Phono Preamp Suggestions?

MrBuhl

msg wrote: »

gyaah, you guys are a bad influence. I gotta stop hanging around here. I swore I was gonna be patient and controlled with this project. I sounded believable at the time...

You're all a bunch of eggers! That's for sure - enablers!

hochpt21

SCompRacer wrote: »

Mikey081057 wrote: »

Just ordered the budgie... can't wait for @hochpt21

Kewl! Anxious to hear your impressions!

I just have to give a shout out to @SCompRacer ...
He has patiently answered a bunch of questions on this topic for me. Has given me guidance and offered assistance. I'm hoping this unit is the perfect fit for my budget and needs.

Dawgfish

Dennis Gardner wrote: »

For $500, I would say a Jolida JD9 to start with. Great design, full of mod potential. The only thing that I wish they had was knob controlled capacitance instead of internal dip switches.

Second this recommendation. You can find modded ones with different caps, op-amps, nos tubes, and dynamatted chasis pretty regularly at your price. I have one and don't feel like I am giving up anything. It's really versatile to boot. Toolfan has a post on his experience with his modded JD-9 here on the forum. Check it out!

SCompRacer

Thanks Paul, happy to help. Shannon Parks is no stranger to a tube audio circuit and you don't have to mod his stuff to get the most out of it. His purely resistive 16 position loading approach allows fine tuning to different cartridges. That thinking was based off an article Jim Hagerman posted.

http://www.hagtech.com/loading.html

If you do some research you'll find folks in forums have nice things to say about the Budgie and how it stacks up against similar or higher priced competition.

Nightfall

Check out the new Yaqin tubed phono preamp.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/YAQIN-MS-33B-MC-MM-12AX7-12AU7-Vacuum-Tube-RIAA-Pre-Amplifier-for-Turntable-U-/290708863386?hash=item43af99399a:g:Kp8AAOSwX~dWlg5S&rmvSB=true

msg

That looks like a neat piece.
Gyaaad. I want to get hands and ears on everything mentioned in this thread. Surely I can't be the only one stricken with this malady.

Mikey081057

Got my Budgie today... Plugged it in... Set it to 47.1K to match my cart. Listening to some Dregs on vinyl... always a nice test. First impression very smooth but lively as well... I am sure it will take app 100 hrs to burn in. But very organic sounding to start with. BTW very nice deal by Parks Audio... build is very fine and nicely documented; packaging is very well protected against even the USPS...Quiet as well... I'm gonna give a little more listen to and let you know my thoughts comparing it to:

Parasound P5 built in Phono Pre
Musical Surroundings Phonomena II
Cambridge Audio Azure 651P

msg

Nice, Mike. Definitely interested to hear your impressions.
I must sheepishly admit that after five days, my curiosity got the better of me, and I broke down and ordered one, too, just this morning. I've got a problem, but "I swear, after this, I'm done. I really mean it this time."

Mikey081057

Gotcha

hochpt21

Mine was attempted delivery, but I wasn't home so I have to try to get to the Post Office right before it closes and hopefully my driver is back by then.

msg

Mikey081057 wrote: »

Gotcha

haha, indeed. @#$%^!

hochpt21 wrote: »

Mine was attempted delivery, but I wasn't home so I have to try to get to the Post Office right before it closes and hopefully my driver is back by then.

gyaaah, I *hate* that! hope you can work it out!

Nightfall

hochpt21 wrote: »

hopefully my driver is back by then.

As in you have a personal limo driver? What a baller!

Mikey081057

hochpt21 wrote: »

Mine was attempted delivery, but I wasn't home so I have to try to get to the Post Office right before it closes and hopefully my driver is back by then.

USPS tried to pull that spit with me today... they never came to my door and when I went out to check the mailbox...there was the pink card and I said mudderpussbucket called them and the guy came back in like 5 mins. apologizing like he owed me money. Not a big fan of USPS....

Mikey081057

Looks very solid....

Nightfall

Mikey081057 wrote: »

Not a big fan of USPS....

Me either. My mail lady left the Pro-ject phono preamp I bought off the forum here ONTOP of my mailbox, surrounded by 7-8 other peoples mailboxes. WTF? Right out in the open.

Mikey081057

That's the kinda of spit you get from a class of people who can't be fired. Not saying all are like that... Just more than in the private sector.

msg

Mikey081057 wrote: »

Looks very solid....

nice, Mike - which cables are those you're running? I like the 90's in them. I was wondering about this vertical cable entry business on this unit.

Mikey081057

For right now I just have AQ Evergreens from the TT to the pre and some other AQ I had to reach to the P5... Those are AQ 90's I had that I forgot about and I think they take some stress off of the IC's.

Not sure what I should do for cables tho... Any suggestions?

msg

No idea on cables yet, personally. I've only been at this for 4 weeks or so at this point My table uses captive phono cables, but I plan to mod that. I'm interested to hear what others recommend for phono cables. I know some have gone custom shielded coax, and I like the idea of being able to build some. I'm gonna see if Doug has any ideas/experience with p'ono cabes. In the meantime, I'll probably just set mine up with a generous loop and affix to the rack for strain relief.

PS.
when are you upgrading the stock power supply, and with what?

Mikey081057

So the Music Hall TT has RCA jacks and I might just have to experiment. The cable it came with was nothing special and I figured anything would be better... But does a phono cable need more shielding than what you might find in a decent IC? I'm gonna have to read up... I tried a solid silver IC from the TT to the Pre and it was much noisier than the AQ Evergreen. I suppose a Diamondback would be even better? I have lotsa decent IC's laying around.... Just not great ones. Turning the TV off too lowered the noise....

Nothing severe just normal TT stuff and made sure the TT/Phono Pre and Pre are all grounded together.

msg

Good questions. I've been doing a bunch of reading lately, but I've only retained enough to be dangerous. I'll be watching for responses from the guys with more experience.

hochpt21

Nightfall wrote: »

hochpt21 wrote: »

hopefully my driver is back by then.

As in you have a personal limo driver? What a baller!

Lol...I meant hope my USPS driver is back to the office from her route before the close the lobby. I missed it anyways

Hope to grab it tomorrow.

Mikey081057

USPS... You should have looked for him at the bar...

Mikey081057

Been tweaking....using a .5M pair of King Cobras from the TT to the Budgie pre...and an AQ Golden Gate 4M to the P5 Line Level input....routed away from all power cables and now quiet as a mute church mouse. From reading not very much it seems you want as short of a cable as possible from the TT to the Phono Pre. Listening to a 180g version of Fagens' Sunken Condos. The Budgie comes with a pair of EH 6922's... good but not great tubes. I wonder if it would be worth putting a pair of premium E88CC's? Overall very nice... Warmer than the P5 phono pre. The PS that comes with it is a couple of grades better than your typical wall wart. It isn't a wall wart at all it is similar to like a 50w laptop style brick transformer... It would be nice if it had a 90* connector at the tip...

hochpt21

hochpt21

hochpt21

Mikey081057

I take it you are at a loss for words...

SCompRacer

Nice looking phono pre Paul!

Is that an odometer behind the tubes for miles? lol Let us know how it sounds after some burn time.

hochpt21

SCompRacer wrote: »

Nice looking phono pre Paul!

Is that an odometer behind the tubes for miles? lol Let us know how it sounds after some burn time.

Lol... Those are the dipswitches.