Phono Pre Amp

kevhed72
kevhed72 Posts: 5,059
in Wanted (WTB) Classifieds
Title says it all....thanks
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  • displayname
    displayname Posts: 1,149
    Not sure what your budget is, but everyone I know that has a Sutherland is extremely happy with theirs, myself included. You see several Vibes show up as open box or lightly used because people move further up the line.
    Also saw some active listings on usaudiomart. Not affiliated so I won’t link, but worth looking into.
    Analog: MoFi MasterTracker > MoFi UltraDeck > Sutherland 20/20
    Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
    MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Arcam rHead > Hifiman HE4XX
    Discogs
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,913
    edited June 2019
    kevhed72 wrote: »
    Title says it all....thanks
    • Are you aiming high, low, or just looking for something that will work?
    • Vacuum tube or soiled solid state?
    • Adjustable gain (e.g., to accommodate low output MC as well as MM/MI)?
    • Adjustable loading?
    • Onboard P/S, wall wart, or battery?
    • Budget?

    so many options in 2019! :p
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  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,163
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    [*] Vacuum tube or soiled solid state?
    Look at you showing such restraint! :D
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
    "Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
    Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
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  • voltz
    voltz Posts: 5,384
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    kevhed72 wrote: »
    Title says it all....thanks
    • Are you aiming high, low, or just looking for something that will work?
    • Vacuum tube or soiled solid state?
    • Adjustable gain (e.g., to accommodate low output MC as well as MM/MI)?
    • Adjustable loading?
    • Onboard P/S, wall wart, or battery?
    • Budget?

    so many options in 2019! :p

    This the Doctor is in the House!!! with some very good advise!!!
    2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge

    HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,913
    edited June 2019
    believe it or not, I use a solid state phono preamp. A pretty darned good one, at that.

    10978656836_fe7215588b_b.jpgJLTiphonopreamp by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

    Designed by the late Allen Wright.
    http://www.vacuumstate.com/

    Later versions were a bit more "audiophile" looking, and didn't have a word about cryogenetics printed on 'em, either! :)

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  • voltz
    voltz Posts: 5,384
    For awhile I gave up on Tube Phono amps. the cartridges are like open mikes anyways and I was chasing ghost to remove unwanted noise from my Vinyl system..was it a tube that had to much microphones?

    if you tapped the stand my TT was on you would hear it in the speakers etc...but I finally found my Vincent phono amps where really quite with the right cables! but I was getting frustrated to no end trying to tame the beast!
    2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge

    HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD
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  • tratliff
    tratliff Posts: 1,704
    I’ve got a Parasound jc3 and have been very happy. Great unit and I don’t really pay any attention to it.
    2 Channel Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II, 2 REL Carbon Limited, Norma Revo IPA-140B, Lumin U2 Mini, VPI Prime w/SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC, Modwright PH 150, Denon DP-59l w/Denon DL-301MKII, WAY Silver 3 Ana+ Speaker Cables, WAY Silver 4+ Interconnect Cables, AudioQuest Niagara 7000 w/Dragon and Hurricane Power Cables
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  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,018
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    believe it or not, I use a solid state phono preamp. A pretty darned good one, at that.

    10978656836_fe7215588b_b.jpgJLTiphonopreamp by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

    Designed by the late Allen Wright.
    http://www.vacuumstate.com/

    Later versions were a bit more "audiophile" looking, and didn't have a word about cryogenetics printed on 'em, either! :)

    Are those loading plugs? Interesting
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  • daddyjt
    daddyjt Posts: 2,555
    I have a Pro-Ject Tube Box S boxed up somewhere. I barely used it when I went through my “trying to fall in love with vinyl” phase. It’s pretty versatile (from what I understand), and will never see use with me.

    If you have any interest, I’ll dig it out and snap some photos...
    "Conservative Libertarians love the country, progressive leftists love the government." - Andrew Wilkow


    “Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free.”
    ― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,913
    dromunds wrote: »
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    believe it or not, I use a solid state phono preamp. A pretty darned good one, at that.

    10978656836_fe7215588b_b.jpgJLTiphonopreamp by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

    Designed by the late Allen Wright.
    http://www.vacuumstate.com/

    Later versions were a bit more "audiophile" looking, and didn't have a word about cryogenetics printed on 'em, either! :)

    Are those loading plugs? Interesting

    yup.
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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,387
    I was amazed the the difference a Parasound PPH-100 mode vs the internal phono stage of my various amps and receivers. These include Denon DRA-835R, Marantz PM-5005 and Parasound CPT-600. The Parasound Zphono is the follow-on improvement to the PPH-100. These can be had very affordably.
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,913
    edited June 2019
    skrol wrote: »
    I was amazed the the difference a Parasound PPH-100 mode vs the internal phono stage of my various amps and receivers. These include Denon DRA-835R, Marantz PM-5005 and Parasound CPT-600. The Parasound Zphono is the follow-on improvement to the PPH-100. These can be had very affordably.

    Not to change the subject (i.e., poor OP's lookin' for a phono preamp!)... :)

    So -- first and foremost, I don't disagree with @skrol; the breadth of high quality outboard phono preamps available today is unprecedented!

    I just wanted to mention that seekers of good quality inexpensive phono preamps just might want to try the phono section of a 1970s-1980s preamp, integrated amp, or even (gasp) FM stereo receiver! Phono was the default "audiophile" medium in those days; the phono sections in components of that era were often pretty darned good sounding. Now, I'll grant you that 40 year old components are probably not at their best B) but a cheap (!) vintage massmarket component's phono section might still outperform a brand-new-fresh modern add-on phono preamp at a similar price point.

    Try one, you might like it. :)

    PS the amplified, EQ'd line level output of the phono preamp is available on virtually any 1970s-on vintage component via said component's tape out jacks.


    14815716390_34aebd4c3e_b.jpgDSC_9835 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr



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  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 5,059
    I was looking here on the forum first so I kept it vague....I would say the only budget is only restraint at around 350.00. I am also thinking SS as my pre is a tubed and may want to get too " tubey" if that makes sense.
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  • displayname
    displayname Posts: 1,149
    At $350 I think I'd be looking at Vincent and MoFi. Possibly some others, but those are the first 2 that come to mind.
    Analog: MoFi MasterTracker > MoFi UltraDeck > Sutherland 20/20
    Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
    MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Arcam rHead > Hifiman HE4XX
    Discogs
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  • pglbook
    pglbook Posts: 2,226
    edited June 2019
    Great point, mhardy. I can tell you from experience that the the phono stage in my vintage Yamaha CR 2020 receiver sounded better than the Cambridge Azur 640P-S phono pre I am currently using. Spinning vinyl sounded so much better when I had the Yamaha CR 2020 in the mix. I now have separate components and will have to upgrade my phono pre.

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  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    I would ask what cart it is to be paired with? Might make a difference for some recommendations
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