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Phono stage revealing limitations of cartridge?

Hi,
I just purchased an Ear 834P for my system. This is my first experience with tubes. I hooked it up and I immediately noticed an improvement over the stock phono stage on my integrated. There was a much more three dimensional presentation. However, after listening for a few minutes, I realized the sound was very thin, light on bass, and the highs were bright and grating. Also, the output of the Ear is really high, so much so that the volume knob on my amp is almost all the way at the bottom and moving it very slightly results in a dramatic increase in volume. I'm wondering what is causing the bright sound. Here are the possibilities I've come up with:

1. The Ear 84P is just revealing the limitations of my cartridge which the stock phono stage had just smoothed over.

2. The stock tubes in it have gone bad. (I'm planning on trying out some Jan Philips 5751's on it to see if that lowers the gain a bit.)

3. The unit is defective/the person that modded it screwed something up.

4. I'm getting some very low level RF interference. You can't here it at all when music is playing, but if you turn it up all the way you can hear it. Perhaps this is causing the brightness.

5. The Ear and the Rotel integrated are a mismatch.

I've tried using a different cable from the phono to my integrated and that didn't change anything. I also tried using a different input on the amp. I tried both MM and MC to confirm that I am using MM.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'd be really grateful if someone could help me get this sorted out. I know there's a lot of questions here, but I thought tubes would result in warmth, not brightness!!!

BTW, my system: VPI Scout/JMW-9, Sumiko Blue Point No. 2 (2.5 mV), Signal Cable Phono Cable, Ear 834P Deluxe Phono Stage (modded but w/ original tubes), Rotel 1062 Integrated Amp, Blue Jeans speaker cables, Infinity 3500 speakers (circa 1981)
sinisterporpoise68
tiger
313 posts
 
To maximize the sound you get from vinyl it is important that the 'chain' be compatible. Chain? Yes, the cartridge, table, arm wiring, interconnect, phono pre-amp. The phono pre-amp, especially all the EAR units present many problems - tube type/make and loading. EAR units are known to be bright, and not because of the tubes. The 'mod' movement has taken over here. In addition, you are now being told that only a new, expensive cartridge will be one of the solutions.

Dump the EAR and get a reasonably priced ARC phono pre amp in the used market.

dgarretson
2,592 posts
 
As reported in Stereophile's review, the 834p has very high gain of 49db in MM, 65db in MC. This in combination with a high-output cartridge like the BP, might be overloading your integrated. You could try cutting gain with a voltage divider comprised of two resistors per channel at the RCA connector.

I'm assuming that the EAR phono stage has been connected to a standard line-level input on the integrated & not to the phono input.
sinisterporpoise68 OP
63 posts
 
Thanks for all the help everyone. The Ear is connected to the AUX input of of the Rotel, not the phono input, so I'm alright there. From what everyone has said, a mismatch seems quite plausible. The Rotel is definitely on its way out. I was hoping I could get another year out of it, but maybe I can try to do something sooner.

In the meantime maybe I'll try out something from the Dynavector line. VPI seems to like the Dynavector 20X. Does anyone know a store in NYC that carries both VPI and Dynavector and could install the cartridge for me if I just brought in the arm?

Maybe a VPI phono cable would also be in order, since it uses the same wire as in the arm...
tpsonic
1,092 posts
 
I like to have gear plugged in and running for three days,before evaluating.It allows the connections and power supplies to "come up".
A pair of the original Mullards may be your cup-of-tea.
sbank's avatar
sbank
3,378 posts
 
EAR/Cart mismatch, gain overload sounds likely. I agree that a Dyna 20x is a good choice; be careful it comes in a high & medium output versions. Other carts to think about include Denon 103r, Shelter 501, whatever you can afford in the ZYX line. If you have a friend who can setup let you try something with lower gain than the Blue Point, that will help you diagnose if this is the core issue. Cartridge loading also shouldn't be ignored!
I'm not going to debate the merits or not of the EAR, but say that before you think about selling it for anything, you should get a better handle on the root cause of your trouble. Experimenting with another phono stage and/or cart is best way.

Also, fine to power down and swap tubes just a couple minutes later. When they are cool enought to touch, you're fine. Ideally, gloves or a small towel will help you avoid getting oils from your fingers on the tubes; not the end of the world, but easily avoided.
I bet if you post about it, you can find other A-goners in your neighborhood willing to help you...Cheers,
Spencer
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