Mainstream Phono Stages Incorporating Premium Branded PCB Parts - Do They Exist?

"Lab 12 Melto2"

From the specs-

• Full Tube Des
• Lundahl Step-up transformers

How can it be "full tube design" if MC gain is thru transformers?

It may be a nice unit, but it just looks like another import with 1980’s display/readout.

Another tube phono worth looking at-

nvoaudio: SPA-II Tube Phono pre-amp

Agon hot years back. For some reason the company never did a proper website.

Aesthetically, nothing to get excited about, maybe even a little cheap looking. Reviews all positive in performance.

Haven’t we gotten off the topic of boutique individual parts and their efficacy? Simply naming preamplifiers doesn’t get us anywhere. Just saying.

I recently had the Caps replaced in my SS Amp by the Manufacturer.  

Knowing the shipping costs was the larger-half, I decided to have 'upgraded' caps installed.   They are Great!  quicker attack (but not analytical), better tone, clearer decay.  It was one of the 'jaw drop' moments.  

In my case, the Manufacture knew exactly which caps would produce better SQ, and it was definitely worth the money.

But you don't know what capacitors were installed(?)  If you can say for certain that the amplifier sounds better, presumably after not having heard it for a few weeks while it was away for the upgrade, then the original capacitors might have been very low grade, because one's sonic memory is always to be mistrusted in it's capacity to perceive subtle differences over a time interval.  It would be fun to know what capacitors were in there, and what was used to replace them.

My Modwright has proprietary branded caps like Audio Note, from who I dunno.  The X upgrade in the PH9.0 in fact removes caps in the signal path.  I think it's not just about the caps but where they are in the signal path.

At this price point I would trust the makers to know what works and what doesn't.

Would I have gone into my Tavish Adagio and the Modwright to upgrade caps? Hell no!  I know of at least one maker who didn't believe more expensive caps made any significant difference.  As long as they were polypropylenes they were good to go.

While my experiments with caps have yielded some good results (EAR834 clone) I would rather depend on the circuit rather than the type of caps that are in there, especially a phono stage.

A fast look shows that Luxman used MCaps in the EQ500, but the basic caps, not any SGOs.  At least one other phono pre used proprietary branded caps but I don't remember who.

I think higher end caps just force makers to raise prices without any real advantages in sound quality.