The new Wavestream Kinetics phono preamp, designed by Scott Frankland, certainly should be on your short list. I have a prototype of it using Octal tubes and I've not heard anything better at any price.
Two other offerings that merit consideration are the Manley Steelhead and the Aesthetix Io.
Based on experience with a relatively inexpensive (but highly adjustable) Musical Surroundings Phonema phonostage, I'd say having adjustable gain, load resistance, and capacitance is worthwhile.
Finding the right settings for a given cartridge can take sound quality up a level or two, and help bring out the "magic" in the best designs.
My thought: If you can hear these benefits through a sub-$1k phonostage (and you can), wouldn't adjustability be even more significant in a cost-no-object design?
Chris Martens
Editor, Avguide.com/Playback/The Perfect Vision
Jonathan Valin -- Mon, 01/30/2006 - 18:09
The Aesthetix Io is, indeed, a superb phonostage--the bloomiest, airiest, and most three-dimensional I've heard--and it is highly adjustable in terms of gain and loading. But it is also inherently noisy and prone to picking up RFI. If you live anywhere near a broadcast tower or in an RF-rich environment, caveat emptor. If you do have RFI problems, I would suggest the Lamm LP2 Deluxe. It uses a step-up transformer in advance of a (tube) gain stage. Generally step-up devices reduce extraneous noise but rob you of transparency, dynamics, and detail. (The old ARC Ref phonostage did this.) For some reason, the Lamm does not. Indeed, it is one of the most transparent (to the source) pieces of electronics I've ever heard--not as bloomy as the Aesthetix, but much more finely detailed with a grip on very low-level information (like decays) that simply has to be heard to be believed. The Lamm does take a tremendous amount of break-in, however. I'm talking months.
I would add to this list the Manley Steelhead and Ray Samuels Emmeline for their terrific sound and maximium flexibility, the Sutherland P.h.D for its battery-powered silence, and the Artemis Labs PL-1 for a great sounding tube model at a mid-level price point.
Good question, Jim. That, of course, is one of the Steelhead's virtues, along with its few line inputs (one can also add more with the outboard Skipjack) it can serve as a full-function preamp. None of the other models I've tried can function in this way, but I can't speak for the Lamm or Aesthetix models.
It's probably not easy to find one in the States, but I sincerely hope TAS would be able to review the Vacuum State RTP3D by Allen Wright some day.
Allen was probably the first to reinstate the ignored 3.18 uS time contant back to the RIAA EQ (a detailed account can be found in his book, Tube Preamp Cookbook, and also in issue 15 of Sound Practice). And that's just one of his many innovations.
The Aesthetix Rhea is a superb-sounding phono preamp with a list of outstanding features, great flexibility, terrific build, and a reasonable price ($4k). It has three inputs with selectable cartridge loading---from the remote control. There's no substitute for adjusting cartridge loading from the listening chair. It can be a bit noisy with low-output cartridges.
Robert Harley
Editor-in-Chief
The Absolute Sound
The Perfect Vision
I would also suggest, as additional contenders for the best phono preamp, the Lyra Connoisseur 4-2P, the Counterpoint Magnum Opus (with Altavista Audio mods), and the Walker Audio Reference (2d ed.). I have also heard good things about the Audio Note/Kondo (I believe the phono only model number is the KSL-M7), the Wavac LCR-X2, and the Zanden 1200 Mk II. The Tempo Electric looks intriguing as well, (it is billed as the definitive version of the ubiquitous Arthur Loesch designed phono preamplifier), but I don't know of anyone who has heard it yet.
I think I will make a relatively inexpensive recommendation.
The Phonomena with battery power pack. For just over a grand you get a good phono preamp that is more or less infinitely variable for most if not all cartriges. I am sure it will not keep up with the best but, it is the best I have heard in my modest system.
You should check out the new Wavestream Kinetics phono stage. It's under $5K (I think it's $4K?) and works with relatively low output moving coils, like Koetsus.
I haven't heard it with the real low ouput coils (<0.2mv), so I can't say whether it will work with those and I can't find the specs on this unit.
Quote: This is a strong endorsement for the ARC PH-7 phono amp, which JV indicated he is in the process of reviewing favorably. The PH-7 is the only piece of audio gear that I have ever bought on the spot upon first hearing it. I had just started redoing my system around new speakers and had gone to listen to amplifiers, not intending to look for a new phono stage until much later, if at all. Instead, I was so distracted by how great the PH-7 sounded that I bought it without a second thought and didn't audition anything else again until after the PH-7 was up and running in my system. It never would have occurred to me to choose electronics around a phono stage but that is what happened; the PH-7 really is that good.
The new Wavestream Kinetics phono preamp, designed by Scott Frankland, certainly should be on your short list. I have a prototype of it using Octal tubes and I've not heard anything better at any price.
Two other offerings that merit consideration are the Manley Steelhead and the Aesthetix Io.
Good luck!
Jim
I understand that the new Audio Research phono preamp is really good. But you can't adjust capacitance. Is that a big deal
Based on experience with a relatively inexpensive (but highly adjustable) Musical Surroundings Phonema phonostage, I'd say having adjustable gain, load resistance, and capacitance is worthwhile.
