Having replaced my Leema Pulse including built in phono stage with a Ming Da Piccolo valve amp without I've been trying out some phono stages. For background my cartridge is a low output Zyx 50 Bloom moving coil mounted on a 12" Jelco arm on my rebuilt JVC QL-7
http://i.imgur.com/uNPunt8h.jpg#gWPQG
Although I've listened to several albums with all three stages I'll restrict comments to two, Emiliana Torrini's Fisherman's Woman - mainly acoustic and The XX's Coexist, male and female vocals with lots of electronic effects from Jamie XX.
First up and taking advantage of their 14 day sale or return policy is the little Tisbury Audio Domino at £139 + p&p. Second Alan's Firebottle OTP Mk2 - in a Mk1 case so a little price reduction but normally £300 and finally Mark Manwaring-White's of Ming Da UK Audio Detail NV-06 at £1000.
https://i.imgur.com/v6FHNrjh.jpg#gWPQG
The Tisbury, on the left above is a mm/mc stage and was used on it's highest mc gain setting. In use there was only a faint hiss with ear up to the drivers so that's a good start. :smiley: An AC transormer in a wall wart supplies the power so the small box itself is very light but nicely made. Emiliana's vocals were both clear and delicate with clear diction and good emotion. Acoustic guitar was similarly clear with good body. Soundstage was impressively wide with decent if not exceptional depth as shown by The XX'x album. Bass was good but maybe a little light. For the money this is an absolute bargain, I've heard more expensive stages with less clarity and involvement - very nice indeed.
http://www.tisburyaudio.co.uk/domino-phono-preamplifier
Next up the Firebottle OTP Mk2. This is an op-amp affair which Alan has spent a lot of time tweaking and it gets rave reviews and is well known here. It's moving coil only but I think it can be had with either of both MM/MC Alan was kind enough to lend me this stage which would be a bit cheaper than the current model in a more upmarket case. Emiliana's vocals were comparable to the Tisbury's rendition while acoustic guitar had a touch more body. The XX showed that the OTP has more bass being both deeper and stronger and also a more impressive soundstage pushing some ambient information way back. A worthwhile upgrade over the Tisbury then. Oh, once I sorted a bit of RF interference for a SKy Q box, it's virtually silent in operation.
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...bottle-OTP-MK2
Finally the Audio Detail from Mark.
https://i.imgur.com/w48EsT9h.jpg#gWPQG
Most obvious difference is that this has a separate power supply. Less obvious are the six Nuvistor valves inside - yes the is a valve phono stage. For information this was one of Mark's prototypes, the case coloured to match a rather scary pair of speakers resident in his listening room in Malvern. It is hand-built by Mark and not a Ming Da product. Given the price difference over the other two stages you would hope for a considerable improvement in sound quality. I wasn't disappointed. :grin:. Emiliana's voice retained the delicate quality already noted but now their was even more emotion present. Her guitar sounded wonderful with real body and resonance. Soundstage went even deeper such that ambient effects seemed to be coming from way way behind the speakers - not quite in Painswick a mile across the valley but not far off :grin:. To be honest soundstage was the least of the things that impressed me, good as it is. It was the shear presence of the vocals with minute nuances making the recording seem more real than ever. The XX album showed what a strong grip Mark's stage has on bass - even deeper and stronger than the OTP but without a hint of overhang. A brilliant performance to my ears, the best phonostage I've ever heard. Did I mention, it's exceptionally quiet in operation.
http://www.mingda.co.uk/audio-detail...ono-stage.html
So there you have it, no great surprise here, all three are great stages for the money and all could probably embarrass others costing much more. This is by nature a subjective comparison in my listening room with my gear and my ears. I'll be taking the OTP and the Audio Detail to the Kegworth meet if you want to hear for yourself.
Declaration, just in case some of you think I have a vested interest in any of the above.
I've owned the Tisbury passive pre in the past and thought it good which is why I thought their Domino worth a try.
I know Alan Firebottle, he's been to my house for a couple of gatherings and impressed us all with his valve amps.
I've met Mark on a few occasions when he has checked over my two Ming Da Piccolo amps. I am buying this NV-06 at a considerable discount as although the innards are bang up to date the cases are a little travel worn having been to a few shows.
