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Teddy Pardo Phono stage

Ah, the only issue I would propose might come up is the desire to "try out" other electrical options for capacitance, impedance and gain before knowing what someone likes the sound of best. Might get a bit pricey to order even 3 pairs. Going by manufacturers recommended loading obviously would be a good start but sometimes that fine tuning is best done through listening (always best). So is there a way to get around a large expense to figure out the best options?
 
cromodora said:
This may be the sleeper concerned.

Audio-Technica
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Correct.

I'd only really be comfortable if I knew how many decibels gain it has. My current stage - a Diablo/NCPSU, has enough gain for the AT50ANV, but I felt it was more comfortable with carts around the 0.3mV mark. I'm sure it would be fine with 0.2mV also, and it puts in a very good performance with the very low output. But... I feel it's a special challenge getting ultra noise with that kind of low output. Maybe I should be looking at a step up anyway.
 
Do you have the possibility to compare it to similar (and preferably much more expensive :D)gear?
 
33RPM said:
Do you have the possibility to compare it to similar (and preferably much more expensive :D)gear?
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Not really I'm afraid. My current phono stage is a Trichord Dino II with PS, that's what I'll be comparing the TP phono stage with and not in any controlled manner. I'll certainly share my views, but they'll be somewhat subjective.
 
yuckyamson said:
what settings did you opt for on the plug ins and what cart are you matching it with?
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I've got a Denon DL-103 and the settings I chose (according to the cart's spec) for the plugs are:

Input Sensitivity (mV): 0.3mV
Input Impedance (Ohm): 40 ohms
 
My first impressions were vinyl was being played a bit quieter and less bright than the Trichord, but still quite enjoyable - Josie by Steely Dan is damn fun to listen to! It turns out though, I've got the wrong plugs (plugs intended for a Linn Troika, not a Denon DL-103) and the correct ones are on their way so what I've been hearing isn't quite accurate to the way the phono stage will sound with the correct plugs attached so my thoughts thus far are somewhat invalid.

I'll update the thread when the correct plugs arrive :)
 
I've had the correct plugs for a few days now and here's some early impressions of the phono stage.

A old friend of mine, New York Joe (hey Joe, if you're reading this, how's things man? hope all's well), has an old Gibson acoustic guitar (I don't know the exact model and vintage, but I think it's from the '70s or early '80s) and it sounds as sweet as honey. I just listened to the Eagles' album Desperado and instantly recognised that sweetness! I might be wrong, but the guitars on that album sounded as sweet as honey and I reckon they're Gibson guitars - something that never occurred to me in all the years I've listened to that particular album.

I'm currently listening to Innervisions by Stevie Wonder and that sweetness is present here also. The phono stage seems to have a warmth about it that my Trichord Dino doesn't. It seems to need a bit more volume to get to boogie level and isn't quite as bright at the top (which isn't necessarily a bad thing as crackly vinyl is now much more bearable!), but other than that, the sound of the phono stage is growing on me day by day and I can't wait to get the Teddy Pre/ monoblock combo to see (hear) how well the phono stage works with the Teddy amp.

Fwiw, Teddy said I could keep the Troika plugs free gratis, so I now have two pairs of plugs to experiment with if/ when I change carts. Cheers Teddy :)
 
I thought the Eagles used Martin guitars, they did when I saw them when they came over and played at The Elizabeth Rooms in 1972 when they were over to record their first album at Olympic Studios with Glyn Johns.

Regards,

Martin
 
martin dawson said:
I thought the Eagles used Martin guitars, they did when I saw them when they came over and played at The Elizabeth Rooms in 1972 when they were over to record their first album at Olympic Studios with Glyn Johns.

Regards,

Martin
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For their electrics I've seen images of them with various Fenders, Gibsons & Rickenbackers.
 
I've now had the correct plugs for about 5 days and I'm almost ready to declare I 'heart' Teddy Pardo* :)

When I first got the PS, it sounded very different to my Trichord Dino but not necessarily better. It was certainly warmer, but that was about all I could tell. In fact, for the first couple of records, it didn't sound that good although that might have been down to a rogue bit of fluff. I don't know whether my ears and mind have simply acclimatised to the sound or the electronics have been broken in, or maybe a bit of both, but the Teddy Pardo PS has really grown on me and I think I can sum it up in two words: warm and exciting!

The warmth pervades every piece of music that's played and makes me want to play louder and longer and unlike some 'warm' hifi, there's no diminished sense of excitement. I just listened to Crime of the Century (Mobilie Fidelity) and the drama inherent in that album came through in spades. Admittedly my Kans (and Nait XS) will have play a part in that, but the PS didn't seem to slow or borify the drama.

I'll probably connect the Dino back up for a final comparison in a few days' time, but there's a part of me that thinks I shouldn't because doing so means I can't listen to music via the Teddy PS! Anyway, I now know what the TP sound is and I like it and absolutely can't wait for my pre/ power combo to arrive. If Teddy ever makes speakers, put me down for a pair :)

p.s. anyone wanna buy a Trichord Dino phono stage??? ;)

* I say almost because I've learned it takes longer than a few minutes or days to decide whether any sonic difference is preferable. Sonic differences are usually quite easy to notice, but discovering a preference takes time.
 
windhoek said:
...

* I say almost because I've learned it takes longer than a few minutes or days to decide whether any sonic difference is preferable. Sonic differences are usually quite easy to notice, but discovering a preference takes time.
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This approach coincides with my experience too, enjoy the new phono stage.
 
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