I’ve owned a Sutherland insight, moon lp110 and IFi iPhono3 black label in that price range. The moon lp110 was a while ago so I don’t remember a lot about it to be honest, but it was the least impressive of the ones I’ve owned. The Sutherland was excellent - warm and full sounding, more traditionally ‘analog’ if you know what I mean. Out of all of them, my favourite - to my taste and system - was the iFi. Detailed, clear and transparent, with incredible black backgrounds. It was super versatile, with a range of different gain and load settings. And I t was the size of a few packs of cards so easily hidden.
That is my experience, but it kinda goes without saying that demoing - at a dealer or better, in your own system - is the best way to decide. Synergy of components and the wildcard impact of your personal tastes and room is often overlooked or underrated.
Looking for a great phono pre-amp in the $1000 or less range
I’ve a vintage Kenwood KD-500 DD turntable (concrete base), and grace tonearm. Currently running a grado gold MM cartridge running through the built-in phono preamp section of my NAD C658 preamp, into an Anthem MCA 225 mk 2 amp and Martin Logan Classic 9 electrostatic speakers. Streaming Tidal can give me some stunning results but my music through the turntable is far less compelling. Hence the desire to try upgrading my phono preamp section (and eventually move to a MC). After substantial digging I’ve got a few higher level candidates, there are obviously many out there.
the two front runners I’m considering are:
the Back Ice Audio F9 mk and the gold note PH5. The black ice is intriguing but not nearly as well known or reviewed as the gold note.
others I’ve considered:
sutherland KC Vibe mk2
moon audio 110 LP V2
parasound zphono XRM
feedback from the community appreciated!
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- 39 posts total
- 39 posts total