VAC Owners:Outboard Phono Stage?


I'm contemplating my next upgrade. Thought you guys could help.

I spin mostly vinyl. I have a great analogue front end that feeds a VAC Standard LE pre and VAC PHI 200 amp, both of which I love. The MC stage on the pre is really good, but a little noisy (hiss). Kevin is sending me new 12AX7s that Brent will test for very low noise at the VACtory. Those guys just rock!

My question, however, is how much do I need to spend on an outboard MC phono stage if I want a significant upgrade to the already wonderful sound of the built-in stage?

I know, why don't I just enjoy the wonderful sound? Because it's upgrade time, baby! There will always be a next level (we really need a 12 step group for this hobby).

I'm looking at the Zesto Andros ($3900), the Herron VTPH-2 ($3700), and possibly the new Manley Chinook ($2200).

Ideally, I could audition these in my system, but the nearest dealer is far away, so I'll have to order one.

Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks,
Alón (no, not Wolf)
Ag insider logo xs@2xalonski
Mulveling and Alonski,

Have you guys checked out the Miyajima Kansui? Like the Bronze and Kontra C, it uses an aluminum cantilever with an advanced stylus shape, in this case Shibata. The Kansui has great slam and a liquid, dimensional midrange you can walk through.HF extension and is very good if not state of the art. It's extremely natural sounding and reminds me of a more refined version of the SPU Royal GMII, which also uses the Replicant 100 (very similar to the FG 80 of the C) on aluminum. Something about that combo is very satisfying. I actually prefer the Kansui to the A90, which is itself terrific but has a very different presentation. Might be up your allies....
Bill,
I've read a lot on the Miyajima and have been looking forward to hearing it somewhere... I'm a big fan of tiny well-shaped styli that track the grooves at a much deeper level than most and extract information from LPs very familiar to us that we never knew was there! My Carneigie One does that, as does the Cadenza Bronze, but the reports about the Kansui are so positive and compelling... This hobby of ours seems insane to others, and it's conversations like these that makes me think they may be right! What can I say? Does a 5% improvement in sound merit spending thousands of bucks? It does if it makes me happy... and it does.
I've not compared tons of phono stages but I will say that when I owned a Ren Mk2, the internal MC phono easily beat the Rhea and Rhea Sig and was very similar to the Steelhead. However, you may want to consider an active gain stage phono or head amp, instead of an SUT. IME, SUTs are VERY sensitive to loading and cables. I found that the ZYX Artisan phono stage was VERY close to a Doshi Alaap phono stage and that the ZYX head amp also did a fantastic job, both w ZYX carts. FWIW, I've always thought that loading was more an issue w MC carts, and that for MMs, 47K was a de-facto standard. I could be wrong; its happened once or twice ;-)
Mulveling and Swampwalker,
Thank you both for sharing your experiences and impressions.

So many cartridge loading possibilities and tweaks... and, of course, all the sincere recommendations we get from fellow audiophiles are great but will ultimately be subject to the reality of hearing the difference in our own systems. Which once again, makes the Steelhead appealing because of the handy remote control which offers us immediate A/B comparisons from our sweet spot!

Alas, as we go up the ladder of phono stages (a ladder that seems covered in oil at times), some really cool features do emerge, making a remote control even more appealing. Like the new ARC that has a number of RIAA curves to choose from when listening to DG, Columbia and Decca classical recordings of yesteryear, before universal adherence to the RIAA standard was fully adopted. It seems like all the early DG albums I have that never sounded quite right just need the correct RIAA curve applied to them and they spring to life!

Has anyone on this thread experienced that?