Budget system, tube phono <$500 recommendations

This is exactly what I did. I was in the same boat. Currently I am running a Project Tubebox SEII. It was fine , good sound but I wanted more MC loading options. Before that I had a Chinese Little Bear, once I fixed the hum it sounded pretty good too. I looked at the Douk clone of the EAR , but aside from one person in Australia there are not a lot of reviews that I can trust. I don't have the Tavish Classic yet but once I get it I will do a comparison to the ProJect Tubebox. FWIW the Tavish is NOT a full "pure" tube phono. The MM is pure tube. The MC has a JFET pre amp. Still anxious to try it out.

Best of Luck.

 

I am sure they are all nice, however the thread starters question can have more than one answer, from more than one resident. All the answers we give them can be helpful. Just Saying...

 

??? Guess I might've missed something, but seems kind of an odd response based on the quoted post.

At least one of the regulars here has the 834p clone below, though not a clone in the truest sense since it has a different form factor ... as mentioned by Mike, there are true clones from the likes of Douk, they are even badged as EAR in the home market, but that is covered with copper tape on the front panel for international sales ...



Finished MM RIAA Turntables Ear834 Tube Phono Amplifier (12AX7) + O trannsformer | eBay