I have to say I have an entirely different experience
with the PH2 than Rdr4b. I have had the PH2 since early
1995 and would consider it perhaps the most neutral product
in my system (ARC LS5II, DAC3II, VT130, driving Maggie3.3).
My phono is Clearaudio Ref with Koetsu Rosewood signature.
Cabling is NBS Statement pre-amp, amp-spkrs, and SilverAudio
elsewhere. So to say the PH2 sounds rather poorly is a huge
conflict with my experience.
A couple notes here: because the PH2 is truly balanced and
so few components with XLR connectors really are, you need
to use a balanced cable....not RCA-XLR adaptors. The ARC
balanced phono cable is not very good. I used it for 4
years until I realized what I was truly missing. When I
bought the SilverAudio SilverBreeze balanced phono cable,
I was amazed at the resolution and detail never heard
before. I highly recommend anybody to try out this cable
on a trial basis and see for yourself what a phono cable
can do that perhaps many of us never knew possible. At
$400, it is pretty much the best upgrade for the $$ I have
made in along long time.
As far as gain, even my Koetsu works fine with the PH2
but for sure, more gain like 56db would be nicer. Having
a higher gain Line Stage helps a lot. But the PH2 is a
better match with something like a Benz Glider (my prev
cartridge) with a 1mv output. With this, I had all the
gain I could ever ask for.
I tried the PH3 back in 97. With this I used a Straightwire
phono cable and the combination was very good. But it did
not take long for me to feel fatigued by the forwardness
of the PH3. Initially I was impressed. But a return to
the PH2 brought everything back into balance ... and the
lower level detail was improved as well. In a solid-state
system, the PH3's forwardness may be a good match. It is
afterall, all about system synergy and for me, the PH3 did
not work well at all. As you can tell, I am a big fan of
ARC tube products, but the solid state PH2 holds its own
in my system.
Hope this helps with your quest for a phono stage.
John
