Hagerman Trumpet MC review
Disclaimer. This is far from a “scientific” evaluation. Just my personal experience on my system. See my other threads for a system outline.
The Hagerman Trumpet replaces a JLTi v.3 that has been my phono stage for about 15 years now. So went from solid state to tubes. I won’t go into detail on either as the specs are available online.
The Trumpet runs 4 12ax7 and 2 12au7 tubes and since it relies on the tubes for input, gain, phase splitting and output, it is a tube rollers dream. Right out of the box even with stock tubes (4 Mullard ax7 and two EH au7 reissues) it blew the JLTi away. Soundstage was wider and deeper with a more 3D presence. There was more separation and definition between instruments, more “air” and timbre was more accurate. It was not a small change, even in my far from perfect room. Vocals were more natural and there was less “smearing”. A pet peeve of mine is when instruments get up and walk around the stage, especially apparent in classical music. The JLTi did have the upper hand in a couple of areas, it was quieter, and faster (attack and decay/transients), but not huge advantage for either of these. The JLTi got a lot of high praise from the usual crowd when introduced, so this is no small feat for the Hagerman which, if inflation is factored in sells for about 1/4 to 1/3 of what the JLTi v3 would sell for now. There was also less “hash” with the Trumpet, but still some there. Then I rolled in some nice old tubes. Au7’s are Mazda “pinched waist” from the 1960’s, in the v2 sockets are a pair of Mazda nickel plates from the late 60’s and in the v1 are a pair of Siemens long black plates from 1960. What a difference, soundstage goes way beyond the speakers, you can really hear the hall in classical or live recordings, extended FR, just all around more. Hash is gone, though this may have been a burn in issue. In short, I would highly recommend giving this pre a try. It is truly amazing and the customer service is exemplary. If there is anything I missed or you want to know, just respond.
@oceanica i sure appreciate this review--ive been window shopping this phono amp for a coupla years. your impressions with different tubes give me a head stsart should i pick one up. those mazda are exceptional tubes, and i got a couple myself. btw siemens never made a 60s black plate 12AX7, and iirc they switched to short plates in 59. im real curious as to what it is, tho. wish this forum allowed pics. happy listening!
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Thanks for the review. I too have a JLTi mk 4 which I bought new many years back. There was a big shootout of several phono preamps with The JLTi at least tied as best. most of the others cost a lot more. But I get the urge to look elsewhere. I thought about the JLTi Mk 5 but Joe Rasmussen is in Australia which makes service quite a hassle in the USA. I have been looking at the Allnic, Zesto, ModWright, et al. So your post is quite intriguing. Did you audition any other phono preamps? The 30 day $$$ back is very tempting. I like the small size too. Looks like it will fit right where the JLTi now resides. Thanaks |
Great review! I agree - been recommending this phono stage for a while now. Big fan of all Hagerman analog gear, in general. His Piccolo head-amps (including the current-based Zero) are amazing for the money, and warmer than other JFET based stages (which I sometimes find a bit sterile). The "house sound" is always warm (but not too warm) and musical. You get a bit more noise floor than some other brands, but it doesn’t bother me and I find the trade-off worth it. I was looking for his older Trumpet Reference and finally found one - it’s amazing. Though to be sure, all of his Trumpet versions, including the little MC, are very similar in sound. ALSO agree Mazdas are exceptional in this phono, to really bring out the detail and dynamics. It responds very well to tube rolling. |
Regarding the Siemens tubes. I at first thought the dates read 1956, but the codes are tough for me to read, so they could be that instead of 1960. I went with the more conservative reading. Purchased fro Brent Jessee years ago. Still going strong. I don’t live where I can audition equipment without actually buying, so take everything I say with some salt (;-). |
