NVA phono stages

[ludovico]

Hi.

I am looking for a very good MM phono stage and I would want to know how NVA phono 1 and 2 sound. Are they worth the money?

http://cgi.ebay.fr/NVA-PHONO-1-Head-Phono-Amplifier-MM-or-MC-/270458107546?…

http://cgi.ebay.fr/NVA-PHONO-2-PSU-Head-Amplifier-MM-or-MC-/270407086815?pt…

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

There are a few threads at Subjectivist about them

http://thehifisubjectivist.noadforum.com/viewforum.php?f=3&st=0&sk=t&sd=d&start=75

[Gromit]

I've owned both the Phono 1 and the Phono 2 - not one after the other so can't really comment on their relative performance, although from reasonably wide experience of NVA amps, as you go up the range it's most definitely a case of 'the more you pay, the more you get'. That's quite comforting, as if you like what the lower-range stuff does, you're going to really like the upper stuff, to a point where it's hard to live without!

The Phono 2 (MC) I owned a few years ago ranks as quite possibly the finest phono stage I've owned, and I've had a few! The nice thing too, is that because of its circuit design (Richard is obviously much better placed to explain it than I) it is totally unfussy about the impedence loads of the cartridges it is fed with. I used mine with both a Denon 103 and an Ortofon SPU - both at extreme ends of the internal impedence scale - and both sounded fabulous through it.

Very highly recommended. :)