I use to own the 834 and I was considering having it modded by Mitch Singerman, $300-$500 depending how far you wanted to take it. He knows the 834 very well. Do a search and you will find much info!
Thinking of modding my 834p, or should I move on?
I have an 834p deluxe and it needs a small repair. The cost of the repair isn't that much off of having some additional modifications performed, and once the board is desoldered, I was thinking...I may as well go whole hog! However, I am wondering if investing nearly 1k in modifications is really cost effective. I use a Koetsu Black and am thinking of moving up the Koetsu line and/or buying a Grado Statement Statement. I've read quite a few times that the 834p transformers are not that great. The Deluxe sells for around 900-1000 used, so for 2k I could perhaps buy the EAR 324 used or look at something else, unless at even 2k, the moddified 834p would be a solid investment. I like the sound, but I admit I don't have much experience with phono stages at all, and this is the only tubed one I have experience with.
Any input would be welcomed.
Any input would be welcomed.
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- 26 posts total
Hi, I also have an 834 and have recently modified it per Thorsten Loesch's guide on AA. http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=vinyl&n=108318&highlight=834p+thorsten&r=&session= It involves some updates to the circuit like direct coupling and power supply filtering, as well as replacing some stock caps, resistors and diodes with better parts. It is a suprisingly simple procedure, and results in very nice sound. The guide is so well organized, describing each step in detail, that even I could do it ;-) My total parts cost investment is about $100. The results are quite good - factoring in the cost, this is really a no brainer. My contact with Mitch Singerman is very positive, if you choose to go this route. He has two or three levels of mods, all limited to exchanging parts. He does not modify the circuit, per Thorsten. Mitch seems very knowledgable, and qualified to complete the work, as well as a gentleman. On the other hand, I found that the largest gains came with modifiying the circuit. I know, because I did my project in phases to evaluate the results. IMO $1000 to mod this unit is too much. Just me, but this is really simple to do. For comparison, I have listened to more expensive phono stages (the usual suspects: Lamm, Aesthetix, Pass, Dartzeel, Manley, ARC, Hovland, etc,), so I have some familiarity with this class of product. The modified 834 delivers surprisingly charming and elegant sound for what it is, it may or may not be comfortable in the above company, but I am not aware of a commercial $2k unit that would embarass it. Scott |
I completely agree with Scott on the results from modding an 834P. It will be very close to, and in some ways better than, an Aesthetix Rhea. (I've owned both of these.) The one drawback with the 834p is the stepups. This is not a huge deal because you could always run a quality stepup in front of the 834p. If you do start looking for a replacement I would suggest seeking a phono stage with a FET MC gain stage. This is much better than using stepups. |
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