How good is the phono stage of the VAC sig.II pre-

JAB- THANKS- Do you think it is better than a stand alone unit for roughly the same money??

I love VAC products and have no doubt that the phono stage in your pre would be great. There is a lot of value in the optionality, if you go outboard, $4K new will get you in the upper end of the stand alone stages while used you will be very close to the top. The flexibility to change the phono and pre independently is worth something.

The biggest advantage to getting the separate phonostage is that it will have its own power supply. That could, probably would considering VAC's reputation, give you more of everything from vinyl playback. I'm sure Kevin could tell you what the differences will be. Of course it is still up to you to decide if it is worth the extra money. But if that isn't a big issue, I'd say go for the separate unit. Also, a small benefit is that if you do listen to digital for any length of time you can leave the phonostage off and save the tubes.

I've heard this phonostage((in pre)and was lucky to compare to the VTL,and Zanden seperate units...

IMO,the VAC was absolutely(and surprisingly)"easily" competitive to the other fine units.Others present felt the same way.

One small advantage of a "high quality" built in phonostage is the extra set of cables,and connections are eliminated.
Good luck

When done right,a built in phonostage can be superior due to the lack of external connections and shorter connection paths. I would order the unit with the phonostage and you could certainly compare it to external ones. I think you will find it to be extremely good.

Jonathan