New Cartridge or New Preamp
Hi All,
I have upgradeitis.
Here's my system:
Rogue Rp1 Preamplifier
Rogue M-120 Magnum Monoblocks
VPI Prime Scout w Ortofon Black (and Bronze)
Ohm Walsh 5 LE
So here's the thing, I just replaced the tubes in my preamp, same tubes, gold lion with gold lion, and the improvement was astounding. Everything sparkles. Happy listener.
So now I want even more and the next logical thing is that the lifespan of my cartridge is nearing the end so I need to start thinking about replacing.
My top choice is the soundsmith zephyr. I've heard it on my table, have really enjoyed it and know it would make me very happy. BUT the RP1 pre-amp is nearly the same price as the cartridge, What's the rule of thumb there, if any?
My belief is a nicer cartridge with a very well made pre-amp will still make a noticeable difference and price doesn't matter, your ears do...but I'm interested in hearing other's opinions.
Another thought would be getting a new external phono pre-amp. I do have a musical surroundings phonomena ii+ but I didn't find it to be all that much better than the onboard phono of the rogue. But open to ideas.
I'm looking for more detail in my playback at this point. I'm very satisfied with the openness and power I get from the tube monos and ohms currently.
Thanks in advance!
"I didn't find it to be all that much better than the onboard phono of the rogue." You're missing another level of performance. Your existing table setup isn't maximized until you're using an outboard phonostage. Max the budget, whatever it is. Rogue Ares Magnum version would be a nice addition. After that, consider next level cartridge. |
@tablejockey thanks, could you elaborate as to what makes an outboard stage inherently better? |
Built in phonostages are a design solution for convenience. Only a SOTA unit will have one that may compare with a circuit of an outboard. Unless you're comparing a SOTA piece, it's safe to say a built in will not pack as much engineering and components needed for a proper built in phonostage. You don't think a circuit comparable to this is inside the box of your preamp? One of these can be had for under $2K used. Manley Chinook
Rogue Ares under $1500 used
Your ears will be pleasantly surprised. Every proper table setup is driven by a separate phonostage. You likely heard the difference between going integrated amp to stereo, then to monoblocks? |
Really, everything is important. For my system the greatest improvement was obtained when I cleaned up my power. Second, a used phono preamplifier. I say this because in my system I went from an integrated with built in preamplifier to a $2400 new preamplifier and ended with a fairly high end preamplifier purchased used that made a major improvement in my system. My turntable is much like yours and I also greatly upgraded my cartridge and this did make a difference, but I don’t think it would have heard as much difference with a lesser phono stage. |
