2. amps-preamps
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$1,500 phono upgrade worth it?

I'm having the itch to upgrade my phono stage. I currently have a Rega P6,  Ania Pro cart, and Rega Fono MC stage. I find that the stage is generally pretty noisy with a noticeable hiss. The table can't be grounded in stock configuration from Rega, so I don't think it's that. I do have a dedicated line run from my panel to the plug. I don't think it's picking up any interference. The phono is run into a Primaluna Evo 300 integrated; which is dead silent when streaming.

I guess what I'm trying to figure out, is the $1,500 figure going to make a noticeable difference? Do I even need to go that high? Given my current configuration, I can't see stepping up much higher than that. At some point I'm only going to get so much out of the ancillary components to justify going way above them with the stage.

Any advice is greatly appreciated! Cheers and happy holidays!!

ecrotty
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aberyclark
1,410 posts
 

A couple of things. If you have really efficient speakers, Hiss will be more noticeable with some tube amps if the the gain is on the higher side. 
 

Does the hum go away when you touch the tone arm? Also check your cartridge wires and make sure they are snug. 

arcticdeth's avatar
arcticdeth
1,572 posts
 

Tweeter hiss is common for high eff speaks. 
 

 Tone controls? Turn down 2 notches treble. 
 

 Unplug wires, wipe off,  reconnect, make sure all connections are snug, 

check for touching cables as well.

clean the records well.

femoore12's avatar
femoore12
683 posts
 

It is possible to have a system with high efficiency speakers with no hiss or hum. I have a tube pre-amp, tube amps, and horn speakers. I have no hum or hiss when using my system. It is dead quiet. I cannot hear anything when my turntable is running before placing the needle on the vinyl. I do have everything plugged into one power conditioner. I did replace the stock turntable power supply with an SBooster Linear power supply. 

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