Looking for advice on a (new) phono pre-amp

[Themis]

Hi all,

It's uncommon enough, but I'll have to change my phono stage...

So, I asked my (favorite) local dealer who advised me to get a Pro-ject Tube Box II.

Any opinions on this or an alternative option (on the same budget: around 350€) would be appreciated.

Thank you for you help.

[twelvebears]

Hi Dimitri.

Are you intending to use a MM, MC or potentially either?

If it's just MM then I'd suggest an A.N.T. Audio Kora 3T, designed by this forum's own Alex Nikitin, and something that I'm sure Dave Cawley of Sound HiFi could do a good deal on.

If you want the option of both and can't spend any more, you could consider the Clear Audio Nano.

Have a look here: http://www.soundhifi.com/phonostage.html#ant

[Themis]

Thank you for your advice.

I use only MM cartridges, I don't plan of purchasing an MC cartridge anywhere soon. So the A.N.T. seems a nice choice (although I didn't get it all about the different models )

[DSJR]

I don't know if you can trust the likes of HiFi Dave, Marco and me, or whether you can justify spending £350, but I bet Crofts new "credit-crunch" preamp complete with phono stage would see off many of the traditional alternatives I reckon (use the fixed ouput sockets - if there are any on this one...[help!!!]).

If the Croft is totally unsuitable, then Dave Cawley would be the chap on here to contact for phono-stages under £200. That little Nano looks interesting, he recommends the latest version of the Nad (PP2.

Another quick question - what phono stage are you using at the moment? Why do you need to change it and what's the rest of your system?


Always remember fella's - on a VINYL system the "garbage in-garbage out" saying, together with the whole hierarchy ideal, holds almost absolutely true still. A better phono stage may just reproduce failings further back, although if the source (doesn't have to be expensive) is well sorted as it is, a better phono stage will get the best out of it.

A two edged sword I'm afraid. Good luck in getting yourself sorted.

[Mike]

A little more pricey as you'd need the matching PSU as well, but outstanding sound!

http://wduk.worldomain.net/acatalog/info_WDPHONO3.html

[The Vinyl Adventure]

no doubt alex or dave will along to help soon enough!
this might help http://www.ant-audio.co.uk/files/Kora_3T_09.pdf

[Macca]

I don't know if you can trust the likes of HiFi Dave, Marco and me, or whether you can justify spending £350, but I bet Crofts new "credit-crunch" preamp complete with phono stage would see off many of the traditional alternatives I reckon (use the fixed ouput sockets - if there are any on this one...[help!!!]).

.

Yes, the Croft does have a pair of fixed output sockets.

Martin

[Themis]

I don't know if you can trust the likes of HiFi Dave, Marco and me, or whether you can justify spending £350, but I bet Crofts new "credit-crunch" preamp complete with phono stage would see off many of the traditional alternatives I reckon (use the fixed ouput sockets - if there are any on this one...[help!!!]).

If the Croft is totally unsuitable, then Dave Cawley would be the chap on here to contact for phono-stages under £200. That little Nano looks interesting, he recommends the latest version of the Nad (PP2.

Another quick question - what phono stage are you using at the moment? Why do you need to change it and what's the rest of your system?


Always remember fella's - on a VINYL system the "garbage in-garbage out" saying, together with the whole hierarchy ideal, holds almost absolutely true still. A better phono stage may just reproduce failings further back, although if the source (doesn't have to be expensive) is well sorted as it is, a better phono stage will get the best out of it.

A two edged sword I'm afraid. Good luck in getting yourself sorted.

Well, for 20 years or so, I've been using my old (25yrs) Cyrus 2 phono stage (don't lough please ).
Then, I decided to change the amp, gave it to a friend (it still works, btw), then bought an Arcam amp. But I ended up not liking the sound, so I switched to a Denon one. The Denon's has other advantages (so, I'm keeping it), its phono stage is ok, but not to the point of my old Cyrus one.
I tested various preamps/amps (NAD C162 included) and I even quickly tested some entry-level phono stages (like Pro Ject), but I didn't like the sound of the latter at all.
I ended up renewing my amp, and after many tests, I ended up settling down with a Cyrus 8xp amp, which suits me (and my speakers) the best. Yes, funny, I know, back to Cyrus, after all... Unfortunately this amp has no phono input... so I start searching all over again, this time just for the phono input.
My speakers are a couple of Sonus Faber GPD, my room has no "obvious" acoustic problems.

The price (300-350€) seems the maximum I should "logically" spend using a (carefully set up by my friends at Audiophile Technologie near by) Rega Planar 2 turntable (which is also 25yrs old...). I actually have a mid-priced Rega cartridge mounted on it, I'm rather satisfied.
Of course, I prefer spending 150£ or even 200£ on a good phono stage, and spend the rest on music or concerts... Still better.
I'm not against getting a preamp like Croft's one (if it has some fixed output, of course EDIT: it seems it has, Martin says). I don't have any feedback on the Nano, I wonder whether the NAD is somewhere near the integrated stage of the C152...

Thanks once more for you feedback.

[Jason P]

You could always search out a secondhand Musical Fidelity X-LPS. I've one and am very happy with it - they do seem to come up from time to time...

Jason

[Stratmangler]

I've been running a GSP Audio GramAmp 2 SE for ages, and have been very happy with its' performance. Mine is the black plastic box version - they gained the spiffy looking aluminium case a couple of years after I got mine.

Chris