Vinyl Front End Upgrade

I almost bought a Xono before I became a dealer again. I ended up with Dynavector , their 75 is a very good phono stage and exceptional for $750. There is an upgraded one on here for $525. Blue Circle also makes some very good ones. I have the 707, they make a version of it in a very cheap case for under $1000. Very good company to deal with. I have heard good things about the Asr basic stage from Germany, they show up used for around $1000. Change the standard feet of the Scout for Star Sound brass ones, you will be amazed at the difference; it is a screw off screw on operation.

Thanks everyone so far. While the phonostage recommendations are helpful I'm really trying to think of this as a phono playback system and purchase a cartridge and phonostage that are particularly well suited together. I'd really be interested in hearing from Scout owners who have played around with different cartridges and phonostages until the found an exceptional combination--ideally in my price range. On the other hand I'm happy to continue using my 20XM since it has less than 100 hours on it so recommendations for a phonostage which mates well with this cartridge would be fine too. I'm leaning toward solid state and would like a unit that provides some adjustability of load etc so in case I change cartridges later I can continue to use the same phonostage.

I can highly recommend the Aqvox 2CI MKII phonostage.Have heard it with the Allaetrs,Benz and Koetsu.Each had its' own signature.Adjustable gain on front panel allows for fine-tuning:very helpful.Thinking of pairing mine with a Dyna XX-2 for my next go-round.

Dear Dodgealum,

$3K as you know is not a lot to spend in high end audio. You clearly have one of the best CD players in the market. You do not mention if you have tricked out your Scout to its fullest potential? Do you have the VPI Motor Controller? On what kind of platform does it sit? What phono cables connect the Scout to your preamp? Have you set up your cartridge with a WallyTractor or a Mint or a Feickert? Do you own a record cleaning machine? All of these things are very important to maximizing your analog system and can often mean more to the outcome than new equipment. I don't see the cartridge/phono pre as being an issue if you buy a phono pre that has sufficient gain for your cartridge and a few loading options. There are many choices out there. If you don't understand gain and loading, read up on it or ask your local dealer for some info. Just be sure the dealer you ask understands what they mean. Many dealers today don't have a clue about analog even if they have a TT or two in stock. Go see a few local dealers to get some ideas or read some reviews from TAS or Stereophile on their websites.

Elinor: I agree that $3K is not a lot of money when we're talking cartridge and phonostage combined--even used. But I'm hesitant to spend much more given the fact that all would be preceded by a Scout/JMW9, which is stock except for the 300rpm motor. I had one dealer tell me that in a set up like mine the cartridge would be the determining factor and that I could "comfortably" spend up to $4K on a cartridge alone. While I'm not thoroughly swayed by the notion of a "Linn Hierarchy" it doesn't appear to make much sense to throw $4K at a cartridge for an $1800 turntable/arm combination. My goal here is to simply bring my analogue rig up to the sonic standard set by my digital front end. In fact, purchasing the Esoteric X-03SE is what started this "whole thing" since it so handily smoked my turntable run through the phonostage on my ARC SP16 I couldn't stand listening to records anymore. Thus the sale of the SP16, which was replaced by an LS26 leaving me "phonoless" for the past 6 months. Having said that, I think I can get some pretty good results from the Scout if I get the "right" cartridge/phonostage combination. I've got the table mounted on a Target PS-1 shelf which is bolted to 5/8 birch ply that itself is bolted to the wall studs. Then our whole entertainment center slides over the entire assembly leaving the table suspended in a safe and (largely) vibration free environment. (Check out my system photos) I've replaced the MDF shelf on the Target stand with a Simposium Svelt Shelf and am running VPI's own IC (2 meters worth) down to where the phonostage will be. I did the table and cartridge set up using VPI's jig but would be open to suggestions as to how I might get the set up tolerances even tighter. No SDS or record cleaning machine (my Nitty Gritty blew up a number of years ago but my vinyl is very, very clean). Anyway, that's the deal. One last thing--if I were to say what my primary sonic goals are for my vinyl front end it would be: dynamics, PRAT, low noise (leaning toward solid state) and speed/articulation across the frequency spectrum. Hopefully some of you can offer some suggestions. You've never let me down before! Oh, one last thing. Under one scenario I keep the Dyna 20XM and throw the whole $3K at a phonostage, upgrading the cartridge later. Two under consideration: the new Pass XP15 and the new Whest PS30.RDT. Thoughts?