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Phono stage recommendations

I have said it here, SO MANY times - the only ears that count are your own......

FFS - investigate and experiment.

New in the post here today - Denon HA500 - to die for.............................in the system here. Amy W has never sounded better. (sorry - head amp'.........................)

We are all on the same insane train here, so discuss, do not draw lines in the sand. Share
 
stormyuklondon1 said:
Another very happy p75 owner here, I’ve had every iteration of it,currently using the mk4 which is a stunning stage, a bargain for the price imo. I certainly won’t be changing it anytime soon.
(Unless they release a mk5..)
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Likewise I’ve gone through all 4 versions and keep a Mk4 around despite having more expensive stages in action to act as a baseline, before that I kept a Dino (had all those plus the power supplies at one time or other). With the right cart and Dr T mode it’s really excellent. Buying any of the oft mentioned stages second hand is fairly risk free, likely recoup all/most of the cost moving it on in classifieds.
 
Tim Jones said:
I just want to mention a couple of considerations about transimpedance stages.

The transimpedance thing can sound great (and usually does) but means that there are either no loading options, or only very limited adjustment. From memory the P75 in that mode does have a couple of options. The only transimpedance stage I can think of that had lots of adjustment (labelled "gain", and not loading in the conventional sense) was the late-lamented RSL one, which I owned for a couple of years and liked very much.

The P75 is great (especially in VFM terms). I'm on my second which I keep as a spare/comparator unit. But it is a little on the noisy side (pre-Mk4 anyway), and while massively entertaining, also a little coloured to my ears. You can, of course, also run it conventionally.
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By their very nature transimpedance phono stages do not need adjustable loading and indeed cannot have adjustable loading! The cart sees a "virtual short circuit" into which it delivers its power rather than voltage (sorry but life's too short to try and explain it). A further intrinsic property of a transimpedance stage is that gain is set by the internal resistance of the cart, hence different carts, all rated at say 0.5mV @ 5cm/s, will in practice give often quite different output levels from a transimpedance stage depending on their internal resistance.

The Arkless GTi is of course a transimpedance stage, as is the P75 when in the stupidly named "Dr T" setting (IIRC later ones call it "phono enhancer"... nearly as a daft a name!).

Check out several reviews on here where it was compared with the nearly twice the price Dynavector P75 and always thrashes it:) It is also quieter and more reliable! It is MC ONLY BTW.

....And not available to buy until I notify otherwise in the not too distant future (just spent >£200 on components to do more so it's defo happening;)).
 
Thank you all for the really helpful advise and links. The Aria was on my list and a local dealer has said I can try one out at home, so I can see what that sounds like in my system.

I'll spend some time having a look around for something s/h and see what I'm able to get, and how it compares to the Aria. A lot of choice in that price bracket doesn't make it easy!
 
Vinny said:
So what is it better than, in what system, with what cart'(s)'?
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In my system, on a gyro/technoarm/bryston pre/pmc actives. Currently using an atoc 9xsl , previously a dv20xl2. Before that Benz wood, before that a 10x5. I preferred it to a tricots, as well as the integrated mc phonostage in my bryston pre, which was a quite a pricey optional extra.
Don’t think I said it was better than anything else, nor that it’s the best at that price. Suits me and my tastes though., for a good price.
 
Arkless Electronics said:
By their very nature transimpedance phono stages do not need adjustable loading and indeed cannot have adjustable loading! The cart sees a "virtual short circuit" into which it delivers its power rather than voltage (sorry but life's too short to try and explain it). A further intrinsic property of a transimpedance stage is that gain is set by the internal resistance of the cart, hence different carts, all rated at say 0.5mV @ 5cm/s, will in practice give often quite different output levels from a transimpedance stage depending on their internal resistance.

The Arkless GTi is of course a transimpedance stage, as is the P75 when in the stupidly named "Dr T" setting (IIRC later ones call it "phono enhancer"... nearly as a daft a name!).

Check out several reviews on here where it was compared with the nearly twice the price Dynavector P75 and always thrashes it:) It is also quieter and more reliable! It is MC ONLY BTW.

....And not available to buy until I notify otherwise in the not too distant future (just spent >£200 on components to do more so it's defo happening;)).
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I have no wish to make your life seem any longer by talking down to plebs like me. Nonetheless, and while this is pretty academic since it's no longer made, the RSL stage (which as far as I can make out was transimpedance) was adjustable for gain: RSL Phono-Stage Owner's Manual v1.4.pdf (ryansoundlab.com)

As did/does the P75, for coil gain: p75_emanual.pdf (dynavector.com)
 
He said the gain was a function of the coil impedance which it is. The rsl has adjustable gain settings, but different coil loadings will still affect the gain.
 
Tim Jones said:
I have no wish to make your life seem any longer by talking down to plebs like me. Nonetheless, and while this is pretty academic since it's no longer made, the RSL stage (which as far as I can make out was transimpedance) was adjustable for gain: RSL Phono-Stage Owner's Manual v1.4.pdf (ryansoundlab.com)

As did/does the P75, for coil gain: p75_emanual.pdf (dynavector.com)
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My point is that loading is not adjustable and indeed cannot be with a transimpedance stage. Gain is a separate matter. Whilst gain is set by the coil resistance some units have a gain setting as well, usually just "high and low", which changes the range over which the gain is set by the coil resistance. Gain is to a degree "self regulating" as many higher output LO carts will have more turns on the coil hence higher resistance and hence lower gain from a transimpedance MC stage. For this reason, alongside avoiding switches in very low level circuitry, gain is not adjustable on the Arkless GTi.
 
