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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@ghdprentice The ARC Ref3 Phono definitely makes me drool, but even at it’s used prices it is a bit too expensive for me. Since I only live 10 min from Audio Research, perhaps one day I’ll find a way to demo it in my system. I’ve tried lower end ARC (PH6) and preferred the Modwright PH9.0X.

I’ll definitely report back, though it may take some time based on availability of units since I may not be buying a new one. I’d say the SimAudio MOON 810LP and 610LP are still the ones that are appealing me the most, and there is a 610LP used on the market right now but at a higher asking price than normal. I’m also looking for a unit with a full silver face plate if possible, but it’s not a deal breaker. Until then, competitive research keeps me busy and helps me be patient. 

OP,

 

Yes, the REF 3 is expensive. Fyi. I used to own a PH8… which I thought was an incredibly good deal for the money. I also owned a PH2, pH2Se, PH3, PH3SE, No trying to make you change your mind… just sharing my observations.

@ghdprentice I appreciate it. I have had some ARC gear, and they tend to vary in quality with more recent units generally sounding much better. I had the Ref 6 line stage and Ref 150 SE amp for a short while. They were both very good but not sonically where my heart was at a few years ago. I think my listening preferences have changed to be a bit more analytical, so the Ref 3 phono does interest me.

@holmz You’re probably right about me keeping the PH9.0X. Even if I did buy a solid state stage, I’m not sure I would let go of it. As a tube unit it has bested some Allnics, the Herron VTPH-2A, the Rogue Ares Magnum, and Fosgate Signature Phono. In terms of tube stages the Luxman EQ-500 also caught my attention and there is another thread where I comment on that in this forum. I’ve been advocating for the PH9.0X for years, so this is just my never ending curiosity just to say “I tried that”.

I also used to own a few SUTs including an EAR MC3. That one was very good, but  I’m in the camp on “no more SUTs ever again”. 

 

I have the Boulder 508 and it’s fantastic. Compared to the 2108 and it was very close. Table is an AMG V12

boothroyd, The Phono Loco by Sutherland is balanced.  The BMC MMCI is another balanced "transimpedance" phono stage.

There is no reason a current-driven stage cannot operate in balanced mode; it just has to have been built to do so with essentially separate gain circuits for the positive and negative phases of a balanced signal. This is much easier to do with solid state gain stages than with tubes.