Thank you for the link, Dave...I will digest that in the course of the week.
Lewm...if I understand you correctly, for a phono stage such as the EAR 834p with three 12AX7's and a pair of output transformers, is that a reasonable compromise to use 12AX7'S in that context? When modified, it is quite impressive at its price point to my ears. I haven't auditioned phono preamps and preamps with phono stages above $5K, both of which it seems to compete against. I would like to avoid using a preamp, and create a phono only system. Thank you for such a detailed and knowledgeable response.
Lewm...if I understand you correctly, for a phono stage such as the EAR 834p with three 12AX7's and a pair of output transformers, is that a reasonable compromise to use 12AX7'S in that context? When modified, it is quite impressive at its price point to my ears. I haven't auditioned phono preamps and preamps with phono stages above $5K, both of which it seems to compete against. I would like to avoid using a preamp, and create a phono only system. Thank you for such a detailed and knowledgeable response.