I’ve owned many of the phono stages mentioned previously and I don’t think there is a “best one” IMHE - a lot depends on synergy with the cartridge and the rest of the system.

If you can get a home demo that would be the best option - if you are going to use Rega cartridges then the Aria would be a solid choice.
 
Arkless Electronics said:
Check out several reviews on here where it was compared with the nearly twice the price Dynavector P75 and always thrashes it:) It is also quieter and more reliable! It is MC ONLY BTW.

....And not available to buy until I notify otherwise in the not too distant future (just spent >£200 on components to do more so it's defo happening;)).
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That's kind of moot for the OP, isn't it? Besides, don't you need a donor unit from Cambridge or some other?

The P-75 caters for both MC and MM carts, and so much more versatile.
 
I have built over 3000 valve/tube phono stages during the last 25 years. When using SUTs, whether internal or external, the most important thing to get right is the correct amount of gain for the MC cartridge being used. There is no need to worry about cartridge loading. Cartridge loading is more relevant if you are using a solid state phono stage where you can "tune" the rising high frequency response of the MC cartridge. There are a few exceptions, notably the very low output Audionote IO's, the Top Wing "Red Sparrow" models, but the later really requires a dedicated phono stage designed around the cartridge to get the best results.
 
richef said:
Hello all, this is my first post on pfm!

I would be grateful for phono stage recommendations.

I have recently acquired a Rega Planar 8 with Apheta 3 ex demo from a local dealer (I went for a listen and couldn't resit the great offer). This upgrades from my old Project Carbon Debut. I have a Kandy K2 integrated amp and PMC 25.23 speakers. I used the K2 phono stage in the with the Debut, so now need a MC phono stage. I'm thinking of getting something second hand in the £500-£700 mark.

I've been thinking about a Trilogy 906, but there doesn't seem to be many around. It seems to have great reviews and I like the small size. I could get something cheaper while I wait for one to come up.

Any recommendations?

Thanks,
Richard
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That’s a lot of money for a phono stage!

Have you looked at the Cambridge Duo? Or a used 640P or CP-2.
 
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I confess to not having compared many phono stages in my system although I have heard the Naim 523MC boards, the Arcam phono stage and a PS Audio Stellar phono stage and my current Trichord Dino Mk3 with NC power supply. What I can tell you is the PS Audio Stellar and Trichord Dino are both light years ahead of the Naim phono boards in my NAC82/NAP250 system fronted by Michell Gyrodec/SME IV/AT-OC9. Detail retrieval, low noise floor, dynamics, stereo imaging and transparency are off the scale compared to the Naim phono boards.

I actually waited about 22 years before in investing in anything better than the naim boards and wish I had done it sooner. Anything better than a Rega Planar 3 with a low end moving coil fully justifies the additional expense.

Frankly I think the Trichord Dino with Never connected supply (and there's one for sale earlier in this thread) takes some beating for the money. Just be prepared to give it a couple of weeks of use to settle down - mine was a little cold and clinical at first but became much more neutral either with warm up or burn in (who knows and who cares lol!)

Birdseed
 
The Aria is a fit and forget device, in a good way.

I guess it should match a Rega turntable well, I used mine with an RP10 initially, but I'm using it with an LP12 and happy. It's very clear, detailed and super quiet. No noise or hiss. Doesn't have much character of its own but it's not dry or cold, just lets through the character of the deck feeding it.

If you want a more analogue vibe look at the Graham Slee stages. I had one and it was quite different from the Aria but also good. I had two Moon stages but the Aria was a lot better than either. A friend has swapped a Dino/bigPSU for an Aria and he's delighted with it.

Best bet is to buy second hand units and sell them on if you don't like them. As long as you don't pay top money it lets you try things without it costing you a fortune.
 
James said:
That's kind of moot for the OP, isn't it? Besides, don't you need a donor unit from Cambridge or some other?

The P-75 caters for both MC and MM carts, and so much more versatile.
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Of course you need a donor unit yes. The Arkless GTi thrashes the P75 (and the Trichord, the Slee units etc etc all other units under £1000) on sound quality and that's the main test. There is of course the Arkless 640P for those wanting a switchable MM/MC unit.
 
You could make me an offer for my EAR 834 recently in the classifieds. Lovely valve phono stage, supported by EAR.
 
G T Audio said:
I have built over 3000 valve/tube phono stages during the last 25 years. When using SUTs, whether internal or external, the most important thing to get right is the correct amount of gain for the MC cartridge being used. There is no need to worry about cartridge loading. Cartridge loading is more relevant if you are using a solid state phono stage where you can "tune" the rising high frequency response of the MC cartridge. There are a few exceptions, notably the very low output Audionote IO's, the Top Wing "Red Sparrow" models, but the later really requires a dedicated phono stage designed around the cartridge to get the best results.
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The opposite to everything said above is correct! Loading matters but gain doesn't (within reason!) and it beggars belief to see anyone make the claim that loading matters more or less if the phono stage is SS or valve:eek:
 
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