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Stand out phono stages

This topic has been started before by others and myself as well, maybe too many times, but it is worth revisiting since the source is so very important!
So far I have had the pleasure to enjoy two worthy phono stages: the EAR 834p and the JLTI.
I have to admit they are spectacular. Obviously the record and all the equipment downstream play a role in the sound heard. In some cases I prefer the JLTI and in other cases the EAR. But neither out do the other dramatically.
What phono preamps outshine others by a big margin, those that can be considered the last phono preamp ever needed.
pedrillo
sirspeedy
738 posts
 
Banpuku,thanks for the insightful info.I really enjoyed your experiences,as you relay it.
Frm my little friend's group I hear that the Zanden phonostage is amazing!Of course these guys are rabid vinyl collectors,and the ability to use different "select" curves for specific labels really turns them on.
Have you got this on your radar?
Best.
exlibris
392 posts
 
Sirspeedy,
What are some of the strengths of the Zanden in comparison to other top phonostages, other than the fact that you can select various equalization curves?
aporigine
36 posts
 
The Zanden is set with a gain of about 34dB. It was designed for the higher output of mm cartridges. Mike Fremer used it to good effect with low-output mc units by adding a step-up transformer. IIRC
cheers apo
lewm
6,770 posts
 
Banpuku, Maybe you ought to re-evaluate the other preamps with a 10K load on your cartridge. Perhaps it is the cartridge that is working optimally into the Lyra piece but not so well with the 100-ohm load afforded by the other gear you tested.

Altho I know that it is a relative rarity, I wonder why no one has mentioned Raul's Phonolinepreamp in this thread. Earlier comments led me to believe it is a contender, but I've never heard it myself.
jcarr
341 posts
 
Lew, Pat: In my view (and experience), the issue of cartridge loading primarily concerns what the phono stage can tolerate, and then as a lower priority what the cartridge would be most happy with. Put another way, what is commonly talked about as "cartridge loading" should probably more usefully thought of as "phono stage input termination."

To cut to the chase, the Connoisseur has been designed so that it is quite tolerant of loading across a broad range of cartridges - but the same is not necessarily true for other phono stages. With the Connoisseur, I happily run any of my own cartridge designs at 10kohm (used to be 47kohm) without feeling the slightest desire for heavier loading, but with most other phono stages, I find that something between 330~120ohms sounds better.

For a technical writeup as to why this can be so, please see Jim Hagerman's article at www.hagtech.com/loading.html. Some time back I wrote a much more detailed post on this same topic on Audiogon, and I wish that I could simply link to that, but I don't know how to find my own post! (^o^;)

cheers and hth, jonathan carr
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