Audio Research PH6 Phono Stage - How is it?

I had a ph-5 and listened to the 6. I could hardly tell the difference. I borrowed a Zesto phono pre-amp and it blew away the 5. I sold the 5 and bought the Zestos. I am very happy with it. I also like the fact it is made 30 minutes from my house if I ever have a problem with it. I have never heard the Herron or Manley so I can't comment on them.

Another tube phono stage is the EAR 834, which retails for under $2,000. Not sure how this compares with the others in this thread, but it certainly is the cheapest. Any comments on this? Taters, I will look into the Zesto as well. Thanks for the input.

Djfst,

Zd542 makes a valid point. Before you purchase any piece of new equipment, assuming no local dealer, I would contact the manufacturer directly and ask if there is a dealer in their network that would give you a 30-45 day audition period during which you could return the equipment for a full refund if the unit doesn't perform to your satisfaction. Does The Cable Company carry any equipment you are interested in?

Tmmvinyl,

I agree is it definitely one way to go. However, I am building my system from the ground up so there is so many moving parts that it would be difficult to see what is improving or not. You have to make some purchases at the beginning at least. i am not to concerned about choosing the "perfect system" as there is no such thing. There may be even a couple of components that are better than what I have, but not going to get too stressed about it. I am just using the forum to gain more understanding on products. When i do go to demo them or get a loaner, at least I'll have a narrowed down list of what I think I may like. There are so many global manufacturers nowadays and so many different models that I just want to find out more about them from people who have more experience. I think others would benefit from the forum questions and comments as well. From these forums, I was able to eliminate a lot of products after hearing more about and knew they weren't for my tastes. I have demoed everything I've purchased thus far (when I travel I research nearby audio shops), so I hope it is realized I am not just ordering random things blindly.

The somewhat low efficiency of your speakers (about 85 db at 1 meter on a per watt basis, which can be inferred from the measurements here), in combination with the 0.3 mv rated output of your cartridge and the approximately 0.32 volt sensitivity of your integrated amp, raises some concern in my mind about the adequacy of the 58 db gain of the PH6. Particularly if you are using the amp in triode mode, and particularly if your listening includes material having wide dynamic range (i.e., a wide DIFFERENCE in volume between the loudest and the softest notes, such as many classical symphonic recordings).

Under those circumstances I suspect that you would be using the amp's volume control roughly in the 3 to 4 o'clock position (assuming the min and max positions of the control are at roughly 7 and 5 o'clock, respectively). Which raises concerns not only with respect to noise generated by the phono stage, but perhaps also with respect to noise generated by the integrated amp.

What I'd suggest at this point is that with no music playing you turn up the volume control to the point where noise levels become objectionable, and let us know the corresponding position of the control. Also, let us know if you are using triode or ultralinear mode, and if your listening includes material having particularly wide dynamic range.

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al