What's A Good Upgrade From A Manley Steelhead?

The Manley Steelhead is $12k. I think an upgrade should be 50-100% more in price, otherwise you’re just looking at different. At the price range you’re talking about, you might not get much of an upgrade, but maybe I’m wrong.

I used to own a Steelhead, and upgraded to a current based phono stage, the CH Precision P1, which is a significant upgrade in every aspect.

I’ll second @rauliruegas’s recommendation for the Moon 610LP. I have the Moon 310LP/320S combination and it is absolutely brilliant; I heard the 610LP recently and it is a very significant step up in SQ.

Lampizator’s phono is about $8000 ish and very very good

Why not forget about loading and go 

with a Sutherland Phono  Loco current/transimpedence phono stage?

At $8200 it’s right at your budget

i personally went through several voltage type phono stages

until I personally went with the Little Loco

This change was the single largest improvement I have ver experienced in gear changes /upgrades   To my vinyl front end playback.No longer do I need to worry a loading and this unit gives me the most accurate reproduction of the grooves that I have ever experienced. Also forget about hum because this design is dead quiet.

Good luck Willy-T

@willy-t Thanks for the heads up on the Sutherland. I wasn’t aware of this technology, using the current and not the voltage generated in moving coil cartridges. It’s interesting since I’m also looking to change tonearms so I can spec the balanced ungrounded cable requirements.

Interesting.

I wish there were some place I could get to hear this thing.

Otherwise I like the Moon idea, unless something else comes along. I haven’t found much reading on the Moon phono but I’ll have another look around later today.

Please keep any other suggestions coming. I’d like a shortlist of perhaps 3 units before I get my spinning wheel and pointer out :)

Rooze