Tube Phono Stage vs Solid State What do you think?

The Denon DL-S1 is a killer cartridge and a great value

Agreed Bill. the better the phono stage, the better the Denon DL-S1 will perform

I can't imagine any phone stage as overkill in any system. I think a lot of products, including cartridges, get a bad review, rating, first impression, etc., because of compromises in the system when the system owner has decided that product X is "good enough" for product Y.

It takes a lot of trial and error to find line stages and phono stages out there that excel in the 3D as Dhcod describes. I have heard no SS products come even close to the great tube products in this regard. I have also heard tube products that have stunning dynamics. The CAT immediately comes to mind, as does the Aria WV5 that I use.

Dear Almandog: As you can read each one has its own take, this is mine.

The Denon DLS1 is IMHO a way way better cartridge quality performer than your Dyna's. To be in the same league than the DLS1 you need something like the Dyna XV-1s.

So, I think that you need a phonoline stage that can " honor " the DLS1 quality and that has very high gain ( with out SUT that degrade the cartridge signal. ) with no-noise due that the Denon is very low output.

What to choose about depends on your main audio/music targets/priorities.
If what you are looking is to hear what's in the recording then you need IMHO a phonolinestage that be: neutral/accurate, IMHO there is no other way.
If what you are looking is that " soundstage, false 3D ( that does not came in the recording. ), colored sound " then your choice must be different.

In the first case the choice is a good SS design ( not that ASR. ) and maybe one or two good tube designs that IMHO are not any one you name it.

In the second case you can choose almost anything: tube or SS.

There are several factors that could tell us that for that DLS1 a good SS design is the way to go but in the other side I know that are persons that think in a different way.
I think, as I said, that you need to choose according with your targets.
Now, an investement in an audio item like this one you want to do needs that in some way you try to hear ( the preference in your system. ) different phonolinepreamps where you can near sure what goes with what you are looking for because if you buy at " random " then maybe in six months you will be looking for a new unit.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

As usual Raul is very positive and as usual I disagree with him. I just sold my Denon DL-S1 as I found my AT 33 EV to be better. My phono stage, the same ASR Exclusive that he warns you not to buy. I have a 2006 version which is the best I have had ; it is well liked by my friends who have chosen tube units. One has the Tron, for example. My version of THE TRUTH is this: both tubes and SS can sound great but they are unlikely to sound the same; the choice is yours to make. Your system and taste should determine which you buy, no one else can get inside your head and hear they way you do. Of course, it is difficult if not impossibe to hear things these days so we are all dependent to a large degree on what we hear from others. What I try to do is find reviewers or posters who like the same type of sound as I do and place some faith in their views. For instance when I was considering Gamut speakers I noticed a positive review on Dagogo about them. I ended up getting the L5s and really like them. A few months later I had a chance to get an Audia Flight line stage at a good price; the fact that the same revewer also used it in his system was part of the reason I decided to get it. I have also been happy with it. So try to identify revewers/posters who share your taste if possible; knowing your own taste is the begining of wisdom in audio,

If you get the BAT be aware that you can't always believe what you read, the older units can not be upgraded to be the same as the newer units (different mother board). I've got an older VK P-10 that I'm happy with, except that occasional channel balance adjustments are required and these are a pain in the southern regions (remove cover, warm up 1 - 2 hours, connect meter, tweak, repeat). Newer versions have an auto balance feature.