2. analog
  3. 160884-9095

Phonostage recommendations under $3K

Folks,

I am looking to step up from my current Parasound ZPhono XRM (still under 60 days audition trial). To be honest, I am quite pleased with its performance, feature set and flexibility. I mean what else you can expect from a $600 phono. While I enjoyed listening to vinyl through XRM, I feel there is room for improvement and XRM may be the weakest link in my vinyl setup. And since XRM is the only phono I’ve experienced in my setup, I don’t have quite have a reference point. So what else should I be considering under $3K?

I prefer a relaxed and slightly warm sound since I mostly listen to jazz genre.

I started to put together a list list based on sound quality and flexibility with gain and impedance settings.

Parasound JC 3+ Phono Pre
Allnic H-1202
Leben RS30 EQ (requires a SUT for MC Cart)

I hear high praises on Herron VTPH-2A but it’s bit more than I would like to spend at this time.

My current vinyl setup, Thorens TD1601, ZPhono XRM, Hana ML (low output - 0.4mv), Accuphase E-650 and Tannoy Canterbury’s.

I would really appreciate some recommendations based on your personal experiences. Thank you!
128x128lalitk
three_easy_payments's avatar
three_easy_payments
2,097 posts
 
Good luck. When my search was narrowed down to a few contenders I started looking at used. Never did see a Herron for sale. Saw one that had sold the day it was listed and before I started looking. Then kept looking a good 6 months after deciding it would be the Herron. (I buy components, not deals.) In 6 months I saw zero listed but two times people had them listed as WANTED.  

They come up for a sale used much more frequently these days.  Over the past 2 weeks I've seen two listings alone.

https://i.postimg.cc/pLfmt3KJ/Herron.jpg

I may consider selling mine in the $2500 range as it sees very little use since getting my Luxman EQ-500.



keithr
1,306 posts
 
I just ordered the Fern & Roby Maverick, the collaboration with LTA and Berning. Will see if it beats my little Octave. 

kgturner's avatar
kgturner
663 posts
 
Manley Chinook or Gold Note PH-10 + PSU-10. The PH-10 is $1600 and can be used as a standalone unit or you can get the outboard power supply (PSU-10) for ~$1100 more.
lalitk's avatar
lalitk OP
5,111 posts
 
@keithr,

Please post your feedback once you get situated with Maverick. I did look at the phono when I was considering F&R Montrose turntable.
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
sumadoggie-
I took delivery of a VTPH-2A about a month ago (running a Rega P10 through it). It is lovely and lives up to all of the praise heaped upon it in this forum. Keith also deserves all the kind words mentioned about him. It’s worthwhile to contact Keith and get a conversation going even if you don’t decide to buy from him. I’ve put about 30 hours on it. It’s wonderful out of the box and continues to open up. I haven’t even started to play with the capacitance plugs yet.
Resistance. But yeah, its an impressive phono stage. Michael Fremer reviewed it as being comparable to anything in Class A- and that was the previous version! I actually think one of the bigger obstacles to wider acceptance is its low price. Nobody wants to believe you can get a $10k phono stage for $3500! Have you looked inside? If you do then its even harder to believe. How he sells it so cheap I don’t know.

At 30 hours the bulk of the big improvements are done. But don’t be surprised if you notice a hundred hours from now it sounds even better. The improvements sneak up on you. For a real treat leave it on all day and listen late at night. You’re right about dynamics but probably the biggest surprise to me was how utterly "right" it gets the timbre and tone of every instrument. Keith tells me this is timing. Not something I ever thought of as timing before but when he started explaining and got into the Fourier Transform he lost me. Suffice to say the guy is absolutely obsessed with this stuff, and it shows in his work.
More to discover