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Luxman E-250 or Sutherland 20/20, or something else?

Moving on from my C48 preamp which had a very capable MC/MM phono section. In the $2,500 +- category narrowed it down to the Luxman and Sutherland 20/20. Didn’t know anything about either till I started researching. The Luxman has some cool design features and more flexibility than the Sutherland, IMO. I’m intrigued by their step up transformer for LO MC carts, which I have (Cadenza Black). Filter switches could be nice to have. The mono function seems intriguing but do I need it if I use a mono cart? However, very little user feedback online about this product. 

The Sutherland obviously has a solid reputation with Stereophile and Absolute Sound recommendations. Also, lots of user feedback that generally provide favorable reviews. Not too fond of having two wall warts for the base model so would probably have to spend the extra for the line power supply, so that puts the 20/20 about $400 more than the Luxman. Is the extra money worth it for the 20/20 over the Lux? Has any one tried either of these? Any other recommendations in this price range? Thanks in advance for your comments/questions. 
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bfoura OP
88 posts
 
Thanks for reminding me of the Upscale. I see where they have the Chinook. That’s pushing my budget a little but may be worth it indeed. I see they have a used Rogue tube phono stage. Anybody have any experience with the Rogue tube phono stage? Though, not tube, the Pathos looks very nicely built. Not much feedback on that phono stage. 
varyat's avatar
varyat
145 posts
 
MusicDirect is distributing Whest phono stages...they have a fairly liberal return policy. Read some of the Buyer feedback on the Whest Audio web sight - there are a lot of them. This should , at the very least, raise your interest in giving one a go :)
varyat's avatar
varyat
145 posts
 
MusicDirect is distributing Whest phono stages...they have a fairly liberal return policy. Read some of the Buyer feedback on the Whest Audio web sight - there are a lot of them. This should , at the very least, raise your interest in giving one a go :)
jjss49's avatar
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jjss49
6,612 posts
 
i found the sutherlands well built, clean sounding but lacking in drive and pace

suggest a lehmann decade or ayre p5xe for ss or manley chinook or audio research tube phono stage 
photon46
1,086 posts
 
I'd also mention that it might be worth a call to Mehran at Sorasound and see if he has a demo deal on a RCM Sensor Prelude. He often has unadvertised items for a good price. That phono stage is under the radar but the reviews you can find online give an accurate description of its performance in my experience. Mehran is a very nice dealer to work with. 
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