Help: my phono preamp is blowing away my linestage

Hi denf: not from preamp manufacturers (so far as I'm aware!) but from discussions here and at AA. It seems that many people try out a good passive like the Bent, initially like it, and then switch to an active such as an Audion.

My understanding is that synergy is particularly important for passives - source output impedance, amp input impedance, cable length and other variables - perhaps this is why some people are down on them. But I do sense a consensus that passives inject incredible transparency into the system, which initially pleases new adopters, but over the long term subtract a certain drive or PRAT from the music.

The Placette would drive me crazy because I demand a manual rotary volume control, by the way...

Patrick

Dweller: re: the Janus, I've heard the Io Sig is miles better than the Rhea, which is the phono section of the Janus... I don't want to give up what I've already got.

Swampwalker: I've heard great things about Supratek, but more about their phono stages than their linestages...

Patrick, as already suggested, if you're prepared to spend around $2500 for a linestage, seriously consider sending the Io to Aesthetix to have the volume controls and single switched high level input added. If you listen mostly to vinyl, you may find you like this combination as much as I do. Still allows you to have your CD player plugged into the high level input.

Hi Rushton,

Yes I have been considering this. It's probably the right step. I'm not so into no-remote control and 2 separate volume controls, but it's probably worth the added transparency.

How do you find the quality of the line level?

Patrick

Hmmm, let me describe it this way... Unlike a purely passive setup, the Io runs the line level input through its final gain stage just before the volume control. This gives the buffering of an active line stage, so you don't experience the potential dynamic limitation that sometimes can occur with a purely passive volume control when impedences are not ideally matched. If you like the Io and find it's sound well detailed and transparent (as I do), that's what you get using it as a linestage by adding the volume control and high level input.

The volume controls are the best available. Yes, there are two of them, but you quickly get used to just grabbing one in each hand and turning them in tandem. It will be hard to find any $2500 line stage that has less coloration than the Io with volume controls. In fact, what you're paying for in the Io will be those volume controls - they alone cost as much as some other tube or ss line stages.

Hope that helps some.