Levinson 320S Phono Module vs. Klyne 7PX

Thanks for your responses. I went ahead and purchased/installed a brand new 320S phono module and ran it with signal for about 12 hours. I also hooked up the Klyne to the aux line input of the 320 and did an A/B. The Klyne outperforms the 320 module in terms of warmth and neutrality. The 320 module sounds bright and tinny compared to the Klyne, but seems to have more dynamics.

I'm not sure if it's a break in issue as the 320 module only has a tad over 12 hours of use whereas the Klyne has over 200 hours. Anyone know how many hours of break in it would take to obtain optimum sound from a Levinson phono stage? TIA.

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Ca2284,
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If you are able to put more hours on the Levinson (200 plus would be logical), please do another A/B between the Levinson and the Klyne and let us your impressions after the Levinson has had time to break in.
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The comments of bright and tinny are consistent with a SS unit lacking sufficient break-in although it might just be the sound of the Levinson.
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Rgds,
Larry
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Sure thing, Larry. My gut feel is that the Levinson will get better but probably not to the level of the Klyne. It'll take me a while to log 200 analog hours though. Oh -- one more thing I forgot to mention is that the Levinson has 2 selectable resistive settings 200 ohms and 47 kohms. However, you are able to customize load settings by installing a resistor of the desired value (no soldering required as there are screw on provisions). My unit is set at 200 ohms although the recommended setting for my cartridge (ZYX Airy3 Lo), is 100 ohms. I believe other ZYX owners prefer a 1kohm load.

Would using a 200 ohm setting versus 100 ohms make a huge impact in sound?

Ca2284,
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You can get the Purist Audio Phono Stage break-in CD (inexpensive) and use it to run your Levinson Phono stage 24/7 with the CD player on repeat and break it in within a matter of a couple of weeks or less.
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The loading on your Cartridge will make a significant difference in the sound. In general, the higher the load, the more pronounced the highs will be come until they get hot and sibilant.
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It would be well worth it to get several resistors with varying loads and experiment to find the sweet spot in your system with the Airy3. Did you get the Copper or Silver coiled version of the Airy3 ?
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I would not do the resistor trials until the Levinson is broken in.
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Rgds,
Larry
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There is a big difference between 100 and 200 ohm loading. Compared to 100 ohms, 200 will sound much brighter, thinner in the bass and more open and dynamic.

When comparing two different phono stages, you must try to optimize the sound from both. That may mean different setting on the two, as well as changing other adjustments, such as the VTA on the tonearm. I find that getting tonal balance, level of sibilance, trading off an open top end vs. excessive brightness, etc., is a balancing act that involves both the loading and the tonearm VTA setting. I would then compare the sound of the two performing at their best.

Each phono stage is different, with respect to what is optimum for a given cartridge and setup. With my ML Ref. No. 32 and Lyra Titan, the best setting was wide open (47k ohm loading) and VTA set low (tail down on the cartridge). With the Viva Fono, I am still experimenting, but it is something like 500 ohms and VTA near neutral (arm parallel to the record surface).

I am surprised that your phono stage only offered 200 and 47k, and the user selection of resistor because the stage in the Ref. No. 32 has far more options.