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Phono (0.1- 0.22mV+) or step up for LOMC?

A rookie needs some help please...
Would you buy a phono (0.1- 0.22mV+) or step up for LOMC? Which one? Why? It's an Ikeda 9TT (2ohm, 0.2mV) with a VPI Classic, and Dynaudio BM5 MKiii monitors with volume box.
I have found the following options in the past few days. Phono:
Gold Note PH-10 (0.1mV)
Gold Note PH-1 (0.15mV)
Gold Note PH-7 (0.15mV)
EAR 834p (0.22mV)
Nighthawk F117 (???mV)
Which one would you choose?
I am leaning towards the PH10, but honestly I dont need all those settings, but if IT sounds superior than the other then I would go for it. The Nighthawk sounds really good also for the price but I couldn't find the specifications and I am not sure if it's good as any of the Gold Notes. Used EAR 834p can be an option also but I read really mixed opinions about it. 
Now what I have now is a Musical Fidelity MX VYNL (0.4mV if its balanced), now I am running unbalanced. It's biggest advantage is I could run it full balanced all the way from the tonearm to the monitors and maybe some factory upgrade is possible, regarding to the website in the gain and plus a PSU.

Or step up?
Ortofon?
Denon?
It must be Max 1000pounds used.

Thank you all :)
128x128korakotta
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
@rsf507 

I have found the PH10 to be very versatile as uberwaltz stated you may not need all the settings now but down the road it may come in handy and for $1300 I think it's a bargain.

There are many great phono stages for half price of the PH-10, if someone own the PH-10 it woule be nice to see 2-3 more great phono stages in the same price range "beaten" by PH-10. But even in the first review it is clearly stated that we don't have to expect bass slam from the PH-10 (for example). I think it's not good, but depends on the system.  
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rauliruegas
13,103 posts
 
Dear @korakotta: Ignorance is what makes " some one " to speaks with out even look what you need. Spend your money is very easy for any one of us.

The PH-10 is very good option for you not only because is an active high gain phono stage but does it with very low noise and additional has a really high overload margin and a very low output impedance that means you will lost nothing of the signal through the IC cables.

The additional eq. curves are not an issue and if you don't need it who cares: you just do not use it and that's all but always are there to help in the future.
PH-10 has several up-grade options and it has a very clever design.

At that price no single SUT/MM  phono stage can even its quality level performance. As I said, ignorance .

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
Raul

All I know is I am very happy with the ph10 and yes it does have a very low noise floor.
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
Ignorance is to speak about something that you never used, but as have been poited by others Raul could hear the system and products from his appartment in Mexico without even buyin them.

What i said is that PH-10 must be compared to some other great phono stages in this price range, there are many of them on the market, one of them is JLTi.  Each review normally pushing some of them over the top, but where is the comparison chart? 

@uberwaltz do you have that bass slam that one of the PH-10 reviewer has been missing. Any other decent phono stages from your arsenal has been beaten by PH-10, which one ?  
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 

I am very fond about American expression ''overkill''. Sometime

such an expression can explain more then a whole sentence.

Well assume 71dB amplification by whatever phono-pre. For,say,

a cart with 0.4 mV output one can say that 71dB is overkill.

The context is ''the higher the amplification the higher distortion''.

This is obvious the reason why some phono-pres have more

gain stages than one. My Klyne has 3 my Basis has 4. Those

who own ''many'' cartridges can then adjust them according

to their output. The lowest possible depending from output.


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