On the fence about Vinyl need a good phono stage for A/B testing
The DSP will suck some life out of your vinyl; I would try it with and without. For me, I am willing to put up with some less than perfect resonances for the sparkling purity of a well reproduced analog signal. There is a certain emotional thrill and sense of involvement that I get listening to records that just doesn't happen with digital sources (despite the fact that they almost assuredly measure better)). That said, I have ploughed through a number of phono preamps over the years. Some of the best were built in to the 60's and 70's era electronics. If the piece of equipment has a pre-out, they are fun to audition. Almost any modern phono-pre is going to sound pretty good. You will get a lot more variety and "bang-for-your-buck" entertainment value messing around with different cartridges. Before I would haul off and invest a ton of money on a phono pre, I would at least try out some different MM cartridges (Grado, AT, Rega - the Exact would be a good fit). Moving into MC territory, it is more important to match the phono pre to the cartridge. Your selection of a phono-pre will be more critical, especially if you are moving up the price chain. For under $1000 MM cartridges, I would recommend the Schiit Mani, although just about any would do. At this price point, the subtle refinements of an expensive phono pre will be barely discernible. |
I have an Odyssey Audio Suspiro that I would put head-to-head with the Parasound JC3 (at least as far as sound goes, the JC3+'s variable loading is more convenient and offers a few more options for cartridge loading). The Suspiro matches well enough to most cartridges that it is an absolute bargain considering the cost (around $1250). I am currently running it with a Hana SL - highly recommended! |
I just had Ortofon 2M Bronze installed on Rega P6. I am hoping to get some milage on this before even considering upgrading this to something else. Is this a good start?. I am happy to invest in a good long term phono stage but prefer to start with something cheaper and tube(everyone thinks tube is better!) I am thinking Manley chinook / Herron VTPH-2A but slowly and steadily convincing myself to get a used tube amp like Shindo Monbrison / Luxman EQ-500 / Manley Steelhead / BAT - VK-P12SE for around 5-7k. I really wish I could A/B them in the comfort of my home!. But reality is different. My amp is Line Magnetic Integrated LM-805IA speakers are Legacy Aeris (on the way), will be using Wavelet room correction. Vast amount of my music is Flac. Just getting started with records!. |
