Analog Front End Next Upgrade

@cbl117 - I still think that with the great components you have the absolute best bang for your buck would be to upgrade your cables.

The Cardas cables you have are pretty good, but the gZero20 interconnect from KLE Innovations will give you more detail and clarity and a very much improved image and spatial isolation of the performers.

If that’s a little on the expensive side try the gZero3 - it’s also outstanding and by comparison to the gZero 20 will only be lacking a little on the details and clarity - but it’s still a superb performer.

They do not come with a ground wire, but that can be a very simple fix by using a small gauge wire from a store like Radio Shack and a couple of spades on the end. Personally - I prefer a separate ground wire anyway.

Replacing the RCA plugs on your existing cables will also provide many improvements if replacing the cables is not an option.

My recommendations for RCA’s are the Silver Harmony or the Absolute Harmony. The Pure harmony is very good RCA , but for that little $extra you can get the Absolute Harmony for the very best performance

Here are the links to my reviews...
http://image99.net/blog/files/category-klei-silver-harmony-rca.html
http://image99.net/blog/files/category-klei-pure-harmony-rca.html
http://image99.net/blog/files/category-klei-absolute-harmony-rca.html

These RCA’s really raise the performance level of any cable to its utmost best - you will be amazed! But the break-in period is quite long.

The KLE Innovations cables and RCA’s are extremely neutral and exceptionally dynamic.

Regards...

cbl117-

I see some talk in here, about upgrading your phono stage.

Have you considered a tube stage? Something like this will put your table/cart on the next level of "real" which only the BEST$$$
SS units can match.

Depending how you  negotiate with the seller, it could be within your budget? I would consider cables the LAST part of the puzzle.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/phono-allnic-audio-model-h1201-tube-phono-2017-08-10-preamplifiers

@tablejockey wrote:

" Have you considered a tube stage? Something like this will put your table/cart on the next level of "real" which only the BEST $$$ SS units can match. "

I think you have it backwards. S/S phono stages are infinitely cheaper than tubed ones (for the same level of performance).

Tubes, by design, are inherently noisy, so to build a quiet tubed phono stage does not come cheap.

The Allnic H1201 (that you link to) proves my point. New, it is $3,500. It is a very good phono stage, but a Blue Circle BC707 S/S phono stage can be found used for under $2,000, and will match the Allnic H1201 in performance.

Now, you may prefer the sonic signature of the Allnic over the Blue Circle, but in terms of the amount of detail revealed, they will be identical.

When I removed the power conditioner, there was an improvement...a no cost investigation.

Yes, I'd say tube phono stage of equal performance level with the advantages of tube sound would cost at least two times more. That's the reason why I still keep my Acoustech phono. I seriously doubt that those Allnic and Blue Circle could match it in terms of dynamics and bass. I would have to go higher, to the level of $5k tube phono stages to have everything better.