tube phono stage under $1k?

Big disclaimer up front: I don't own, nor have I ever owned, a tube phono stage under $1,000. However, I recently shopped (strictly online--no in-person auditions) extensively for one, though I ended up stretching the budget a bit and buying a used BAT VK-P10.

My findings seemed to point to the Wright phono stage that you mention. Apparently Mr. Wright is not 100 percent responsive, since it's essentially a tiny operation, but if you're willing to live with that, it seems to be a terrific product. (It also has that industrial "tubes exposed" look that I like--the BAT, good-sounding as it is, is merely a black box in comparison.) Anyway, I found no negative comments about the sound of the Wright unit. Like anything else, some like it better than others, but it appears to be an almost unanimous winner.

The EAR is also highly-regarded, but most people seem to feel it needs mods to really sound good. I don't recall seeing many raves about its sound out of the box. So you'd have to factor time, effort, and additional cost into the equation with this one. I came very close to buying this at the beginning of my search, but the need to mess with it scared me away.

The AES is another I considered, though this one is strictly bare-bones--it's a no-nonsense, unadorned product. (AES is Cary's "budget" line, if you don't know.) You might want to check out a new product that's coming out--which I believe will be under the Cary name.

The Woodham and the Pro-Ject I don't know anything about.

Sorry for the anecdotal nature of my comments, but perhaps this can at least help point you in the right direction.

Good luck!

I own the Wright WPP100C. It is one of the component that I have no desire to upgrade. Give it better tubes, and forget about it. IMHO, it is a very good, under-price, performer that is built to last and to disappear in a vinyl set up. In my system, after dialing in what tubes to use, it gives me goose bumps hearing my vinyl collection. Of course, the table (Teres 255) set up plays a big part of it but if your phono preamp is not up for the task, then you can never realized how good your table is.
It seldom appears here as "used" but you will never know. So good luck if you decided to go for it.

On the other hand, if you have time and can do a DIY, check the Hagerman Cornet (http://www.hagtech.com/cornet.html). My brother have one and it is very good too. His, have upgraded caps and resistors, took about a week to finish. At Audiocircle.com, Hagerman Tech has a forum and a website where numerous users can provide you with info once you decided to have upgraded parts instead of the stock.
The Cornet can be bought fully assembled (by contacting Jim Hagerman directly) or as a half kit ($95) wherein you will get the circuit board(pcb), a manual which list the vendors which you can out source the chassis, tubes, xformer, and other components required.

For those who built the Cornet, it is seldom that you will find two that are alike. But, it seems that owners have nothing but praises about them. But of course, you have to be realistic what to expect.

good luck..

I would suggest that you may get better sound overall by looking for an integrated amp with a phono stage, thereby not having to run your analog thru the receiver at all. You would run the receiver's L/R pre-outs into the IA as an auxiliary input for HT applications.

I'd also recommend the Wright WPP100C. I have it, and it's a great unit. Definitely better in some ways than the one internal to the BAT Vk-30 preamp I have (which in itself is not a bad phono stage). The Wright is dead quiet, adjustable gain, very nicely made for the price, and has a cool copper chassis. As a bonus, the tubes are fairly cheap too. I've seen and heard the Hagerman and that's a nice piece too, Jim H. is a cool guy to deal with too.

-Ed

I agree with Inscrutable; why buy this expensive of a phono stage to use with a receiver (this does not compute, at least to me)? I'd put the $$ towards a nice used integrated, like a Plinius, & get one with a built in phono stage. A Creek (5350SE I believe) is another idea, as would be a Bryston B-60. At least if you add a better phono stage later, the amp quality will be high enough to enable you to hear the results. As far as tube phono stages tho, a used ARC PH-3 is one idea in your price range.