2. amps-preamps
  3. 1240809906

Suggestions for amp/preamp path?

Hello All,

I figured I would start this thread here as I have really got some great guidance in the past. I have come to a point where I am looking to get a little more performance out of my gear.

I had been running my TT directly to the Fisher for quite some time but then finally decided to add a phono stage last month. The difference was almost night and day between the Cornet and the built in Fisher stage.

I am definitely satisfied with my sound right now, but still, I have a great curiosity about what is possible. Every time I upgrade it is the greatest sound I've ever heard as I have never heard any great set-ups.

The Hagerman Cornet really seems to be a quality phono stage for the money. I still have a bit of an issue with some hum, but that is mainly when I get to volumes above my listening level anyhow. I was thinking of giving the Hagerman Clarinet line stage kit a try. The only thing is that I would need to get an amp as well. I was wondering if anyone had a suggestion about one that would work well in this situation? Also, I was thinking of having a guy mod my Fisher to just have the Clarinet line stage run directly to the power amp section. But then I figured the Fisher would probably hold back my sound.

So I guess I'm just not sure what to do here. It seems like the Fisher is the weak point for me right now.

I was hoping you guys would have some great suggestions as you always seem to.

Please let me know if I can provide anymore background info.

Thanks much,
-Clipper
theclipper
theclipper OP
26 posts
 
Damn, I can't believe I forgot to mention my gear. Is there anyway to delete this thread and start over? If not, here's my current gear:

Fisher 400
Rega p5 (ortofon 2m black cart)
Hagerman Cornet phono stage
Klipsch Forte II speakers (upgraded crossovers)

Thank you for taking the time to look!

-Clipper
steelhead
318 posts
 
Clipper, you may want to contact tubesforever on audioasylum/vinyl.

I think he is a big fan of the Cornet and upgraded the caps and built a separate power supply.

In any event, he should be able to help you with the hum issue as I believe that is why he played around with it.

Take all the above with a "I think". The memory is getting scary.

Have Fun
theclipper OP
26 posts
 
Hey Steelhead,

I actually have been in communication with Tubesforever. Hes a great and super helpful guy. He has been helping me out with possible solutions for the hum. I was just trying to get a wealth of opinions about what my best option may be regarding the amp/preamp.

Thanks so much!
-Clipper
mechans
3,048 posts
 
An obvious move as you yourself have noted is to get a linestage to compliment the Hagermann Phono strage or better yet get a full preamp that has a phono stage built in. The best sound however will require a tube power amp as well IMHO.
I have just read an ad from Music Direct. They have a Demo Super Amp Mark 2 by Audio Electronics the Cary subdivision for sale. It develops 40 wpc in a PP configuration and uses EL-34 power tubes opposed to the EL84 tube or variation thereof that the Fisher has. The best part is that it is priced at $995 and being a demo you get the benefit of a factory warranty.
I am a big fan of AE. I found my Nirvana using there octal tube based preamp. You can still get the preamp in the basic model from Upscale Audio brand new. The only issue is that the only AE-3 mark 1 preamps he has left, have the remote volume option which adds up to approx $800 with $300 of those dollars being eaten up by the remote option. The power amp also uses 6SN7s and a 6SL7 for input tubes making it very easy to afford tube rolling if you wanted to . I highly recommend rolling the tubes you will be surprised how much impact that different tubes make.
The Klipsch will thank you for the more powerful amp because despite the high efficiency the woofer will take all the power you can give it and the added bass is obvious. In turn this yields better tonal balance than very low powered amps give you with Klipsch. Yes you can make the speaker painfully loud with a low power amp but the sound is almost all squaker and tweeter.
Even if you don't care for AE there are many amps being offered these days on the used market that are in the affordable bracket for most audio nut heads.
Best of luck
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