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best phono stage to mate with a London Decca Super Gold cart?

Greetings All!

I'm looking for recommendations for a phono stage to match with my Decca Super Gold cart.

I'm currently using the phono stage on my Doge 8 preamp which is OK, but not stellar. Table is a Roksan Xerxes with an upgraded RB300 arm (Incognito wiring and Audio Origami external cable).

I'm open to either S/S or tube.

Budget up to $1,500.

cheers,
Norm


nordicnorm
noromance's avatar
noromance
1,780 posts
 
Against popular wisdom, I run my Decca into 47k. I tried 33k on the original Super Micro and felt it calmed the music enough for it to rob some of the air and dynamics. I believe that as long as the TT and arm provide a vibration free anchor for the Decca, electronic damping is not required.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
4,908 posts
 

The design of the Decca pickup creates an inherent electronic resonance. In the mid-1980’s I had a long conversation with the greatly-missed Harvey Rosenberg---a Decca fanatic and expert, during which he explained to me how an electronic damping circuit, created via resistive and capacitive loading of the pickup, was necessary to address and remedy the Decca’s electronic resonance.

Though the construction and build quality of the current London’s is a significant improvement on that of the old Decca’s, the pickup design’s inherent electronic resonance remains intact, still requiring an electronic damping circuit (resistance and capacitance) to provide anywhere near flat frequency response and non-ringing time-domain performance. The London Reference owners manual specifies 15kohms/220uF resistance/capacitance loading, the Super Gold 22k/220uF. Harvey used a lot more capacitance with his old Deccas. A LOT more.

The pickup’s mechanical requirements (arm tube and bearings, mechanical damping) are a whole ’nother matter!

noromance's avatar
noromance
1,780 posts
 
Don't tell everyone that the Decca thrilling excitement is caused by ringing! 
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
4,908 posts
 
Ha! Nope, it is due to it's "Direct Sensing" design, lack of cantilever and rubber suspension, and who knows what else. Even without an electronic damping circuit, Decca/Londons sound more "alive", immediate, dynamic, and exciting (thrilling is a good adjective too ;-) than just about any other pickup available. Damped or not, they have that character, though electronic damping cures it's relatively minor failings. The cartridge does, however, reveal the more serious weaknesses in whatever arm it is mounted upon, unless the arm is on a Townshend Rock turntable.
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