Manly Steelhead - any downside??

Lamm LP2, if you don't have a really low-output cartridge (it only has 57db of gain), might be more along those lines, or sell the phono and line stage and get a Jadis JP80MC, put some nice NOS Amperex BBs or Telefunken Ccas in the phono section and prepare to be seduced by the sound. Quite frankly, though, the Pass is a good unit, it is not easy to beat.

Downunder, there is no piece of gear that is right for everyone. I applaud you for giving the Steelhead a good audition and reaching a well reasoned conclussion. Too bad more people don't function the same way.

Yikes - I was hoping that fishy would work for you. Warmer... hmmm ... there's the Lamm LP2, and, if you can do balanced, the Bat vk10SE. I'd really like to give the Lamm a try myself.

I keep hoping CJ will do a new phono stage w/ their teflon caps, but not sure they see the market for such. Btw, didja ever get an ACT2 in house?

I have owned an Art Audio Vinyl 1 phonostage and currently have a Thor. Both tube. The Vinyl 1 is terrific for any price and it goes for about 2.3k. It is quite warm and welcoming without losing detail. The soundstage is particularly deep. It is amazingly quiet. Really quiet. I would look into it.

The Thor is an improvement in all respects but quite a bit more $. More than the Steelhead. I'm a big fan of Thor.

thanks Nrchy, my choice of lack of does not invalidate the choice and joy the steelhead is bringing to many other music lovers.
Yes, the trials and tribulations of the hi fi hobby. In the last 12 mnths gone from worn out xv-1 to dyna xv-1s and biggest change of all is going from big cj tube mono's to cj SS prem350.
All those changes have changed the systems tonal qualities slightly,tighter better controlled bass, however the SS amp does not have quite the treble delicacy that the old prem8a's had.( no such thing as a free lunch) It is still SOTA SS sound, but does not sound like tube treble. If I still had the prem8's I would have like the steelhead more.

Interestly I just borrowed an ARC SP-8 from a mate and using his phono section, and it sounds great. makes me wonder how much hi fi has improved in the last 20 years. Even the P-75 I am using sounds close enuf to the Pass Xono and steelhead, that unless you have the money it does seem hard to justify the expense.

I am going to listen to a sutherland and ARC PH-5 in the next couple of weeks - both are supposed to be very musical - so we will see what happens. I can if needed go back to the XONO, but I think I am looking for a little more sofistication.

Tim, I did have the ACT 2 in the system for about a month. Sounds fantastic. compared to the VTL 7.5 it just sounds different. the cj is a little more forward and direct, the bass is a little more obvious, however the VTL just sounds a bit more luxurious. the cj maybe sounds a little coarser in the upper mids, however on the other hand the VTL could be seen as a little less direct. the VTL has better ergonomics no doubt.
BTW, I am thinking about cj phono with SUT like the inbuilt jensen's or Bent audio Mu as well, but the controversy of SUT or no SUT is amazing.

At the time I was looking at changing due to a noise/gain issue between the high gain VTL and high gain cj. Now I have found fantastic attenuators from Endler, that has solved any issues I had with the 7.5.
Tim, I could quite easily live with both - both sound fantastic but different.

cheers Shane