2. analog
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What phono pre am I looking for?

It needs to be quiet, fast, dynamic and not cost an arm and a leg, $1500? Plays nice with a VPI/dynavector 20x2 low without a sut. I listen and enjoy most everything but, the British Invasion, Willie Nelson, Gillian Welch and jazz take the cake. I have tubes, an LTA pre, decware set amp and omega speakers. 
The new channel islands peq-1 looks mighty fine and dusty uses the 20x2 as his personal cart, which can't be bad?  New or used no problem. 

128x128jmolsberg
skaterdude50's avatar
skaterdude50
2 posts
 
I'm just putting this out there, and as a warning I no NOTHING about cartridge types (MM? LOMC?) nor do I know practically any brands for different preamps... I'm 19, Im learning :)

HOWEVER. I know my super basic tube tech. and anyone who knows tubes knows the fairchild twins. 

specifically its 20 some tubes and 14(?) or so transformers that act as multiple gain stages, minimizing overall distortion and allowing incredible control over distortion characteristics. never-mind that negative feedback and/or pentodes and all that can sometimes yield even cold sounding amps, while vintage Japanese single triode (300b) theater amps are crazy lush... thats a single, tiny, power tube per channel..... its tricky... 
browndt
97 posts
 
If you want a fabulous phono amp try a Herron VTPH-2A. I have one in a very high level system. Nothing that has been suggest here even comes close to the sound it produces. This is a very silent amp that is slightly
warm but with very precise sound reproduction. And the support after the sale is excellent from Keith Herron.
jsm71
141 posts
 

@jmolsberg, a friend has the JC3 phono stage and we compared that to Don’s one weekend. They are different but I think comparable in quality. The JC3 clearly sounds SS where Don’s does sound like tubes in comparison.

The Sachs phono stage is really clean, not lush sounding. You said you were worried about too many tubes. I mentioned I have the LTA MZ2 that you have, and you know how clean, not tubey that is. I also have the LTA ZOTL40 amp, so I’m tubes all the way. If I had a bunch of iron core transformers and/or coupling capacitors mucking things up, I might have too many tubes, but the LTA gear avoids that thankfully. I have upgraded all the tubes with NOS that I think brings out the best.

I used to have a Cary SLP 98L, with the included phono stage. That was tubey sounding, which I liked but I didn’t realize how much was being muffled by that unit. Don’s phono stage took me two or more levels higher in quality from the built in phono section of the Cary, and you know how good the MZ2 is.


chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
Herron VTPH-2A is about $3700 and full of tubes. He has explained why loading plugs instead of dip switches here. But even in this design at this price over $3k it’s impossible to change loading of MM cartridges (only 47k Ohm by default)! As i said many times, every respected manufacturer of the nice Moving Magnet cartridges clearly stated the loading range from 30k Ohm to 100k Ohm (not just 47k Ohm).

@browndt

Nothing that has been suggest here even comes close to the sound it produces.

I believe you have tried every phono stage mentioned here before making such conclusion?
jsm71
141 posts
 

I do use a couple of MM carts that I like with the Sachs phono stage.  I simply bypass the SUT and Don's unit allows full tailoring of the MM loading.  Don has been really helpful with recommendations for the loading settings for the specific carts I've asked him about.

I even don't use the 47k Ohm default when using the SUT.  Again, Don helped me with fine tuning the MC carts when coming from the SUT.

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