Are You Happy With Your Phono Preamp?

I'm using an Allnic H8000. All I can say is holy cow!

 I have always wanted to hear music first produced from a cartridge (balanced output) to a phono amp that is fully balanced, to a balanced headphone amp, and finally into headphones wired for a balanced signal.

  I am happy and frustrated with my phono set up as is. It is mostly about the phono preamps that I have tried. I did build a John Broskie Aikido phono preamp and also an Aikido headphone amp that go extremely well together. Using ZMF headphones tops it all off, and I would change that. 

 Ok, so if I go the more common direction with this phono amp and connect it through my system, the sound is way off. So I leave it for the headphone system only.

 Different problem next, I also built a Pete Millett phono preamp (LCR design) and while I am impressed with its sound through my system, there is a bit of hum that I have yet to find. It is only in one channel. 

 Both of these phono preamps have their merits, but I do prefer the Aikido. 

Ralph from Atma-sphere should chime in about the details of ARC balanced. He has a superb understanding of balanced/differential circuits. 

After 8 years with an Allnic H-3000 mk2, I still have no real urge to upgrade. Prior to the Allnic, in reverse chronological order, were a Steelhead RC, K&K Maxxed Out, and a Trichord Delphini. Each was successively better but the Allnic is a solid cut above. It can be found on the used market at around $5-6K these days, which is a good deal for 2xMC, 2xMM of this quality

My Vac Phi Beta pre-amp, 11 years old and going strong, has a MC/MC phono section that is excellent, perhaps second only to the Allnic in my systems. I also have a Modwright Ph9.0, which waits in reserve and gets too little play. It’s quite good, as others have said, and a relative bargain at its price.

Despite my satisfaction with the Allnic and VAC, I am awfully tempted to borrow an Accuphase C-47 from my dealer, just to see how a highly-evolved SS phono stage stacks up. If I end up unable to live without it, I’d get an XLR version of a phono cable I have now, to see what the balanced fuss is about.

@chilli42

While researching phono stages looking for the best price/performance, on another’s  post, “PS Audio Stellar Phono (buy audio magic ultimate beeswax shd fuse $225- big improvements)”

I ended up with a used VDH GrailSE current phono stage