides being excessively noisy it does sound good when running I just wish I could keep it running for 2 hours and listen to some music without the fear of burning up something in my system or blowing my speakers. |
I use the ASR Basis Exclusive, very good but quite expensive if bought new. Also used the Musical Fidelity kW phono; good sound and built like a tank; like the ASR you can use 2 tables at once. Blue Circle is good at a lower price range; I had the 707; the same performance is available from their model built into PVC pipe. Short on looks but might be the most bang for buck out there; available with different size power supplies. |
After trying various phono stages with my ZYX R100H cartridge these last months, I ended up with a BMC MCCI. It is built like a tank, and it looks it right away! It resembles the sound of the ASR mini Exclusive (runner up on my list) , but it somehow creates a more uniform transition from one instrument to the other, except when the artist (or sound engineer) specifically wants something to stand out. Other phono stages I tried at home on the same setup were the PS Audio, the Audio Analogue Aria (junk for MC carts) and the RCM. Please note that the BMC has its quirks. It works with MC carts only. Moreover you need a cart with low internal impedance. For example my Denon DL103 with an impedance of 40 Ohms was a disaster. The ZYX at 8 Ohms really sings. Another issue is that you need XLR plugs connected to your tonearm cable. Not easy to connect different arms every now and then. |
I purchased a Silvaweld SWH550 phono stage (the top phono in that now extinct line of product) about 6 months ago, to use as a dedicated MM phono stage. Found it on eBay for surprisingly low cost, probably because few people have ever heard of Silvaweld, let alone do they know that Silvaweld products were designed by the same guy who now designs for Allnic. Brad Morricab gave rave reviews to the lesser SWH450 version, in Positive Feedback and on the internet. The 550 is pretty cool, uses tube rectification, choke-input filter, and separate tube-based voltage regulators for R and L channels. Each tube in the circuit also has its own decoupling capacitors located near the plate pins. However, unlike the top Allnic phono stages, the SWH550 does not use LCR RIAA filtering. I've been enjoying it, but not insanely so. The other day, I replaced the suspect output coupling caps with a pair of Mundorf Silver/Oil caps that I broke in before installation. Holy cow! This simple upgrade vaulted the Silvaweld into the stratosphere. The SWH550 feeds my MP1. I use the built-in MP1 phono stage for MC cartridges. I have not heard a huge variety of very expensive phono stages, but suffice to say that the Silvaweld is terrific, as is of course the MP1. The Silvaweld has MC capability; the needed extra gain is added at the input via the use of what appear to be battery-biased JFETs, rather than the more typical SUTs. Have not auditioned the MC circuit. This should remind us that brand names are secondary; the meat of the matter is the circuit design and the parts implementation. |
To answer to the above, I just think that all component that are good, are good objectively and we all just use them as tone controls. I'll give an example now that I have the ASR Basis Exclusive: My speakers are Quad ESL57 and they are incredible at what they are incredible at, tonal realism, tactile sound, elbow room around instruments, airy presentation but for all time, people have been trying to get a little more sparkle out of the top end and a little less mushy bass. I've been able to help this by using a higher powered tube amp than is traditionally suggested (using protection boards) and after years of using an Art Audio phono stage, I've found that the ASR Basis gives me all that tube midrange and realism but I'm able to squeeze more top end sparkly out of the Quads by using it. People I know who own to the very best phono stages tell me that once you get into the ASRs and the other units in that price range and above, the difference between tubes and solid state is not really the issue anymore. I've found that to be true with my experiences since my initial post. And it's not like I can just change speakers because I'm not going to find what I love in the Quads in any other speakers. |
