I recently heard a mod'ed EAR 834p that a friend brought over to try in my system. It was an absolutely fantastic phono stage which now has me looking into one. I will probably opt for a mod'ed 834p instead of a used P5. I've heard the older Wright WPP 100 had some noise issues, maybe the 200 addresses that though.
Which Tube Phono Stage around $1k?
I'm looking for a phono stage to mate with my Linn LP12/Ittok arm and a Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood cartridge. The line stage is a VTL 6.5. In the under $1k range, the Underwood Level 1 mod of the Jolida JD9a looks promising at $800. Totally stretching my budget would be a used or demo Audio Research PH5, but maybe someone can convince me that it's worth the stretch. A similar stretch might be a used Cary 302. Any comment on these or others I should consider? I'm pretty much dead set on tubes. I'll have to hear a really convincing endorsement to consider anything solid state! Thanks