For sale / trade: Van den Hul "The Grail" phono stage

For sale, is an immaculate Van den Hul "The Grail" - the standard psu version for 2,500£ + half the shipping cost from DENMARK to the UK. It will be cheaper for you if you arrange the courier from the UK.

A new version of the Van den Hul The Grail with wooden sides and on/off button on the front can be had for 5,800£. Internally it's the same as the one I have, and mine still looks like a new unit. It comes with 12 months' warranty. I will help you if you have a problem within the next 12 months.

The Van den Hul "The Grail", which is in very good condition, comes with the black hard case, user manual in three languages, and the (battered) outer cardboard box. If you know nothing about what it is capable of, look here:
http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/Grail.htm

Troels rates the quality of the phono stage to be equal to the onboard phono stage in the mighty EAR 912. Similar quality with a slightly sweeter (aka coloured - aka distorted - aka euphonic) midrange. Still a very transparent phono stage that measures as flat as ... the flat earth.

If you have extra kit lying about, I am looking for a very good preamp or a turntable with a more than decent arm. If it has an onboard phono stage, it must have an MC input that is something special, too. I won't mind:

- ... a (stable) Audiopax Model 5, EAR 868L, Tom Evans the Vibe, ARC REf 3, Trilogy 903 (preamp), Luxman AT-3000, Pass DCB1 buffer (silver/black), Pass XP, Salas's DCG3, Wavac ATT-s, The Horn Shoppe "The Truth", Stereo Coffee LDR (most recent board only, please), KR Audio 135 pre, NAT Plasma or ...

- ... a Kuzma Stabi S(D), Fletcher TT, a Rega P8/P10, Garrard 301 or 401, Thorens TD124, or ...

Try me, we may be able to figure your spare kit into this.

In a straight sale, you can have it for 2500£. This is what I paid for it. On top of this comes half the shipping cost from Denmark to the UK. It is much more cost effective for you to arrrange courier pick-up from my work than for me to arrange it from here. It is a matter of small country/big country.

PICTURES

Front of the Grail in action (Mind: The Trilogy 907 is not part of this sale /trade...)

https://i.imgur.com/WYgGFaHh.jpg

Front 1

https://i.imgur.com/spGbBWfh.jpg

Front 2

https://i.imgur.com/Wafck6Yh.jpg

Inside the Grail

https://i.imgur.com/xc4gh1ch.jpg

Top plate insolation

https://i.imgur.com/oexNQRzh.jpg

PSU front

https://i.imgur.com/aS3luWnh.jpg

Backsides

https://i.imgur.com/iDdDYdwh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/hNUEgBMh.jpg

User Manual

https://i.imgur.com/pAdo81Ih.jpg?1

Hard case

https://i.imgur.com/8DzB9YMh.jpg

Inside hard case

https://i.imgur.com/Q8Tsst3h.jpg

Nudge, nudge. 2500£ ... or .... something from the below list...or something else that is worthwhile ...

(1) Tom Evans "The Vibe", (stable) Audiopax Model 5, Hovland HP, Herron VTSP3, Yamamoto CA-04, Verdier Control B, EAR 868L, Pass DCB1 (hypnitise/mesmerize) with 3 inputs, "PFM" B4 buffer (I would need to have a listen to hear if it is as good as a Pass B1 :)), Salas' DCG3, BPBP (unless it only runs "balanced"), ARC Ref 3, Wavac ATT-S, Stereo LDR Coffee (the most recent board only, please), The Horn Shoppe "The Truth", NAT Plasma, Luxman AT3000 ... or ...

(B) Garrard 301/401 (recently serviced, new shipping box will be ordered by me), Kuzma S(D), Sony TTS-8000, Technics SP10 (serviced), Technics 1200G, EMT 938 (recently serviced), Fletcher Omega, Thorens TD 124, Rega P8/P10 ...

A nice arm (SME, TRI-Planar, MORCH, Funk FX-R, Terminator ... unipivot ... or similar) will also be considered as trade in.

Preamp - passive or not
Turntable (with / without an arm)

Still available.
My other phono stage is poised to go on Friday 18 unless I off-load this one.
*Cash
*Preamp: Trilogy 903, NAT, KR Audio, EAR 868L, ATC SCA2, Tom Evans "the Vibe", Pass DCB1, Wavac, or (see above) ...
*Shippable Turntable: Thorens TD124 / Garrard 301 (shipping box will be bought) / Garrard 401(shipping box will be bought) / Fletcher / Rega P8 or P10 / or ...
*Tonearm: Tri-Planar arm / Schroeder / Morch DP-8 / SME / Terminator ... or other very high quality arm...

Up and up and up

Straight sale.
Trade for:
- Fine preamp with cracking MC phono stage / preamp + money my way.
- MC Phono stage (I don't mind owning another Trilogy 907, Paradise or ...) + money my way.

Will be withdrawn the second Brexit in one form or another happens. Unless I am sure that it will be business as usual with customs and shipping.

For sale at 2250£ shipped to a place near you until Nov. 1.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rosewind

Straight sale.
Trade for:
- Fine preamp with cracking MC phono stage / preamp + money my way.
- MC Phono stage (I don't mind owning another Trilogy 907, Paradise or ...) + money my way.

Will be withdrawn the second Brexit in one form or another happens. Unless I am sure that it will be business as usual with customs and shipping.

---

If the deal passes then there is a 14 month transition period where nothing changes. The UK government has committed in any no-deal brexit to maintaining current import arrangements for the foreseeable, regardless what the EU do. So it's not really anything to worry about.

Alternatively believe the media and we'll be living on carrots and mutton stew for the next decade, reduced to robbing old ladies for their stash of antibiotics.

We will see.

I have begun talking to dealers in Denmark about trading this in. I won't make a definitive move until after Nov. 1.