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What phono stage do you use ?

Biker Boy said:
I am using a EAR 834P valves have been changed to NOS Brimar and Telefunken, very special in its sound quality. I have this year added a Living Voice SUT which has art audio transformers, this has really brought the record collection alive.
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Yes, I feel the 834p makes records sound the way I want them to. I don't care if its correct - it's the most enjoyable of presentations.

I also agreed ref: the inbuilt step-up, I don't rate it, and use the MM stage with either an MM or a high output MC.

If I had a low output MC, I'd buy some partridge transformers or similar.
 
Another very satisfied 834p user here.
I've not (yet) tried valve rolling it, not sure where to start!
Something for the future maybe.
Matt.
 
Mike Reed said:
Which Prefix power supply?

The SL is a superior product (of course), but re-introduces the arm lead, which is a negative. However, resistance and capacitance adjustments, plus maxing out the power supply (Supercap, though it's close on my 552) plus Burndy etc. does make an appreciable difference, especially as you move up the cartridge ladder.
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Actually the arm lead made absolutely bugger all difference. My Prefix is in a shoebox case and was fed from my SMEV with the standard SME lead, so 1.25m of cable. Because my Prefix sits next to my deck it was possible to drop this to less than 15cm, so I trimmed it all back and rebuilt with better silver cable, fully shielded, foil and braid screen, sme plugs, all silver, yada, yada. It made absolutely no difference to the sound. I agree it makes sense that a shorter lead should make a difference but with low capacitance cable and a MC, it just doesn't. Bear in mind the ARO and various Linn wires aren't double shielded, so maybe it does if replacing one of them- but then are they really suitable in the first place?

I assume anyone else replacing a Stageline or 323 cards etc hasn't similarly been able to isolate only the arm cable swap such as I was, as they swapped phonostage and removed cable, and rerouted signal path and grounding etc etc. Trust me on this though- the arm cable is a red herring. Maybe my Benz LP cart isn't good enough to provide a difference, ;-)

Power supply. Probably not the place to detail it all, but here's the pics.http://www.flickr.com/photos/59684834@N08/6197925759/in/set-72157626166299910

It runs from a modified TPX from Les, different rectifiers.
 
I've been using a Tom Evans Microgroove Plus for my LP12/Lingo/Ittok/AT33EV. This was a great match with Naim 202/200; dynamic, good sense of timbre, good scale and depth - excellent. I've also found the TE stages work well with valves (I tried them with various Croft amps). However its not working well with my Unico Pre/DM. It really all is in synergy with phono stages (as with everything). With these amps my vinyl is too often sounding lean, which is far from the case with the Naim. Its this kind of contrast that makes me distrust anything anyone says without comparative context.
 
Gaius said:
Had a few this year, mainly different versions of the Trichord Dino ending in DinoII/NCPSU/Performance cable, by far the best Dino, just sold it!

P75 is good for the money, a bit rough round the edges, Hera/Iso was very nice, another Tom evans design, he is very good, the 2 box Heed Quasar (?) thing is rather good, detailed rich and smooth.

Going to try Naim Prefix S with Hicap driving either Lyra Delos or DVXX.

Any Prefix owners got any tips/advice please chip in....
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Think you'll be better off with a K; wider bandwidth: have never found S successful in comparison using Lyras, Koetsu and, of course, Karma.
 
This one powered by a kendeiled HiCap.

Its made out of a pair of modified Naim k-boards

CIMG0555.jpg
 
Mike Reed said:
Think you'll be better off with a K; wider bandwidth: have never found S successful in comparison using Lyras, Koetsu and, of course, Karma.
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Now that's interesting, I thought the K was for Linn carts of the Supex era, btw, love the Karma.

My Prefix K is on route to Darran at Class A to be changed to an S!

Is this a mistake?

Delos or DVXX is the cart.
 
Gaius said:
Now that's interesting, I thought the K was for Linn carts of the Supex era, btw, love the Karma.

My Prefix K is on route to Darran at Class A to be changed to an S!

Is this a mistake?

Delos or DVXX is the cart.
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Yeh it's a mistake all it takes is 1 minute to replace the resistors yourself.
6197925759_e7be024283_b.jpg
 
Gaius said:
P75 is good for the money, a bit rough round the edges...

Going to try Naim Prefix S with Hicap driving either Lyra Delos or DVXX.

Any Prefix owners got any tips/advice please chip in....
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Mark, it's curious you consider the DV75 a bit rough around the edges. I thought it comprehensively trounced my Prefix/Supercap. Mind you, I was using it with a ultra-low impedance Lyra Clavis DC into the DR T mode, which made the Lyra shine. I'm now running a Kleos and it sounds rather nice.

James
 
Incidentally has anyone heard the Origin Live stage? I quite like the option of having everything switchable so am thinking about either that or an Ios. The NVA phono 2 also seems to have a good rep, and will match by new NVA amps nicely...
 
Kinshaw Perception phono and Aqvox Phono 2Ci. Two very different approaches and the jury is still out as to which I prefer. A recent attempt to sell one resulted in a sigh of relief when the buyer returned it as not suitable for his cartridge.
 
Gaius said:
My Prefix K is on route to Darran at Class A to be changed to an S!

Is this a mistake?

Delos or DVXX is the cart.
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Guess you'll find out, if it's virtually fait accompli. Assuming you were using these cart's previously, of course.

F.w.i.w., Neither I nor my friend had any success in improving on a K board with any cart. we had (Roksan, Lyra, Koetsu, Ortofon and Linn) over the years.

I did think that the S boards would reduce R.F.I. two decades ago but they didn't. R.F.I. shouldn't be a problem with the Prefix, esp. the later ones, as it's the arm lead which is the errant contributor here (well, SME (VdH) leads, anyway).
 
Cable Monkey said:
Kinshaw Perception phono
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Gosh ! Are these still going? Bumped into a chap called Hawkins from Cornwall at a Heathrow show (eighties/early nineties), who let me borrow his phono stage. Against the Iso/Hera and Naim boards I had then, it was very good indeed.

KINSHAW = anagram of HAWKINS.
 
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