Ecka,
At best, you will be able to compile a list of candidates. Unfortunately, there is no realistic way to audition the various candidates in your own system.
I've only heard the Sutherland at shows, so at best, I can say that the systems I heard it in sounded refined and pleasantly listenable. Is this what you are hearing? Is there any sense that it is lacking in some area?
In the solid state camp, the Lyra Connoisseure that I've heard at shows sounded VERY good -- dramatic, dynamic and exciting without being mechanical and artificially edgy as some solid state phonostages sound to me. A friend has a Boulder, and though it is hard to isolate the contribution of that particular phonostage (he also has a Boulder linestage), I have NOT particularly liked the sound.
In dealer systems, I have heard great sound from Audionote (uk)phonostages and from custom-designed phonostages built around an Audionote step-up transformer. These would certainly are capable of delivering top-flight sound.
A friend has the Tron phonostage. I thought it is sounded pretty good in two different systems a bunch of us heard it playing through (Transfiguration Orpheus cartridge and Ortofon Per Winfield). This tube-based phonostage, like all tube phonostages, sounded dramatically different depending on the selection of tubes so it requires some experimentation to sound its best. The Tron also lacked any convenient way to change loading (one would have to open the unit and solder in different resistors). The good news is that it is not ridiculously expensive.
I have a Viva Fono phonostage. It is tube-based, and like the Tron, it lacks any kind of convenient way to change loading. It too required some fiddling with tube choice for me to find what works best in my system. To me, this is a terrific sounding phonostage -- well worth the trouble. It is dramatically different from the Sutherland, in terms of size. It has a power supply bigger than many power amps, and the separate amplifier box is bigger than most linestages. The only phonostage I've seen and heard that is more massive is the Audionote phonostage. The other bad news is that it currently costs something like 14,000 Euros (sadly, this is MUCH cheaper than the Boulder, Audionote and Connoisseure stages mentioned above).
Another pretty good stage that I've heard in a dealer's system is the Manley Steelhead. It is extremely versatile and easy to adjust for gain, loading, etc. I thought it sounded nice and punchy, and it represents good value, compared to the units I've mentioned above. Perhaps not a candidate on most people's "best" list, but a realistic and practical choice.
At best, you will be able to compile a list of candidates. Unfortunately, there is no realistic way to audition the various candidates in your own system.
I've only heard the Sutherland at shows, so at best, I can say that the systems I heard it in sounded refined and pleasantly listenable. Is this what you are hearing? Is there any sense that it is lacking in some area?
In the solid state camp, the Lyra Connoisseure that I've heard at shows sounded VERY good -- dramatic, dynamic and exciting without being mechanical and artificially edgy as some solid state phonostages sound to me. A friend has a Boulder, and though it is hard to isolate the contribution of that particular phonostage (he also has a Boulder linestage), I have NOT particularly liked the sound.
In dealer systems, I have heard great sound from Audionote (uk)phonostages and from custom-designed phonostages built around an Audionote step-up transformer. These would certainly are capable of delivering top-flight sound.
A friend has the Tron phonostage. I thought it is sounded pretty good in two different systems a bunch of us heard it playing through (Transfiguration Orpheus cartridge and Ortofon Per Winfield). This tube-based phonostage, like all tube phonostages, sounded dramatically different depending on the selection of tubes so it requires some experimentation to sound its best. The Tron also lacked any convenient way to change loading (one would have to open the unit and solder in different resistors). The good news is that it is not ridiculously expensive.
I have a Viva Fono phonostage. It is tube-based, and like the Tron, it lacks any kind of convenient way to change loading. It too required some fiddling with tube choice for me to find what works best in my system. To me, this is a terrific sounding phonostage -- well worth the trouble. It is dramatically different from the Sutherland, in terms of size. It has a power supply bigger than many power amps, and the separate amplifier box is bigger than most linestages. The only phonostage I've seen and heard that is more massive is the Audionote phonostage. The other bad news is that it currently costs something like 14,000 Euros (sadly, this is MUCH cheaper than the Boulder, Audionote and Connoisseure stages mentioned above).
Another pretty good stage that I've heard in a dealer's system is the Manley Steelhead. It is extremely versatile and easy to adjust for gain, loading, etc. I thought it sounded nice and punchy, and it represents good value, compared to the units I've mentioned above. Perhaps not a candidate on most people's "best" list, but a realistic and practical choice.