18 tubes in a pre-amp---yow!
Best preamp with built in phono stage?
I have and love my Atma-Sphere MP-1 preamp with its excellent built in phono stage. A two box tube unit. I don’t have rack space for a separate phono stage and don’t want another IC. Not to mention the cost of a high end line stage and high end phono stage. The MP-1 was specifically designed to play vinyl. 8 of its 18 tubes are dedicated to the phono. In many ways, it seems to not have competition. Surely, very pricy line stage and phono stage can surpass it but I don’t know another high end pre with built in phono that compares.
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darTZeel NHB-18NS battery powered preamp. Swiss; built like a tank if the tank was built by Rolex. i have owned this preamp in 2 versions since 2006, now with version 2 since 2016. great internal phono stage. my 18NS has 2 of these phono stages inside. this is the preamp Michael Fremer uses as a reference; he also owned version 1 and version 2. does not sound like solid state, or like tubes, it sounds like music. very low noise floor, and very micro dynamic for a very lively sound. it uses optical couplers for it's switching and volume attenuation. best preamp i have heard. |
Hi Mike,The Atma was $28k believe the darTZeel is $50k+. And the Atma has multiple balanced in and out. The darTZeel only has one balanced in and out. Do you use the BNCs? Seems the darT was also designed greatly to play vinyl as is the Atma. Both by vinyl loving designers. I’m sure the darT is excellent. And also imagine the SQ is not head and shoulders above the Atma. Probably a different take. Yes, more lively. Could the Atma be more “organic”? No ICs. Just a lot of tubes. My TT rig is Woodsong Garrard 301, Triplanar arm, and Lyra Atlas SL. What is yours? Cheers, Mike |
hi Mike, here is a link to my system which shows three different tt systems. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/615 i also have a 4th tt system i’ve not added the pictures yet; an EMT948/Durand Kairos/Miyajima Infinity Mono 0.7 mil stylus. currently i’m using the darTZeel preamp phono’s with my NVS turntable; one arm is the Durand Tosca with an Etsuro Gold MC cartridge, the other arm is a Durand Telos with a Miyajima Infinity Mono 1.0 mil stylus. the Atma=Sphere preamp is a high quality piece and i have great respect for it. i’d say the dart gets close to the liquid feeling of tubes, but with a lower noise floor and greater transparency. definitely no solid state dryness or grain with the dart. i do use the BNC 50 ohm ’zeel’ interface between my dart pre and amps. 10 years ago i owned a Dobbins Plinth’d and tweaked Garrard 301 with a Loricraft power supply and absolutely loved it. that 301 experience is why i eventually acquired the Saskia model two idler. i’m a fan of idlers. |
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