On the fence about Vinyl need a good phono stage for A/B testing

gregb63, dealer calibrated the arm for me and setup the cartridge. What phono stage do you use?.

Seems like lot of people also like Shindo Masseto or even Shindo Monbrison. How do these compare to Luxman EQ-500 / Manley Steelhead / BAT - VK-P12SE all are similarly priced.

Guru Ralph Karsten of Atma-sphere has posted extensively on this subject. His position, as I understand it, is that the phono stage is critical to vinyl listening. A better phono stage means less noise and fewer pops as well as better resolution.

I agree. When I moved from inexpensive good value phono to ARC, the difference was phenomenal. Did that twice. More recently, my previous DIY phono stage used the best component in most places - it is quite inferior to the present one, which uses the best component in every place.

One thing, though - you may miss the "high frequencies" of digital. This lack is only apparent and not real, as what is missing is the highly audible distortion masquerading as 'speed' and 'attack'. It is akin to the sound of a cheap electrolytic capacitor in the signal path.

You should find the analogue sound to be more relaxing and more conducive to long listening sessions. That's what we (analogophiles) all strive for.

Geek101:

I currently own 4 phono stages with a fifth soon on the way. The Luxman EQ 500 is one of them and it is simply one of the best I’ve heard. Change the fuses (a must) to something more ambitious than the cheap glass it comes stock with. I tried Synergistic Blue, hifi Tuning, etc. The best combination by far was one Audio Magic Ultimate Bees Wax and four AMR Mk2 Gold fuses. I also swapped out the JJ EZ81 rectifier for a NOS Mullard I purchased from Brent Jesse.

Absolutely stunning and the flexibity is right up there with the best. I usually listen to it everyday as it compliments my AMR PH 77 very well.

Oh yeah, it sounds stodgy and thick out of the box, very opaque. It will loosen up at about 100 hours and start to sing around 250 hours. I know many folks exaggerate about components being run-in after like 20-50 hours. I don’t usually have that experience with the gear I buy, it takes time. This goes fast once you pass about 100 hours as it’s more listenable and you are enjoying the component as its becoming better sounding.

If you're thinking about the Parasound JC3+, go with a slightly more costly option: Herron VTPH-2A. I've had a half dozen phono stages over the past ten years including the Parasound and Herron puts them all to shame. With a properly set up TT, the Herron will give an immediate improvement in sound quality. Another nice thing about the Herron, if you make upgrades to your system over time, your phono stage won't be one of them. It is that good.