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Next step: preamp or phono preamp

After 14 weeks my power amplifier arrived. For the last few weeks it’s been burning in beautifully.

Since vinyl is my primary listening I want to ask what my next step should be. My plan had been a tube preamp next as I’m currently using a Schiit SYS as a stop gap. But maybe the phono would be a better starting spot? My TT will be replaced and isn’t anything to write about (Project DC with 2M Blue) at some point as well.

I know where I will end up but am looking for guidance on the order of steps to get there as everything will need to be done piece by piece.

Current phonostage is a Lounge LCR MKIII
gochurchgo
glennewdick's avatar
glennewdick
1,725 posts
 
if your looking at both why not get a good preamp with a good phono stage built in. many out there. I'd go tube pre if it was me but we all have different sound tastes.
gochurchgo OP
923 posts
 
@glennewdick I already have the preamp and phonostage picked out. The preamp will be a tube preamp, the phono is solid state.

My question is order of purchase, not what to purchase.
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
Any particular reason you're not divulging what components you've picked? The specifics about the phono stage in particular, e.g., gain, output impedance, etc., and the amplifier can give some clues as what order you should go....
gochurchgo OP
923 posts
 
Oops, I thought I did. My bad.

tube preamp: Odyssey Candela
phonostage: Odyssey Suspiro

current amp: Odyssey Khartago with a few upgrades.
current phono: Lounge LCR MKIII
current table: PROJECT DC + 2M Blue
mesch
3,529 posts
 
Since the SYS/Lounge seem to play well into your amplifier, I believe an upgrade in TT/Tonearm/cartridge will make a significant improvement in your overall experience. The source sets the limit on what can be derived from a system. Maybe you should consider working from the source back toward the amplifier. That said, one could easily spend as much on a vinyl front end as on electronics (amp/preamp/phonostage) and have a balanced system. I imagine your amp ran ~$1200, the basic Candela lists at $1600, and the basic Suspiro lists at $1200. The Suspiro phonostage seems to be very flexible in terms of gain and loading options. More so than the Lounge. It should mate well with a number of cartridges.  

In a vinyl system, the two transducers, speaker and cartridge, contribute the most to the character of a system. Which begs the question: What speakers are you using?


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