Does EAR324 phono stage sound like tubes ?

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.

>>>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. <<<

>>>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...<<<

Isanchez & Zaikesman, thanks for sharing. My experience with 324 was consistent with your above comments.

Best regards
Dan

I perceived the sound of the 324 as being taut throughout, but with some added noise and distortion. This tautness plus noise/distortion can also be present in live music that's neither played with good quality instruments nor in an uncontrolled acoustic environment.

I have a tendency (good or bad) of associating this kind of harmonic distortion to certain kind of music performances. I personally like the sound taut and clean, which is why I don't enjoy performances at bars or other places where the space was not originally conceived for playing music.

In the end, the 324 is enjoyable for certain time, but after a while in can be fatiguing (at least to my ears).

It is unfortunate that I never tried the MM section of the 324 since it seems to be the better designed half of this unit. I even purchased the Nagaoka MP-50, but I sold the 324 before trying this cart with it.

The 324's MM facility would certainly seem to have more attention lavished on it than is usually the case with high priced MC-capable phonoamps. This leaves me the possibility of trying a good MM or MI cart, or using an outboard SUT -- disappointing as that may seem after purchasing the 324 with its onboard SUTs. (But if it sounds better...)

As far as characterizing the overall sound goes, given the inevitable big differences among partnering carts and turtable setups, other than saying that, hum aside, this is far and away the most accomplished phonostage I've personally owned (but that's not many), I'll just restrict my comments to the particular issue I'm having with it. Fortunately, my current medium-output MC cart normally works best at the lowest-gain "40 ohm" tap setting, where the hum isn't really a problem in practical terms. But it does rankle me not to be able to utilize the lower-impedance taps if I want without the hum increasing, and I'm reluctant to make archival recordings knowing the hum is there and audible during silences and between cuts if you crank it up.

I'm going to contact Dan Meinwald and see what he has to say, but if the problem does lie in the step-up transformers themselves, or their proximity to the 324's power supply, I don't imagine anything could really be done to fix this. Interestingly, I dug out the 2004 Art Dudley Stereophile review, and although the reviewer doesn't mention anything about hum, in his measurements section John Atkinson does mention a degree of 120Hz hum he couldn't eliminate by playing with the grounding. Furthermore, with the MC step-up taps at their lowest-gain "40 ohm" setting (the only one of the three MC-loading settings he reports on regarding noise), he measured about twice the drop-off in S/N ratio between A-weighted and unweighted figures for MC mode as he found in MM mode -- a differential (of around 6dB) I'm assuming has got to be mostly due to a corresponding increase of LF hum in MC mode, and that might well have worsened if he'd also taken S/N measurements at the "15 ohm" and "4 ohm" tap settings.