Which Phono Pre?


Current system:
Dr. Feickert Blackbird TT
Kuzma 4-Point tonearm
Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum cartridge

Phono pre’s under consideration:
Pass Labs XP-27
Modwright PH-150
Luxman EQ 500
Wheat Audio PS.40RDT

What do you think would be the best match? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
jjgasp

Showing 4 responses by chakster

I’m curious how would you guys rate Pass Aleph Ono series and older Threshold SL-10 pre w/phono stage?
Koetsu is a low compliance cartridge, KUZMA is not the heaviest tonearm and definitely NOT for low compliance cartridges (but this is a theory), practically it can be good enough for your ears. 


@ chakster - what cartridge would you recommend for my TT/tonearm combo?


Kuzma 4 Point effective mass is 18g

My recommendation is Audio-Technica AT-ML180 (MM) it was absolutely fantastic on my Reed 3P 12 inch with 18g effective mass. This is my favorite MM cartridge (and I tried so many MC and MM). If you want my personal recommendations - this is it! I invested $2k in original dead stock styli for back up, I’m packed for a long time with this gem. AT made two versions of cantilever: Gold-Plated Beryllium Pipe and Gold-Plated Boron Pipe. They made two different versions of the motor: LC-OFC and PC-OCC. The stylus tip on all versions is MicroLine (the best profile). Not sure if it’s possible to find a NOS AT-ML180 for less than $3k nowadays, but in my opinion this is real killer. Slightly cheaper versions is AT-ML170 which is also fantastic MM from my top 5.

Regarding LOMC I think you already have a good one, but personally I never tried your Koetsu cartridge, I could recommend Miyajima Kansui as an alternative (I love Miyajima for their organic sound).