Phono Stage upgrade to complement Dohmann Helix One Mk 2

@holmz 

I'm not the most knowledgeable about different turntables, so my experience is rather limited.  I've only had a Rega P3, Rega P8, and then made a (very large) jump to the Dohmann Helix One Mk2.  The audiophile friend who's been in vinyl for decades was very impressed with the Dohmann.  Coming from the Rega P8, it's a world of difference:  a vast improvement in every aspect:  detail and clarity most obviously improved to my ears.  

@lewm 

Yes, I'm probably not describing it very well, and we're probably talking about different aspects of the sound quality.  The "bloom" that I hear from the tubes is what makes me feel most like the instruments are in the room with me (which is not a real experience at all, but rather a very engaging experience).  The ambiance of feeling like I'm in the audience is not the same to me as the sense that the musicians are reverberating within my head, or "in the room" per se (the "bloom", as I'm describing it).  

@mijostyn 

:-)  Yes, I think we have quite similar musical tastes:  I am driving the Sound Lab 745 PX's with the Ypsilon Hyperions mostly, although I'm also using Lamm M2.2's.  Both do an excellent job to my ears, and both are hybrid amplifiers.  

Let me know how you like the Lyra Atlas SL, when it arrives.  I've personally moved on from the Koetsu Urushi Black, and replaced that cartridge with a My Sonic Lab Signature Platinum.  I'm not sure which I enjoy more between the Lyra Atlas and the MSL. . . both are excellent MC cartridges.  

@drbond  Well, that is a riot. My other cartridges are a Signature Platinum and an MC Diamond and I am not a huge Koetsu fan. The MSL is a lovely cartridge. The Atlas will be the last cartridge for a while. I need to replace my preamp processor and I am building a new set of subwoofers. 

@drbond  stated on 4/29/2022 11:39 "Thanks for the recommendations, but both the CS Port C2 EQM 2 and the EMT 128 (both of which are but phono stages, and look like high quahily products) only have one input.  With my two tonearms, I would prefer a phono stage with two inputs". 

Yes this thread hasn't seen replies for over 2 months but I was searching for info on the CS Port phono eq C2EQM2 b/c thinking of getting one in to hear and saw drbond's comment regarding it. From the CS Port website it states: One MC and two MM cartridges are also supported, three inputs in total. Just thought I'd set the record straight. 

As Mijostyn knows, I too use Sound Lab speakers, the 845PXs. The "backplate", in Sound Lab parlance, is where the bass and treble audio step up transformers and the passive crossover network that divides the frequencies that drive them, are housed. In my speakers, the components of the backplate are highly modified to save amplifier power and to provide for a high input impedance favorable to my Atma-sphere amplifiers. Funnily enough, the Atma-sphere amplifiers in this system are driven by Raul’s 3160 Phonolinepreamp, most of the time, also by my Atma-sphere MP1, and sometimes by my BMC MCCI ULN SE. (The aforementioned Steelhead drives a Beveridge 2SW-based system in my basement.)

By the way, I think Mike Lavigne owns the CS Port phono.

By the way, I think Mike Lavigne owns the CS Port phono.

Yes, Mike does and really likes the CS Port phono. Have PM him via WBF and quickly discussed. It's one of the reasons I'm thinking of it, his opinion is highly thought of.