best phono stage to mate with a London Decca Super Gold cart?

Here's an update for anyone still following this thread.

I've had the Croft RIAA for just under 3 weeks now, so about 500 hours of burn in time.

When I initially fired it up, my immediate impression was "Hmmm. Sounds very polite."

I had read that the Super Gold's were light in the bass department. When running the cart through the MM phono stage of my Doge 8, that was certainly the case. It's not that there wasn't any bass, there was. But what was there was fairly .... weak?

On the Croft, there was initially very little bass, but after half an album (Sade - Diamond Life), all of a sudden, the bass roared to life!  But overall it still sounded 'polite'.

After one week, it had much more oomph behind it (but still 'polite').

It was only after I swapped out the stock JJ tubes and replaced them with Mazda ECC83 that this unit began to sparkle! The decay of the cymbals on Paul Simon's Graceland was now very noticeable. Instrument separation was really brought out.

If anyone is looking for a phono stage to match with a London Decca Super Gold cartridge, I can heartily recommend the Croft RIAA.

Can it be beaten? Sure. But at this price point, it's a winner!

Very good value for the money. I am very happy with this purchase.

Yeah, the stock JJs are very musical but too warm and lacking detail. I have had Croft preamps for many years. My current 25R works magically with my Decca SG (with John Wright Paratrace diamond - which takes it to a new level.) I use a Jelco 750L arm which is a ridiculous bargain and wipes the floor with the Rega. See my Virtual System for more info on both the Decca and Croft and tube rolling.

@noromance

I should add that my RB300’s wiring has been upgraded with an Incognito rewire. I also use an Audio Origami SOFC external cable and a Michell techno-weight, so it is far from stock. I have also added weight to the headshell.

I’m still very much enjoying the SG + Croft combo.

I’ve since upgraded the tubes to Shuguang Custom Black Treasure 12AX7-LS which delivers slightly more detail than the Mazda’s.

@nordicnorm

Thanks for the follow up. Didn’t mean to disparage the RB300 which I like. The Jelco bearings is where it’s at. Improving the wire can improve the sound but not the performance, if you know what I mean. Thanks for the 12ax7 LS recommendation. I bought a pair. Feedback to follow when they arrive.

Against popular wisdom, I run my Decca into 47k. I tried 33k on the original Super Micro and felt it calmed the music enough for it to rob some of the air and dynamics. I believe that as long as the TT and arm provide a vibration free anchor for the Decca, electronic damping is not required.