Running an External Phono with a Hovland HP-100

Yes; interesting that you mention that. I actually asked Alex that exact question just the other day. I use horn speakers so I had the line stage gain reduction done on my HP-100 (down to 6 db). Manufactures always claim that gain reductions do-no-harm but I thought that it took away just a very, very, small amount of the 100's magic. Anyway, he did tell me that the phono ultimately passes through the line stage.

I have used the HP-100 with a wide range of step-up transformers and active units. In my opinion the sound varies just as much with change of step-up device as with a different phonostage. I bought the MM-section for greater flexibility with an outboard step-up.

I spent the last few hours this evening comparing the excellent Ayre P-5x phono running through the Hovland's tape monitor v.s. the internal phono. No comparison actually; I like the sound of the Hovland's internal much better. I will say that the Ayre is quieter overall, but it does not have the magic of the Hovland. It's not bad, just not nearly as good as the Hovland.

Stickman, Was this a P5xe or a P5x? You left out the "e", so I am wondering. What you have to remember is that all of these bits of expensive gear consist of tubes, resistors, capacitors, etc, on the inside. There is no magic in brand names. If you do a little reading on tube circuits, you will learn to appreciate design and implementation (triode vs solid state, single-ended vs balanced, etc, etc). Ultimately, these are the things that determine sound quality. For example, many, many tube preamps use the 12AX7 as the first amplification stage in a single-ended topology. This occurs before the signal is RIAA equalized. You can expect any such units, no matter who makes them, to be altered in sonics by altering the brand of 12AX7. Most such units will have the 12AX7 family sound, to one degree or another. It's all in the parts and circuit topology. If you did not know that the phono stage output was passing thru the linestage circuit or how to hook-up an outboard phono section, it indicates to me that you might want to educate yourself further before buying a second phono stage according to brand or hype or hearsay. Just my $.02.

That is correct, it is the P5xe. I'm not quite as ignorant as it may seem; I couldn't layout or interpret a tube or a solid state circuit if my life depended upon it but I do know what sounds good...I'm definitely not a technician so before I plug something new into my $6,700 Hovland (the very best preamp that I have owned in 30 years) I want to be positive that I am not missing something important...

You're right, variances in the 12AX7 (and all tubes in general) can make a huge difference in the quality of sound. I've tried several sets of Mullard's with varying success. The first set I tried was a definite improvement over the stock factory tubes; the second set of Mullards were terrible (very noisy after a few months and both sets came from UpScale Audio). I'm back to the stock tubes and they sound great.

I educate myself with my ear :), and through interactive mediums like Audiogon. If I like the way it sounds I go for it. The purpose of the exercise is to compare several external phono's to the Hovland's internal realizing that ultimately they all pass through the line stage. Next up is probably the Audio Research PH7. The new Ref 2 phono will follow. And then , a combo of the Ref 5 preamp with the Ref 2 phono. It will be interesting (for me at least) to hear how the Hovland compares to these other combos...