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Can a phono stage really do this?

I just acquired a MAGI Phonomenal phono stage, which feeds a very compatible MAGI line stage. I have a Boz Scaggs album of Great American Songbook standards, which previously has displayed some pressig noise, such as crackling sounds that seem to syncrhonize with the rotation of the record.

I got this MAGI Phonomenal phono stage (handwired PTP), sometimes compared to the Manley Steelhead), and played the Boz Scaggs album with the new phono preamp. There was no noise. No mungy crackling to accompany the rotation of the record. Just pure, high resolution extraction of the musical elements of the LP. It was wonderful.

Can phono stages do this, or is it the result of lucky turntable setup with better tracking force, anti-skating adjustment, and azimuth adjustment? The TT is a Technics SL1210 M5G with KAB fluid damper and Oracle Groove Isolator sorbothane mat. But I never heard this record without the pressing noise until I got the Phonomenal. Cartridge is an Audio Technica AT150MLX with microline stylus.
johnnyb53
almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Johnny, yes, tics and pops and crackling can be dramatically affected by the phono stage. Ralph/Atmasphere has made that point in a number of past threads, such as this one. I'm not familiar with the MAGI Phonomenal, but if it uses passive RIAA equalization with no feedback that would help to explain why it has been beneficial with respect to those issues.

Regards,
-- Al
czarivey
5,752 posts
 
Agree with Al.
Properly loaded cartridge will tick and click substantially lower even through the scratches.
Don't forget that kinematic setup of arm/cartridge and proper alignment is also crucial.
stevecham
3,340 posts
 
It's the stylus/cartridge/arm/turntable combination that is rejecting the tics and pops, not the phono stage.
johnnyb53 OP
3,510 posts
 
09-05-14: Stevecham
It's the stylus/cartridge/arm/turntable combination that is rejecting the tics and
pops, not the phono stage.

That's where I was starting from too, but I posed the question because the before
and after signal chains had the same turntable, same arm, same cartridge, same
tracking force, same VTA, same anti-skate setting. The only difference was
swapping out an op-amp/tube buffered phono preamp for an all-tube hand-
wired MAGI Phonomenal preamp.

Through the MAGI the mungy pressing noise was gone. In the link provided by
Almarg, Ralph of Atma-Sphere explains why this could be so. I could see where
passive EQ would be quieter than active. And the MAGI has an all-tube gain stage
vs <$1 op-amps in the previous phono stage.
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