I recently bought a used BAT VK-P10 on Audiogon expecting it to be a better sounding phono preamp than the SFP-1 Signature. That wasn't the case. The noise floor is considerably higher and and rolling tubes did not help. Any suggestions?
i heard from different people that bat mates good with only bat. some cases i believe are true.
is there two sets of inputs/outputs balanced/unbalanced?
if yes you should only use balanced connection and newtralize the unbalanced with cardas caps available at needledoctor.com. inverting polarity might also help as well.
in general very few all-tube phono stages have low noise floor and it's upto the consumer to judge wich ones are the best-suitable.
i possess arc ph3 that is as you might know has hybrid designe with driving sovtek 6692 and mosfets on the output.
I am not sure what kind of noise you are getting. If you are getting low level hum, you might want to move around or switch the position of the P-10, your preamp, and your turntable. The transformers in the P-10 are mounted vertically in the front corners. If you put it side-by-side or on a shelf directly under the turntable, the transformer will be very close to the cartridage. I don't know if this is your case but it might be something worth considering.
I have a VKP10. I'd never describe it the way you are. I am running it with a VK50SE preamp. I'd send Victor a email or call BAT. Maybe something is up with yours. Bad tubes, cartridge mismatch, cap, gain, or resistance set way off. Hard to tell, bet you should be happier than what you are. Read the reviews on Balanced.com. Even with single ended gear the p10 is loved.
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