The best phono solid state phono stage I've heard in your price range is the Coda 06x. It's bettered by my Zesto Andrés Deluxe II phono stage but not by much.
Solid State Phono Stages
I used to be an all-tube guy, but I’ve now ventured into the realm of high-end solid state with T+A and no longer have any itch to go back heavily into tubes. Now, the only tubes I have left in my system are in my Modwright PH9.0X phono, and from what I’ve demoed against it, it seems to be a giant killer. I do love it, but I’m curious to try a higher end solid state phono stage to see what more noise and more music might sound like. Unfortunately T+A does not have a standalone phono stage, so I’m looking at other manufacturers and open to other opinions.
I currently have a Clearaudio Innovation Wood table and Air Tight PC-1s cartridge. i listen to a wide range of music, from Zeppelin to Vivaldi to Beck to Coltrane to Yello. The stage would ideally have between 65-74db of gain, maybe adjustable to 60db at minimum, and have variable impedance values. A balanced output stage would be ideal. I don’t ever really plan to have a second arm, but most stages that retail over $7K tend to have multiple inputs anyways.
My budget would be at tops ~$8K for a used unit. The unit that is sticking out to me from what I’m reading about is the Simaudio Moon 810LP. Another high on the list is the Esoteric E-02. I’ve also come across the Pass XP-27, the Gold Note PH-1000.
I’m looking for a stage with some personality in its character, not one that is overly refined. I’d love for it to be dynamic and bold when it should be, and also gentle and refined when it should be.
The only solid state stages I’ve ever owned and tried were the Pass Labs Xono, which was clean sounding but a little noisy and brittle sounding compared to a PS Audio Stellar Phono. I’ve liked all my tube phono stages better than both of those units.
I’ve also considered going further up the tube stage route, looking at Doshi 3.0, Aesthetix IO Eclipse, but I’m hesitant unless I can hear those in place.
What solid stage phono stages have you loved, and what have you compared them to?
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@thiefoflight - Take look at Simaudio Moon - there is a model to suit your budget. Not sure you will find a used uinit because the ones in your budget do not come up for sale very often. I have the LP5.3 RS model (the current 310LP model) and I an very happy with it. But you would probably want the 610LP ($10k CDN) or the 810LP (16k CDN) They are extremely quiet and can be configured to most all cartridges They are very dynaic and bold with exceptional details, but they convey the aura of the performance very well also I use extremely good cables and the sound is exceptional. Regards - Steve
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Thank you all - some great suggestions here. @holmz @boothroyd - I don’t currently have balanced outs coming from my tonearm but it is an option. I’ve read about the Sutherland Phono Loco in the past and forgot about it as I wasn’t curious about solid state stages then. A brief search also surfaced Channel D phono stages, which also have an incredible reputation. @rsf507 I think the Gold Note PH-1000 is super sexy, but a few reviewers have commented on its lack of speed and dynamics, stating the unit is overly refined. That was a turnoff but would love to hear if anyone has experience comparing it to other stages. @bigtwin I forgot to list the Parasound JC3+ I’ve looked into that one before, but I’ve read a few users who commented on its noticeable noise levels for low output MC cartridges, and that was a turn off. @williewonka Yeah Simaudio MOON is up at the top of my list. There is a 610LP that is in budget for me, but I’m somewhat waiting for the 810LP to hit the market. They consistently seem to outperform the competition from what I’ve heard. I really appreciate the suggestions so far and will take a deeper consideration into transconductance stages, which I know little about. Keep it coming! |
- 172 posts total