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Recommend me a phono stage

Mike P

Mike P

Trade: Pickwell Audio
I recently sold my integrated amp which had a nice built-in phono stage and moved to a Leak Stereo 20 which I use partnered with a TVC passive pre. I therefore need to get myself sorted with a new phono stage.

The rest of my system is as follows:

Thorens TD125 mk2 with SME 3009 (type 2 Imp.) and Ortofon M20FL Super
Glasshouse TVC passive pre
Leak Stereo 20
Tannoy Ardens (mk1)

The Ortofon M20FL Super is a nice vintage MM cartridge which is ideally suited to the SME3009 and I can't see myself changing it in the near future or moving to an MC cart. With that in mind, I only really need MM capability from the new phono stage.

I've previously owned:
  • Cambridge Audio 640P - Can't grumble about the VFM but it didn't blow me away me sonically.
  • Trichord Dino with decent PSU - A nice step up from the 640P and very versatile. I found the sound a bit cold and sterile and quite fancy trying something different and possibly a touch warmer.
  • Yamaha AX-900 integrated amp - Nice clean sounding onboard phono stage.
  • Sony TA-F770ES integrated amp - Really nice phono stage. I actually preferred it to the Dino.

Budget? - I can be pretty flexible here. I don't listen to vinyl much and tend to listen to CD 90% of the time so on one hand it might make sense to restrict myself to a budget phono stage. However, if I had a really good phono stage I might enjoy listening to vinyl more! I'm certainly open to spending more if something really special comes along that would represent an 'end game' purchase.

I'm fairly handy with a soldering iron so a DIY kit is certainly a possibility. Similarly, an old unit that needs a bit of TLC (e.g recapping) would be just fine, as would a budget model that can be modified to improve its performance.

I'm open to either valve or sold state.

So waddya think?
 
Something from Mr Firebottle (Alan). I've not heard the Vivant, but his cheaper valve phono is very good.

Also ditch that Glasshouse transformer pre, it's not a patch on the lightspeed and I'm told that the Stereo Coffee from eBay is even better again.
 
I have one of these with a pair of Amperex 6DJ8s that you are welcome to borrow, as I don’t use it and really don’t see when I might.
 
Dan K said:
Something from Mr Firebottle (Alan). I've not heard the Vivant, but his cheaper valve phono is very good.

Also ditch that Glasshouse transformer pre, it's not a patch on the lightspeed and I'm told that the Stereo Coffee from eBay is even better again.
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Thanks for the Firebottle recommendation Dan. I'm very happy with the Glashouse TVC it sounds great to my ears (i.e. it doesn't sound like anything at all).
 
Think I saw Edwards Audio mc3 on AOS, bit more upfront /PRAT compared to trichords, has both mm and mc for the inevitable mc itch.
 
The Longdog is excellent, it would have stayed ahead of Trilogy 907. It was the Paradise that ousted it in absolute SQ, probably better pound for pound though if budget is an issue.
 
A second recco for Richard/kneesup Edwards unit. He will also be listing a Haden Boardman 33.3 valve ‘stage and that is also superb imo.

Richard also happens to be one of the nicest, most interesting people you’ll ever meet too, so a nice bonus there.
 
Not much love 'round here, but I've been using a Graham Slee Era Gold V for almost 5 years.

Very clean, quiet and dynamic. It showed a pretty massive difference between a 2M Bronze and Black - far more than I was expecting.

I haven't felt the need to change. Used with a PSU1 which does make a difference.
 
I’ve hopped around cheap
Phono stages for years.

This year I gave in and bought a musical fidelity MX-VYNL

Not cheap I grant you, buy hugely flexible and with that classic generous MF sound that somehow makes music sound full and dynamic and rich but with huge amounts of resolution.

I love it
 
Mike P said:
the Glashouse TVC it sounds great to my ears (i.e. it doesn't sound like anything at all).
Click to expand...

Use Audirvana to digitally Attenuate your signal and then turn the passive pre up to its end stop, you'll notice a leap in soundstage and detail between the last stop and the one before. Fully wound to the right the transformers are bypassed. There's a slow club track 'tears of joy', it starts off with a brushed drum. Obvious as anything. It's not a good passive
 
The M20FL is a fabulous cartridge - I have one in my collection as well.

There are a number of very good valve MM phono stages - Croft RIAA, Puresound P10, and for a bit more the TRON Convergence. The baby TRON (all of the other TRON phon stages start at £3k and go up to £20k) is built truly beautifully (look inside and compare it to lots of other brands), uses UK sourced components, and sounds excellent for the price.
 
Dan K said:
Use Audirvana to digitally Attenuate your signal and then turn the passive pre up to its end stop, you'll notice a leap in soundstage and detail between the last stop and the one before. Fully wound to the right the transformers are bypassed. There's a slow club track 'tears of joy', it starts off with a brushed drum. Obvious as anything. It's not a good passive
Click to expand...
Dan K, please can we keep this on track. I've only recently bought the TVC and I'm very happy with it. This thread is about phono stages.
 
I’ve got a Moth here Mike if you’re interested? MM/MC - pretty good on the MM, didn’t try the MC - but not a patch on the MM stage in my Croft Micro II. Mind you, our preferences don’t match - so who knows :)

Cheapest way to get a Croft phono stage is still to buy one of his old pre’s - they normally go for less than £200 - get Glenn to service it (keeping original valve HT supply is what I did) and you then also have something to compare with your passive, or just use as a phono stage via tape out
 
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