Not meaning to be combative, but referring to the capacity of a fine tube phono stage to “bloom” or to make the listener feel the musicians are in the room as “distortion “ seems a bit unfair, not to say unmeasured and therefore maybe not distortion. For one thing, creating those two sensations can have much to do with special qualities of individual recordings and with room acoustics. For another, I like those sensations. Ironically, Raul’s SS phonolinepreamp can do both. It’s superb in my estimation.
Phono Stage upgrade to complement Dohmann Helix One Mk 2
Thanks to the recommendations from many users on this Audiogon blog, I think I was able to make a more informed purchase of a turntable, the Dohmann Helix One Mk 2. I've really been enjoying the turntable for the past month!
The next phase of my system now needs attention: the phono stage. Currently, I'm using a Manley Steelhead v2 running into an Ypsilon PST-100 Mk2 SE pre-amplifier (into Ypsilon Hyperion monoblocks, into Sound Lab M745PX electrostatic speakers).
I've been told that I could really improve my system by upgrading the phono stage from the Manley Steelhead (although I've also been told that the Manley Steelhead is one of the best phono stages ever made).
Interestingly, two of the top phono stages that I'm considering require a step-up transformer (SUT). I'm not fully informed about any inherent advantages or disadvantages of using an SUT versus connecting directly to the phono stage itself.
I suppose my current top two considerations for a phono stage are the Ypsilon VPS-100 and the EM/IA LR Phono Corrector, both of which utilize an SUT. I don't have a particular price range, but I find it hard to spend $100k on stereo components, so I'm probably looking in the $15k - $70k price range.
Thanks.
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I listened to the exact same recordings with the only difference being the Lamm L2 versus the Ypsilon PST-100 Mk2 SE. Running the signal through the Lamm L2 would cause my system to sound like the Manley Steelhead is back in as the phono stage, and cause a larger than life "bloom", which made me feel like the performers are in the room with me. Running the signal of the same recording through the Ypsilon PST-100 Mk2 SE related a sense of being in the audience of the recording studio / concert hall, which sounded more natural. |
@drbond how do you like the Dohmann? |
Drbond, I’d have to hear it myself to get a feel for what you’re describing. To begin with, for me bloom and the sense of ambiance are two different sensations. It makes sense to me that studio recordings where there is no audience and the recording engineer has greatest control really ought to give the listener the sense that musicians are in the room, or at least one is more likely to get that sensation under such circumstances. Club or live concert recordings ought to bring us to the venue, because the recording usually contains ambient cues. If my gear can achieve both illusions depending on the source material, I’m usually happy. |
@lewm , in my mind, simple as it is, there is only one "right." Everything else is distortion. The "right" is what is in or on the recording. I admit that it is not always easy to determine exactly what "right" is. The most sensitive aspect of a recording is the image. I will go with whatever produces the most specific image. @drbond , again my experience mirrors yours. I prefer solid state in general. I am not familiar with Ypsilon equipment. We use the same tonearm and I have a Lyra Atlas SL coming any day now (for 6 months). So, it seems we have very similar tastes. I have been waiting for Mark Dohmann to add vacuum clamping to the Helix. What are you driving the Soundlabs with? |
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