2. amps-preamps
  3. 984068580

Phono stage--please help

I am interested in a new phono stage for my Linn table w/Akito arm and van den Hul MC-one low output moving coil. I also use a van den Hul MM-one moving magnet. My amp and preamp are Adcom. I have an Electrocompaniet CD player and LOVE the sound, very analog. I have been using Monolithic Sound ps-1 and hc-1 and they sound bright to me. I am considering the Electrocompaniet phono stage and the EAR. Anyone have any experience w/these phono stages? Any other recommendations for around $1000-$1300??
Thanks for any info.
sc53
john_l
782 posts
 
I add in my big recommendation for the ph-3 too! Especially the part about it bringing out the ANALOG in your records. I heard my ph-3 head to head against several solid state and tube phono stages. My favorite because of the combination of warmth and smoothness that it gives records. My next favorite is actually very inexpensive - the lehman black cube. FYI I know someone who is selling a used black cube for 475 if you are looking. Send me an email and I'll put you in touch.
sedond
1,391 posts
 
i used to use an electrocompaniet ec-1a preamp, & its fono-stage was excellent, so ya may like the current ecp-1. after that, i used a linn kairn, & its built-in fono-stage was better than the gnu musical-surroundings phonomena i tried w/a later kairn w/o fono, so the linto may also be a good choice. also, when i was looking for fono-stages, more than one person told me that the acurus p10 was much nicer than the lehmann black cube that has also gotten raves. as mondial's bigger brother, the aragon 47k retails for only $600, this may also be worthwhile inwestigating.

however, since ya use a solid-state pre, i'd recommend a toobed fono-stage. no experience w/these... *i* am wery happy w/a pentagon ps-3, a ~$1800 fono-stage that i got at an almost give-away price, cuz no one in the usa has ever heard of it. discovery cable used to carry them, dunno if they still do. while it's solid-state, w/my toobed melos preamp, it's fantastic! the musical surroundings was positively mid-fi in comparison.

all the above said, for ~$1k, ditch the adcom, buy a melos sha-gold reference or maestro, & yule be in fat-city for *all* yer sources - even the fono-stage yure currently using, i'd wager... ;~)

good luck, doug s.

slawney
242 posts
 
Tweek the EAR 834P: replace the ECC83 tubes with a matched and tested pair of E83CCs. EAR has very rigorous tube selection policies, but the E83CCs are better. Some early model 834Ps actually came with them stock. Whoever uses the 834P equipped with a potentiometer directly hooked up to the power amp should observe two things: the power amp should have the highest possible input resistance, at least above 10Kohm; the NF connector should be fairly short and extremely low capacity. You may also want to upgrade the potentiometer: the existing one is a cheap carbon potentiometer. Also, you may also want to remove the passive, unregulated power supply and put it in another, separate box, and regulate it somehow. Unfortunately, the ring transformer is directly attached to the right-hand side of the chassis and imperfectly shielded from the tubes and the rest of the circuits.
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