Phono stages: Hagerman and Sun Valley 1616 possible giant killers

I hate the "giant killers" trope because they almost never are. But I love & recommend Hagerman’s phono gear at every price point. His curent line is built to a (very low) price point, with the requisite sacrifices made (like SMPS). BUT they are still superb, and highly musical. There’s nothing else like the Trumpet MC at its price, and the Trumpet MM should be killer too if you wish to use an external SUT or headamp (including his own excellent Piccolos).

I’m also quite fond of his older models with more upscale build & parts (and linear PSUs), if you can find them - particularly the Trumpets.

The Trumpet was originally designed with fully balanced, all tube circuitry, as evidenced by its 8 tubes (4x 12ax7, 4x 12au7). It’s not SS with a (useless) tube buffer tacked on like most others at this price point. He’s simplified the output stage to lower price in the current MC version (2x 12au7 instead of 4x in the old Trumpets), but I believe its core circuitry (before the output stage) is still balanced, including the Piccolo-derived front-end for MC gain. The Cornet is a simplified version / circuit without any balanced circuitry.

The Trumpets are warm, open sounding phono stages with extremely satisfying bass response. You get a good dose of "classic" tube sound, and they respond very well to tube rolling. If you’re looking for maximum detail, lowest noise floor, and razer-sharp edge definition, these are not for you. However, those looking for satisfaction primarily via natural musicality should give them a try, and I think it can beat many in the $3 - 5K range on that front. It is definitely more "classic tube" souding than Rogue Ares Magnum and Herron VTPH-2A (or ARC Reference 3SE for that matter, though that has a GREAT tube stage). Also, the Trumpet MC will pair beautifully to almost any cartridge.

Her name is Kara Chaffee, DeHavilland is the brand, and yes she is happily retired.

+1 for Hagerman, his service is peerless which may swing the purchase in his direction.

Of course, if you play 78s, as I do, the Hagerman Archiver would be the natural competition to the 1616.

No longer posting here but @bkeske was impressed with the 6 tube MC version of the Trumpet—especially after rolling in Telefunkens etc. Note that as it’s a tube MC section, likely a little noisier than FET or SUT.

No longer posting but @bkeske was impressed with the 6 tube MC version of the Trumpet—especially after rolling in Telefunkens etc. Note that as it’s a tube MC section, likely a little noisier than FET or SUT.

Trumpet MC actually uses a FET based MC stage / buffer, derived from his Piccolo head amp. The 6 tubes are all for the RIAA stage plus output. That said, its input MC stage is in fact higher in noise floor than you’d get from a much more expensive FET stage (Pass Labs, Herron, etc). But it still sounds very good - neutral, but not at all analytical or dry. As per Jim, it’s not bypassed for the lowest gain setting (MM) - it acts as a 0-gain buffer! Hence extra justification for the Trumpet MM model, for those who wish to use their own SUT.

OP,

"Do you think the Hagerman competes with phono stages in the 3-5 K price range?"

Absolutely: "good enough, DONE"

Speaker/Amp/Preamp/Sources: in that order I keep rejecting ... until I achieve ’involving, dynamic, revealing yet relaxed’.

My MX110z’s phono, my friend’s Hagerman Phono, I think either are end game/stop looking, if it breaks just get another one: thus they are equal to anything at any price even though I haven’t heard the other choices.

Done for Now: If my good enough (had to have remote volume and sound as good as my prior Fisher 80az tube mono blocks), Cayin A88T amp broke, it would be a total ’now what?’ research situation (limited by my need for 16 ohm taps).

Done. If my Sony xa5400es sacd player died, my MX110z tube tuner preamp died, my TT81 died; my Acos Lustre GST-801 tonearm died, my X2000R Reel to Reel; my Mitsubishi LT5V Vertical TT or Luxman SQ-N150 Integrated Amp died: I would search for money not bother with any research, just gather $, whatever it cost to get another one.

Only scarcity would force me to research, luckily, age 76, I have the patience and alternate equipment to keep listening while searching/waiting.

/////////////////////////////////

My friend may one day want to try a low output MC cartridge, and I imagine he, like me, would use a SUT so he can keep his ’done’ Hagerman Cornet2 MM Tube Phono stage. He could get the Hagerman Trumpet MM/MC discussed here, expect very similar sound,

but he has an early Cornet 2 Kit and it has a rectifier tube. seller sent him a variety of good but used tubes, including 3 different rectifier tubes. We were both quite surprised how much difference the rectifier tubes made. I never experienced that with my Fisher 80az 5V4 rectifier tubes which I checked twice a year and renewed a few times over the nearly 50 years I used them before selling them to Steve at VAS. That's how you know for sure that tubes last a long long time.