Finding the right settings for a given cartridge can take sound quality up a level or two, and help bring out the "magic" in the best designs.
My thought: If you can hear these benefits through a sub-$1k phonostage (and you can), wouldn't adjustability be even more significant in a cost-no-object design?
Chris Martens
Editor, Avguide.com/Playback/The Perfect Vision
The Aesthetix Io is, indeed, a superb phonostage--the bloomiest, airiest, and most three-dimensional I've heard--and it is highly adjustable in terms of gain and loading. But it is also inherently noisy and prone to picking up RFI. If you live anywhere near a broadcast tower or in an RF-rich environment, caveat emptor. If you do have RFI problems, I would suggest the Lamm LP2 Deluxe. It uses a step-up transformer in advance of a (tube) gain stage. Generally step-up devices reduce extraneous noise but rob you of transparency, dynamics, and detail. (The old ARC Ref phonostage did this.) For some reason, the Lamm does not. Indeed, it is one of the most transparent (to the source) pieces of electronics I've ever heard--not as bloomy as the Aesthetix, but much more finely detailed with a grip on very low-level information (like decays) that simply has to be heard to be believed. The Lamm does take a tremendous amount of break-in, however. I'm talking months.
FYI, I am slated to get the new Audio Research phonostage--the all-tube PH-7--in a short while. I'll post my initial impressions after I've gotten it.
Also, ASR has a brand new battery-powered phonostage which is said to improve on the somewhat anemic performance of its last unit.
I have the black cube SE, the sound is great, what you thing?
Best regards
I would add to this list the Manley Steelhead and Ray Samuels Emmeline for their terrific sound and maximium flexibility, the Sutherland P.h.D for its battery-powered silence, and the Artemis Labs PL-1 for a great sounding tube model at a mid-level price point.
Which of these phono stages, besides the Steelhead, can drive amplifiers directly (without having to go thru a line stage)?
Good question, Jim. That, of course, is one of the Steelhead's virtues, along with its few line inputs (one can also add more with the outboard Skipjack) it can serve as a full-function preamp. None of the other models I've tried can function in this way, but I can't speak for the Lamm or Aesthetix models.
It's probably not easy to find one in the States, but I sincerely hope TAS would be able to review the Vacuum State RTP3D by Allen Wright some day.
Allen was probably the first to reinstate the ignored 3.18 uS time contant back to the RIAA EQ (a detailed account can be found in his book, Tube Preamp Cookbook, and also in issue 15 of Sound Practice). And that's just one of his many innovations.
Bica
Thanks for the tip. We at TAS will look into the Allen Wright design.
The Aesthetix Rhea is a superb-sounding phono preamp with a list of outstanding features, great flexibility, terrific build, and a reasonable price ($4k). It has three inputs with selectable cartridge loading---from the remote control. There's no substitute for adjusting cartridge loading from the listening chair. It can be a bit noisy with low-output cartridges.
Robert Harley
Editor-in-Chief
The Absolute Sound
The Perfect Vision
You mean you don't have to whip sets of shorting plugs with different value resistors in and out of the phono stage?
That's VERY cool!
The Aesthetix Io can be equipped with volume controls, I believe, and even a second input (price: $9k).
I would also suggest, as additional contenders for the best phono preamp, the Lyra Connoisseur 4-2P, the Counterpoint Magnum Opus (with Altavista Audio mods), and the Walker Audio Reference (2d ed.). I have also heard good things about the Audio Note/Kondo (I believe the phono only model number is the KSL-M7), the Wavac LCR-X2, and the Zanden 1200 Mk II. The Tempo Electric looks intriguing as well, (it is billed as the definitive version of the ubiquitous Arthur Loesch designed phono preamplifier), but I don't know of anyone who has heard it yet.
I think I will make a relatively inexpensive recommendation.
The Phonomena with battery power pack. For just over a grand you get a good phono preamp that is more or less infinitely variable for most if not all cartriges. I am sure it will not keep up with the best but, it is the best I have heard in my modest system.
Just a thought.
Jack
If we throw low output MC into the mix, does the list get shorter? What if the budget is $5k or less?
Thanks.
See my post above. It will handle any cartrige and has adjustable gain.
$1200.00
Jack
You should check out the new Wavestream Kinetics phono stage. It's under $5K (I think it's $4K?) and works with relatively low output moving coils, like Koetsus.
I haven't heard it with the real low ouput coils (<0.2mv), so I can't say whether it will work with those and I can't find the specs on this unit.
Quote: This is a strong endorsement for the ARC PH-7 phono amp, which JV indicated he is in the process of reviewing favorably. The PH-7 is the only piece of audio gear that I have ever bought on the spot upon first hearing it. I had just started redoing my system around new speakers and had gone to listen to amplifiers, not intending to look for a new phono stage until much later, if at all. Instead, I was so distracted by how great the PH-7 sounded that I bought it without a second thought and didn't audition anything else again until after the PH-7 was up and running in my system. It never would have occurred to me to choose electronics around a phono stage but that is what happened; the PH-7 really is that good.
arahl
Here's another phono stage to put on your short list:
The Art Audio Vinyl Reference
I hope to have more to say about this unit soon.
I heard one recently from NAT. It was the most dynamic phono stage that I have ever experienced.
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