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Phono odyssey

N

Nick_pink

pfm Member
I am currently on the market for a ss phono stage around 800p+/- and i need help in order to eliminate to a few options.
The current candidates are lehmann cube se ii, trichord, trigon, definitely primare r32 or a used upper one.
Looking for a full bodied, smooth yet dynamic sound with excellent staging .
Any experience on any (or other) of the above out there?
 
What is your TT, arm and cart. In the wrong system a good phono may not work.
 
My cartridge for the moment is a sumiko with jico sas.
The current tt is a project xperience but i just started a lenco project. The intention is to b used with a linn or jelco 12" arm.
 
As there has been very little response to the OP I'll mention that he may want to do a search here on pfm for Arkless 640P..... Should beat any of the models listed in the OP and for less than half the price ;)
 
If it has to be ss, have you thought about a Whest ps30r? I have owned one previously, and definitely worth a shout.
 
At £800? That would be the Whest Two.

I'm sure the Lehmann is an excellent choice (versatile too).
 
Does it have to be SS? If not, why not think about the new TRON Convergence valve phono stage, made near Uxbridge at £900 for the MM version? It's easily a £2k phono stage in performance. I listened to it a few weeks ago and posted a review here.

http://topoxforddoc.zenfolio.com/blog/2015/4/hi--fi-review---tron-convergence-phono-stage

Doug (Bikerboy) on Wigwam listened to it recently and said this
"we also slipped the new phono stage, what a pleasant surprise that was. After it had been in the system for a couple of hours I was captivated by Graham's efforts in making an affordable phono stage. I checked your write up and think you got it spot on."
 
I have a Linn Linto for £470 including UK shipping, very nice stage, dead quiet, detailed and dynamic.
 
I would prefer an MM/MC stage because life is like a box of chocolates-you never know what you are gonna to get.

So noone suggests i should go for it!
That is a little surprising.
there will be better out there but >2xprice and how much better i wonder?
from what's suggested here (whests, trichord) is it worth the double price?
 
I'm selling my Sonneteer Sedley MM/MC phono at the moment but if I'm honest I wasnt very impressed with the MC stage when used with a ZYX R50. The MM stage OTOH is absolutely brilliant and probably the best I have heard so far.

Whest Two - £400 - £600 (s/h) - Brilliant MC stage and beats ones costing twice as much
Trichord Dino mk1 - very good if a little warm sounding
DV P75 mk1 - Brilliant with both MM & MC carts

If you're near Southampton you are welcome to pop in and hear the Sedley and I should be receiving a Croft RIAA later this week as well.

I haven't read a single bad review of Jez's stage but for me I don't like CA case so have never bought one. If Jez was to transplant it into a Croft type case I'd be buying one in a flash (hint hint)
 
I'd like a full width black case to go with the Dynavector Pre & power amps.

Intention is to have one rack and all look nice and symmetrical.

Untitled by thebiglebowski162, on Flickr
 
The Dynavector P75 is pretty decent for the money. I had a mk II before moving to a whest 30dr. I was using DV carts too though in those days...
 
thebiglebowski said:
I'm selling my Sonneteer Sedley MM/MC phono at the moment but if I'm honest I wasnt very impressed with the MC stage when used with a ZYX R50. The MM stage OTOH is absolutely brilliant and probably the best I have heard so far.

Whest Two - £400 - £600 (s/h) - Brilliant MC stage and beats ones costing twice as much
Trichord Dino mk1 - very good if a little warm sounding
DV P75 mk1 - Brilliant with both MM & MC carts

If you're near Southampton you are welcome to pop in and hear the Sedley and I should be receiving a Croft RIAA later this week as well.

I haven't read a single bad review of Jez's stage but for me I don't like CA case so have never bought one. If Jez was to transplant it into a Croft type case I'd be buying one in a flash (hint hint)
Click to expand...

As and when I get round to putting one of the dozens of prototypes into production, a new Arkless Electronics phono stage in a bigger and better case will be something much more "high end" than the present one and of different circuitry entirely....

Re-using the CA box, sockets nd PSU keeps it cheap at the moment but a bigger, better case will add so much to the cost that I might as well take the opportunity to go up market on the innards as well....

There are all valve, valve/SS hybrid and all SS models (including one working on the same principles as "The Paradise" phono stage), some MM only, some MC only and some switchable MM/MC all "work in progress" at the moment ;)

It's often a compromise to make a phono stage switchable MM/MC (not always but in the majority of cases) for technical reasons which I won't dwell on, hence possible MM only and MC only types. The compromise needn't always be a big one but will often, for example, mean adding an electrolytic capacitor to the signal path which wouldn't be needed if it was MC only....
 
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