Stand out phono stages


This topic has been started before by others and myself as well, maybe too many times, but it is worth revisiting since the source is so very important!
So far I have had the pleasure to enjoy two worthy phono stages: the EAR 834p and the JLTI.
I have to admit they are spectacular. Obviously the record and all the equipment downstream play a role in the sound heard. In some cases I prefer the JLTI and in other cases the EAR. But neither out do the other dramatically.
What phono preamps outshine others by a big margin, those that can be considered the last phono preamp ever needed.
pedrillo
Nice to know that the 70's into early 80's in the time of statement DD's from the big manufacturers still keeps beating so called new technology to the punch. Was the Yamaha any good?
Hi EBuzz - I used to have an EAR 834P. I found it happened to have its own very distinctive musical signature. There are people out there that due to this 'musicality' they simply will not change from the EAR 834p regardless of costs. It is definitively 'tubey'. I haven't got, or heard an ALLNIC - but think about what you want from your phono amp first before buying - I myself preferred higher resolution and tighter bass - is there no way you can get a dealer to lend the Allnic to you
Hi Lohanimal:

The HA-2 in particular was highly sought-after by Japanese audiophiles, and widely praised for its sonic immediacy, as well as for its innovative approach. I never owned the HA-2 (couldn't afford it as a student), therefore I can neither confirm nor deny those views. I did own the HA-3, and once I corrected the RIAA equalization network, it sounded quite good.

I later exchanged the HA-3 together with an Audio-Technica AT-37 MC cartridge and Kenwood turntable (probably the KP-880D) in return for a studio-grade Denon open-reel deck, but a small part of me wishes that I had kept that HA-3. The circuitry knowledge that I have now would let me modify it into a much higher level than I could back in the mid-early 1980s.

Clearaudio's Absolute Phono page states that theirs is "the world's first active headshell moving coil phostage". If you forget about Yamaha and ignore the entire Japanese audio scene, they may be right (grin).

http://clearaudio.de/en/products/electronics-absolute_phono.php

kind regards, jonathan carr