thoughts on adding phonostage


Thinking of adding a phonostage/upgrade cartridge on current set up;
EAT b sharp turntable
rogue audio cronus magnum iii
goldenear T66 floor speakers
KimberKable ascent 8tc speaker wire and PBJ interconnect.

currently I have a ortofon bronze 2M cartridge.   will upgrade to EAT jo no.5 , Hana ML or ortofon MC quintent bronze depending on best price etc. excited to actually hear the difference as i think the set up sounds pretty good right now.  

question is, thoughts on phonostage? the cronus magnum iii has a built in MM/MC phonostage, woudl it be overkill? and do i pair the phono to the rogue audio, or to the EAT turntable, or can I go with another brand?

 

pmzn

Thanks for post I will be calling Bill at rogue. I did not splurge on the dark version and have the stock kt-88s.  i have been reading alot about low output and high output MC, i think i'm upgrading to Hana MH.  I feel like pairing amp with a tube phono may make the over all system too warm, if thats a thing...but isnt that what drew me to a tube amp to begin with?  this audiophile business is such a slippery rabbit hole!  fun

Do what @buellrider97 suggested.  

I have an RP-1 with a Rega P6 and Ania Pro Cart.  I called up Rogue and got the dip settings they suggested to match the Ania (there was a chart but I wanted to make sure).  Upgraded the RP-1 tubes to Matched Mullards from Andy's tube services.   Later a tried a MOON 110LP from my LD.  After as critical a listening session as my old ass ears could pull off , The MOON sounded no better than the RP-1.  So back to the LD it went. 

Given what you’re looking for my mind immediately went to the Liberty Audio B2B-1 phono pre.  I reviewed their B2B-100 amp that was outstanding and also had the qualities you’re looking for, and I think this review captures their sonic house sound and the phono pre’s character well (there are also a couple Stereophile reviews).

https://positive-feedback.com/Issue52/liberty.htm

They sell direct so you’re getting a lot of quality for the $ from one of the top minds in audio (Peter Noerbaek of PBN Audio), and I believe they offer a 14-day trial period.  Just one idea FWIW, and best of luck. 

I’ve compared side by side with Rogue, Stock phono in a receiver, and Rega all with using a ss amp and the ortofon bronze cart. To my ears, the rogue with the tubes and separate power supply was the best sound. Smooth, clear, not bright

I am confronted with the same question.  My initial thought is to live with my current MC preamp in my Aragon 24k.  Adding 2 sets of cable and another audio device and then into an aux/cd/or tape input on my current system and out again seems like a lot of added stuff in my signal path.  and it is starting at a few microvolts.