Herron Audio VTPH-2A - Modwright PH 9.0X - Icon audio ps1 mkii

@audiosaurusrex I used the blue then the orange. I haven’t stepped up to the purple yet because every component I own uses SR fuses of some sort, and that’s not an itch I can afford to scratch right now. I thought the blue was the best bang for the buck. I’m not even sold on the orange, which is softer and more refined in comparison, but I do own a number of them. But from black to blue was the biggest difference I’ve heard to date. 

@thiefoflight Yes I had the 1amp blue in my old phonostage and liked it alot, unfortunately the 9.0x uses the 3amp. I'm gonna wait a bit but I'll do something at some point.

Received the Modwright PH9.0X yesterday. Meticulously Packed, Rock Solid Construction and just gorgeous! Art and Engineering at it's finest. Or as Modwright puts it, Elegance, Simplicity, Truth! Installed tubes, I went right for the Siemens E188CC/7308 gold pins which I had on hand. Noticed a bit of a smell upon power up, not that new car smell 🤔   Currently have my AT-ART9XA on the table so I set the load to 100ohm no gain. Gonna switch out to the Umami Red which I haven't even tried yet. First album for me had to be "The Nightfly", then "Natty Dread". Stunning clarity and soundstage with air around the instruments. So I was wondering how this would compare with my SPL Phonos which I thought was outstanding. The 9.0X seems to have improved clarity and depth. The phonos was extremely quiet but the 9.0X is seemingly bottomless with nuances in the music I did not hear with the Phonos. Just spun 2 albums but we'll see how it improves over time. Hope the smell is nothing I need to be concerned about.

@audiosaurusrex  Keep us informed as to sound quality as unit burns in. I'm particularly interested as I'm running Modwright swp 9.0se and looking for cartridge upgrade, the ART-9xa at top of list with Lyra Delos. Umani Red also on my list if worth the extra money over AT and Delos.

Also wondering how much better PH models above SWP?  PH-9x would definitely be my choice.

Funny how many similarities in analog choices, Herron's always been near or top of list for phono stage.

@sns I can answer your questions! The PH9 and 9X are a SUBSTANTIAL improvement over the SWP 9.0 SE. This is the upgrade path I went through. The upgrade from SWP to PH9 was much greater than from going from the 9 to 9X, but the X upgrade is still worth it. I wholeheartedly loved the SWP, but with the PH9 there is just more to everything - musicality, tonal richness, holography, separation, resolution, you name it. I remember opening the box with Vlad Baselkov, owner of Audio Mirror. I installed the stage, and even without tube break in, the improvement of the PH9 was so substantial that it put a smile on both our faces. He immediately bought one for himself the following day. 
 

The ART9 line is also very special. I had the original ART9, and to date it might still be my favorite cartridge despite it being discontinued in favor of the XA and XI. I “upgraded” to other cartridges after breaking the ART9 cantilever. My upgrade path consisted of a Dynavector XV-1s and the TOTL Audio Technica ART1000, and I missed the balance and tonality of the ART9 compared to both of those MSRP $5K cartridges. I sold both of them and am now using an Air Tight PC-1s, which many say is like the ART9 on steroids. I am very happy with it, but it is definitely diminishing returns. In the future I may just find myself going back to the ART9XA or ART9XI.