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Can a phono stage really do this?

I just acquired a MAGI Phonomenal phono stage, which feeds a very compatible MAGI line stage. I have a Boz Scaggs album of Great American Songbook standards, which previously has displayed some pressig noise, such as crackling sounds that seem to syncrhonize with the rotation of the record.

I got this MAGI Phonomenal phono stage (handwired PTP), sometimes compared to the Manley Steelhead), and played the Boz Scaggs album with the new phono preamp. There was no noise. No mungy crackling to accompany the rotation of the record. Just pure, high resolution extraction of the musical elements of the LP. It was wonderful.

Can phono stages do this, or is it the result of lucky turntable setup with better tracking force, anti-skating adjustment, and azimuth adjustment? The TT is a Technics SL1210 M5G with KAB fluid damper and Oracle Groove Isolator sorbothane mat. But I never heard this record without the pressing noise until I got the Phonomenal. Cartridge is an Audio Technica AT150MLX with microline stylus.
johnnyb53
johnnyb53 OP
3,510 posts
 
I have noticed that tics and pops are reduced in amplitude and don't make me jump out of my seat. But the sound I was talking about is more like a low level crackling groove noise that's much longer in duration than a tic--more like a second--and lower in amplitude through my previous phono stages. With the MAGI this mungy periodic crackle (corresponding to a point in the record's revolution) simply doesn't manifest itself and distract me from the music as it did before with the other phono stage.
09-05-14: Viridian
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It's a very complex, and dynamic problem. I am glad that the OP has found a combo that works for him.
I feel like the cat that caught the canary. Here's a discussion on VinylEngine from 4 yrs ago (price of the unit has gone up since then) where the MAGI is compared to the 10x as expensive Manley Steelhead. I go to my local high end store's annual vendors' open house. I have heard several seriously good and expensive phono stages including expensive monsters from Audio Research, Ayre, and VTL. This MAGI Phonomenal definitely has the you-are-there 3D resolution, subterranean noise floor, wide dynamics, and sweet smooth musicality of the high priced spread.

There are probably no more than 30 or so of these units out there.
gadfly's avatar
gadfly
194 posts
 
my understanding is the wider the bandwidth the quieter the preamp. My Bugle has opamps but is very quiet regarding pops and tics.
sbrownnw
693 posts
 
Is the magi still available for sale?
johnnyb53 OP
3,510 posts
 
09-06-14: Sbrownnw
Is the magi still available for sale?
As far as I know it is. Owner/entrepreneu Mark Voigt's phone number (AFAIK) is (615) 866 7170. Here's his ebay storefront. I don't know his email address offhand. He's a one-man operation and this phono stage requires 50 hours of labor, so don't expect a quick reply, but you may get lucky.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,793 posts
 
The short answer is yes, a phono stage can indeed do this.

And you got it right- what it is doing is **not** emphasizing the ticks and pops, while the previous phono section was.

This has nothing to do with loading, although loading can help if the phono section is sensitive to Radio Frequency Interference (RFI).

Glad you stumbled on to a phono section that got it right! Enjoy!- and its OK to feel smug when people complain about ticks and pops :)
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