+ Reply to Thread
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 29

Thread: Replacement Head Amp?????

  1. #11
    Join Date: Oct 2011

    Location: London Town

    Posts: 2,441
    I'm Julian.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by STD305M View Post
    Hi Oliver,
    Thanks for the comparison, Ive been more than happy so far with the HA - 10, as you say it has bags of soul, very musical indeed, I just thought i might have gotten a little more zing and snap with a mc phono stage change, I guess not . Perhaps its the limitation of the At33ptg cart.
    I don't think the cart is holding back your system at all Steve. I would be amazed if you didn't get a lot more out of it if you had a decent MM phonostage with SUT or head-amp.
    If it was me I'd be looking to upgrade the Brio before the 33.

    I have the AT33PTG/II which I'm using with a CJ phono stage and Fidelity SUT - I've heard several of the more expensive AT carts but it sounds so good that I will more than likely buy another one when the time comes.
    Sonore Rendu - Cambridge Audio Edge W - Sonus Faber Venere 2.5

  2. #12
    Bigman80 Guest

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by julesd68 View Post
    I don't think the cart is holding back your system at all Steve. I would be amazed if you didn't get a lot more out of it if you had a decent MM phonostage with SUT or head-amp.
    If it was me I'd be looking to upgrade the Brio before the 33.

    I have the AT33PTG/II which I'm using with a CJ phono stage and Fidelity SUT - I've heard several of the more expensive AT carts but it sounds so good that I will more than likely buy another one when the time comes.
    In all honesty, until you start looking at higher level cartridges, the AT33PTGII is as good as anything out there in terms of VFM. Performance between the PTG & PTGII does differ so Keep that in mind.

  3. #13
    Join Date: May 2017

    Location: West Sussex, UK

    Posts: 775
    I'm Steve.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by julesd68 View Post
    I don't think the cart is holding back your system at all Steve. I would be amazed if you didn't get a lot more out of it if you had a decent MM phonostage with SUT or head-amp.
    If it was me I'd be looking to upgrade the Brio before the 33.

    I have the AT33PTG/II which I'm using with a CJ phono stage and Fidelity SUT - I've heard several of the more expensive AT carts but it sounds so good that I will more than likely buy another one when the time comes.
    I do think the cartridge is holding back and not the brio
    I had it connected to Alan's turntable and the amp wanted for nothing so it leaves only the HA-10 or the cartridge

    In my opinion its the cartridge but i could be wrong

    Steve
    Turntable; Rega p8
    Cartridge; Alpheta mc
    Phono Stage; Rega Aria, Bigbottle 3 mm/mc
    Amplifier; Rega Elicit
    Speakers; Rega Rx3

  4. #14
    Bigman80 Guest

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by STD305M View Post
    I do think the cartridge is holding back and not the brio
    I had it connected to Alan's turntable and the amp wanted for nothing so it leaves only the HA-10 or the cartridge

    In my opinion its the cartridge but i could be wrong

    Steve
    Only one way to find out, Steve.

    Probably cheaper to improve on the HA-10 than the PTG.

    Try a Denon HA-500 for about £250ish?

    ZYX R100 is probably about £500+ at the minute, such is the demand and availability.

  5. #15
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

    Default

    I also think the HA10 is likely to be the bottleneck. It was decent, but can be improved on. The AT-33 is good enough and so is the Rega.

    By the way, you'll only get a ZYX R100 at £500 used. The latest version is well over a grand new if I'm not mistaken (good job I've got a couple tucked away ).

  6. #16
    Join Date: Sep 2014

    Location: brighton uk.

    Posts: 4,737
    I'm jamie.

    Default

    where abouts is the op in west sussex,i have a very good phono stage and denon ha-500 he can listen to.
    My System
    John Wood KT88 Amp.
    Paradise Phono Stage
    Sony TTS-8000 Turntable.
    PMAT-1010 MK6 Tonearm.
    Ortofon Cadenza Bronze
    Sony X555ES Cd Player
    Yamaha NS1000m Speakers

  7. #17
    Bigman80 Guest

    Default

    Oh, yes Geoff. Used prices are actually knocking around at the £600 mark so definitely cheaper to try a head amp.

    I also think Steve may NEED to try a different cartridge as he did seem rather unenthusiastic about the AT when we spoke. Just needs a ZYX at the right price.
    Quote Originally Posted by walpurgis View Post
    I also think the HA10 is likely to be the bottleneck. It was decent, but can be improved on. The AT-33 is good enough and so is the Rega.

    By the way, you'll only get a ZYX R100 at £500 used. The latest version is well over a grand new if I'm not mistaken (good job I've got a couple tucked away ).

  8. #18
    Bigman80 Guest

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by RothwellAudio View Post
    A brand new Headspace is only £299.
    Can't say that's a bad price but never heard one!

  9. #19
    Join Date: Aug 2012

    Location: North East

    Posts: 3,670
    I'm Steve.

    Default

    I have the much revered Lentek and to be honest I don't know what all the fuss is about?

  10. #20
    Join Date: May 2018

    Location: west yorkshire

    Posts: 16
    I'm ADRIAN.

    Default MC step-up

    Hello
    I wondered what results I may get using a Rothwell Headspace with my EAR 834p? I have heard that the step-up transformers in the EAR can be improved upon by using seperate transformers when on MC. What would this Rothwell headspace acheive over the Built in transformers in the EAR?

    Thanks
    Adrian






    Quote Originally Posted by RothwellAudio View Post
    "MC phonostage" is too vague a term to make any reliable predictions as to how it may perform. Here a few possibilities as to what "an MC phonostage" could mean:

    1) An op-amp-based circuit set for high gain (ie low loop feedback). Most of the mm/mc phonostages at the cheaper end of the spectrum are like this. They simply have a switch that changes a resistor value in the feedback loop to give higher gain for MC cartridges.

    2) An MM phonostage with an on-board headamp. This type of design has a circuit for MM operation and an additional circuit before it to raise MC cartridges up to MM levels. The set-up you have now is effectively this, but in two separate boxes. The design could be all op-amp, or it could be op-amps in the MM stage and discrete transistors in the headamp part. Or it could use any combination/permutation of op-amps, bi-polar transistors, FETs or valves. My Rialto phonostage is an " MM phonostage + headamp" type and uses discrete transistors throughout.

    3) An MM phonostage with on-board step-up transformers. These are less common because transformers are expensive, but EAR phonostages work this way, with valves as the active devices for the MM section. My own Signature One phonostage is like this but uses transistors in the MM section.

    There are just too many possible ways to execute an "MC phonostage" to lump them all together and say definitively one would/wouldn't out-perform your current setup.
    BTW, if you wanted to buy a different headamp there aren't many on the market - but I make one. It's called the Headspace
    http://www.rothwellaudioproducts.co....c_headamp.html

    Here are a couple of reviews from other forums:
    http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.p...mbs-up.817174/

    https://hifiwigwam.com/forum/topic/1...omment-2018258

+ Reply to Thread
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •