First phono stage upgrade

@hleeid 

What phono stage did you settle on? Did you get the Konus? 

@jc51373

I did get the Konus. It is the Vinyle 1000 MC.

But first, a huge shout out to Colin King at Gestalt Audio.
I had a great customer experience. Colin is extremely knowledgeable and generous with his time. He helped me cut through lots of confusion on many things about vinyl.

I completely happy with my purchase. Colin was very polite, professional, and
always willing to spend time speaking with me.
Even after the sale.

I have come across a handful of individuals who are vendors but of the highest caliber (Duke from AudioKinesis, Richard from Renaissance Audio).

Colin definitely has a place on that list.

Back to the Konus.

This is my first upgrade so I consider myself still somewhat new to vinyl.
So here is my best evaluation as a newbie.

After home auditioning the Musical Surrounding Nova III and a Black Ice Audio F159 from a local shop, I was able to hear the improvement over my starter phonostage (Vincent PHO 8).
At the same decibel reading on my phone app, almost all records "sounded" louder with the loaners.
Orchestral pieces were more distinct with more discernable placement of instruments.
Bass track heavy jazz (Herbie Hancock HeadHunters) sounded less congested and boomy.
Diana Krall had more texture and form to her spoken/sung words.

I could listen at lower volumes without losing detail and dynamic range.

Not all improvements were significant. Sometimes I would have to repeat a track to confirm the details I heard with the loaner units at the lower volume.
Other times I could not hear any difference.

Kind of fun doing testing against the Vincent.
I also noticed the sound quality of the Vincent coming very close to the loaners on some tracks. Sometimes I would have to repeat tracks to try to hear differences.

Very noticeable improvements at the extreme upper and lower frequencies.
The most noticeable improvements were the ability to play at low volumes without sacrificing SQL.

Then I got the Konus for a trial.

It bested the Musical Surrounding Nova III and a Black Ice Audio F159 similar to how these loaners bested my Vincent PHO 8.

Honestly, I feel the improvement from the Konus over the loaners was not as significant as the improvement from the loaners over my Vincent.

But also, almost every record sounded less forced. Like the system wasn’t stretching to reveal clarity and detail in the highs.

Bass? Well, that’s tough to describe.
I wouldn’t say controlled. Maybe more distinct and technical.
Easier to follow the bass lines without them being overbearing.

Thanks again to Colin King!
Thanks to @lalitk for the introductions!

@hleeid thrilled you're loving the Konus!

@gestalt Hi Colin!

Apologies for the long overdue shout out!

Yes. Absolutely loving the Konus!

Definitely a made a big improvement with the turntable and cartridge, and in my listening room, and my ears.

What I posted doesn't quite lend justice in describing the complete satisfaction and confidence I have enjoyed during my phonostage upgrade journey.

I have no business affiliation with Colin or Gestalt Audio.

But I am now another extremely happy and loyal customer.

@hleeid

You’re welcome. There is nothing like finding that sweet spot. Enjoy!