Does EAR324 phono stage sound like tubes ?

DAN,

If budget allows, that is a very ideal approach. that way you got the situation covered as the vinyl presses of past and present are very different and different carts reacts differently to each different pressings.
Cool set-up!

Hi all, I recently acquired an EAR 324 myself, and think it sounds very fine, musically speaking. (My previous phonostage was a PSA GCPH -- obviously not in the same league price-wise, but I insist on mono and polarity switches in addition to externally adjustable loading and balanced output, so my choices are extremely limited.)

However, there is a disappointing level of hum when in MC mode (i.e., when the internal step-up transformers are engaged). It's not bothersome at the lowest-gain "40 ohm" transformer ratio, or at moderate listening volumes in general. But at the "15 ohm" and "4 ohm" high-gain settings, although it never interferes with the music, at higher listening volumes it does interfere with the silences.

This is a problem I've never had with my previous phonostages, or with the outboard Bob's CineMag SUT that I auditioned for a while with the GCPH. The hum vanishes when the 324 is in MM mode, with preamp volume increased to compensate for the lower gain. So I'm thinking the hum may be inherent to the 324's internal SUTs. I've tried many combinations of cords and cables, power conditioning or not, ground lift, different cartridges, sources other than my regular turntable, even installed it in my bedroom system as a double check (where it was less audible, due to its not being a full-range system), but can't make the hum drop to an acceptable residual level unless I insert shorting plugs into the MC inputs -- obviously not representative of normal operating conditions.

Any comments or questions would be welcome...

i did have the opportunity to listen to the 324s with and without a SUT.I cant hear any hum. Its one of the very quiet phono stage i have heard.
There might be some other problem lying around in the chain.

I used to have the EAR 324. I would not say that the 324 is very quiet. It is somehow quiet, but it is not very quiet. When the 324 was in my system, I could hear some hum if I turned the volume all they way up, without music of course. There was no hum with the volume dial set to normal listening levels, but I didn't feel comfortable with it. I do not hear anything with the volume all the way up from either the Benchmark DAC or the Einstein phono preamp.

The 324 seems to add some distortion, which is easily perceived from the mid-range and up. This distortion helps the bass notes have some more texture though. I think the 324 kind of distortion is what helps this unit to sound real, so it should not be read as negative.

I would certainly not call the 324 sound "tube-like", unless we're talking about 1990's tube units. IMO, today's tube units neither sound like tubes or solid state, they just sound right and free of distortion. Of course, what sounds right to me be not sound like that to others.

Having said that, I'm very happy with the Einstein phono preamp. In my system, it is definitively dead quiet with more dynamic contrast than the 324. It does take quite a while for the Einstein the break in, but once it does it totally gets out of the say to the point you no longer think there is phono preamp in the chain.

I would also add that the 324 would be more system-dependent than the Einstein because of its unique sonic signature.

Hi Isanchez, thanks for your input. Your experience with hum sounds similar to mine.

I think this finding of hum could be somewhat system-dependent. Not that the 324 only has hum in certain systems (although it's possible that certain 324's have more noticeable hum than others, and cartridge output level will definitely play a part in what is heard at typical listening volumes). But I suspect that perhaps the hum can be more noticeable in higher-powered, multi-way, full-range system contexts than it might in some lower-powered systems using smaller 2-ways or single-driver speakers (dynamic or electrostatic). At least this is what I took from trying my 324 in my single-driver bedroom system: the hum didn't disappear -- in fact I doubt it even diminished. But it became much less noticeable, both because that system isn't as highly resolving or extended at the frequency extremes, and can't be played anywhere near as loud.

About your impression that the 324 adds some benign distortion, I haven't heard this as such. I do find that using the output transformer gain-attenuation switch set to -6dB or -12dB can usefully tweak the harmonic flavor, in the fatness vs. tautness of the bass, tonality of the mids and sharpness of the treble, dependent on choice of cart, which step-up tap is selected, and in combination with the partnering preamp. Noticing this made me wonder that the output transformer ratio setting could likely have an effect on output impedance (and possibly even somewhat on the reflected MC input impedance?).

I haven't heard the Einstein, but I suppose your take that the 324 sounds more like legacy tube gear could have something to do with the amount of coils and iron used in the 324: input and output transformers, with inductors in both the power supply and the amplifier circuit. The 324 does not sound rolled off at the frequency extremes to me or anything like that, but unsurprisingly it does sound most transparent and neutral when used in MM mode, skipping the step-up transformers, though not as forceful or dynamic with my medium-output MC cart.