best phono preamps?

I had the Alepha Ono from Pass.
Tried out the Audio Research PH7, Manley Stealhead and the Nagra VPS.
The manley stealhead has 2 MC inputs, 1 MC input & a line level input. Volume control or fixed output. It will work great for you and it sounds great when used alone as phono and preamp. If I were doing TT only I would have purchased it. The Audio research was too laid back for me but did sound very good. I need pass through for my setup and felt the Nagra VPS with the 2 MC input option sounded better in my system.

I have heard the Jadis DPMC and it is very nice, however it can only be used with medium output MC's otherwise it is too noisy. My dyna XV-1 at .38mv was too low output and too much tube noise was introduced into the system.

I think you need to give more of your personal musical bias's and what you are looking for the new phono to give you.

If you liked the Jadis phono stge, you are unlikely to like the Manley Steelhea or Einstein which are quite uncompromising or hifi-ish in their musical presentation

Clavil,

Given the point made by Downunder, are you seeking a phono preamp for your current cartridge or one that will get the very best out of any cartridge that you might ever own or buy? I mean here not only any MC but also any MM cartridges!

Also, I think a good point that's already been indirectly raised is about price and what you get for it. There are phono stages that offer more than those listed above and there are therefore obviously phono stages that cost more. So I suppose it would help if you could say what you want to be able to do with the phono preamp and how much you are willing and able to pay for this. If I were to choose above the options already presented I would go for the Essential 3160, which has both MC and MM phone stages and an equally state-of-the-art line stage all in one package supported by an independent power supply. Then again, I did buy it:~) If you can afford it, I believe you can find no better.

Dgob, How much does Raul charge for the 3160??

Do you miss the remote control, at least for volume?

What is the view of the 3160 now that you have livedwith it for some time? ie strenghts, weaknesses etc

Downunder,

I'm not certain what Raul and Jose charge now as I've had mine for quite some time. Also I do know that they were talking about a remote control option but felt this was a major challenge as introducing the necessary components could have some minor impact on the perfection that the 3160 was designed to deliver. So although they were considering ways around this, I'm not certain if it is now available. For me, there's a joy in adjusting the volume manually and I really could use the exercise (well, 1.5 yards across my listening room);~) I think it would be worthwhile asking Raul about these developments directly.

Now that I have had the 3160 for a long time I am more certain of my opinion. I have changed so many bits of equipment and the truth is that the Essential keeps asking for more. On the cartridge front, I have the Allaerts MC2 Finish Gold, the Dynavector XV1s, Spectral MCR, Nagaoka MP-50, Music Maker 3, as well as various Empire and other old cartridges and everyone of them is clearly distinguishable and never challenges the ability of the Essential to portray all that they offer. It's the same on the various speakers, tuners, CDP's and tape decks that have passed through my system. So I guess I'm honestly lost to tell you of its weaknesses. Maybe some pieces of equipment will be able to test it but nothing that I know of, at least nothing that is currently available. I really do think that this phonolinepreamp is 'THE' state-of-the-art.

Having said all that, you do need to have an independent ground, remove all earth wires from all plugs and float your system through the Essential. I am proudly non-technical but I managed to do this myself. It just needed a length of decent earth wire and a six foot copper tube that you drive into the ground outside with the wire attached. Then lead the cable through a purpose drilled hole into your listening room and link this independent ground to the back of the Essential. The rest is: sit back and enjoy.