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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
tkr
100 posts
 
The Moon 310 LP will give you 66 dB of gain unbalanced and 72 dB balanced. That would be more than enough gain for an 0.2 mV cart. 
lewm
13,045 posts
 
Korakotta, You are being pulled in all possible directions by conflicting advice from 2 or 3 of the main guys who hang around this forum.  I would say there are no "wrong" answers to your questions among the myriad of responses, just opinions.  Back up the thread, you mentioned that your interest in balanced ICs emanates from your impression that your "monitors" need a balanced input.  Can you amplify on that?  In general, balanced ICs (with XLR termination) are only of benefit when the equipment being connected has balanced circuitry inside or an input or output transformer that either converts a balanced input into an SE signal for processing within the circuit or converts the SE signal into balanced at the output, or both.  Most speakers ("monitors") do not care.

If the internal circuit is balanced either electrically or via transformer coupling at either end, then it is definitely worthwhile to use balanced ICs.
korakotta's avatar
korakotta OP
50 posts
 
It's a pair of Dynaudio BM5 MKiii. It sounds like a big improvement after I went balanced, so I want to keep it that way.
invictus005
597 posts
 
I would choose Moon 310LP. It’s an excellent sounding phono preamp.
lewm
13,045 posts
 
Kora, I have no doubt that your Dynaudios may sound "better" compared to some unknown comparator, when fed from your balanced equipment, whatever it is you're using, but the speakers per se are not sensitive to the nature of the signal in terms of balanced vs SE.  In other words, if you played around with amplifiers, phono stages, and line stages, you might eventually find some combination of SE electronics that sounds better than your current balanced set-up, although balanced circuits in my own experience do tend to have a lower noise floor.  Also, unless your amplifiers have a balanced output, the speakers are not at all affected one way or the other by what is upstream (balanced or SE), except in the areas of noise and gain.

I think I may be opening a can of worms.  Don't worry about it.
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