Phono preamp upgrade

Hello,

I'd like to upgrade my Cambridge Audio Solo. The rest of my setup is :

PLX1000
Ortofon 2M blue
ProJect Headbox DS

Here is my shortlist :

ProJect Phono box DS2 (349€)
ProJect Phono box RS (789€ - which is a OK price for it)
Graham Slee Reflex M (709€ - which is a pretty bad price for it)

Would the Reflex M or the RS be overkill for my setup ?
If yes, is the DS2 more adequate ?
If not, which of them sounds better ? I'm probably not going to use the many features of the RS with my MM cartridge, but if it sounds better than the Reflex then I'll take it.

I'm looking for the best sound. I've read fantastic reviews about the Reflex and am wondering if the pricetag on the RS is just because of its features or if it actually competes with the Reflex sound-wise.

Thanks

 

You can audition the Reflex M before buying. Sign up at the GS forum. I don't know where you are getting the pricing from but the best prices on GS gear are usually direct from GS.

The Phono Box RS looks like it's mainly geared toward LOMC. Not really comparable to the Reflex M.

 

Lehman black cube

 

Thanks for your answer.

I'm getting a 329€ refund from maplatine.com so I have to buy my preamp there.

So if I understand you correctly, the Reflex is better as long as I stick to an MM cartridge ?

 

When you sign up for the GS loan program, there is no purchase obligation. You can audition the product for 2 weeks minimum - the loaner units are not for sale. After that you can decide to buy or not. If you do decide to buy, you can buy wherever you want.

If you are using high output cartridges, I would definitely try to do a GS audition. The GS MM line is specifically designed for high performance with high output cartridges. Many other phono preamps are designed for MC performance first. With GS, the idea is to keep MM and MC separate ideally. They have a line of MC only phono preamps for LOMC users.

I do not know if you have a way to audition the Pro-Ject unit, but if you do, you could try to compare the two directly and see what you like better. GS stuff is very high quality and quite different from what else is on the market.

 

Since you're in Europe, have a look at the Arcam Rphono. Very pleased with mine.

 

Hey fellow belgian I'm looking at it right now, it's in my budget. Gonna try to find some reviews.

I just meant that I can only get it at that terrible price because of the refund, but I totally understand I can ahve it on loan no matter where I buy it haha I'm definitely going to look into that, thanks.

 

If you want to do the in-home audition you need to sign up here:

EU Loaner Program - Graham Slee Audio Forum | HiFi System Components

 

Always welcome to have a listen to the arcam if you're in the neighbourhood ...I'm pretty 'centered', not too far from Brussels .

 

Ive had an arcam rphono for a while and its a great product. So happy with it after dealing with the IFI iphono 2...which broke.

 

Creek

 

Well fellow Belgians, why not have a look at a Trichord Dino, a preamp that is ultimately 'finetuneable' ?
I bought it secondhand in Antwerp and it's a great match with my at oc9/3 cartridge (see my profile page for the rest of the gear).

And welcome for a listen if you're in the neighbourhood.

 

If you can spend more get a Musical Surroundings

 

I'm a huge fan of the Avid phono stages. Right down to the least expensive Pellar.

 

The brand new Elac Alchemy PPA-2 is a fine sounding phono stage. Balanced discrete JFET topology from end to end. Two separate, front panel switchable inputs (for two turntables - or two arms). Either input will support MM or MC. One input supports balanced input. I just get mine yesterday and it's still breaking in. Already sounds amazing.

 

Always upgrade when purchasing a new piece of equipment, otherwise the overall level of your system will stay where it is and then what's the point of buying anything new?

 

Looks like a nice unit, the Audio Alchemy PPA-1 has been quite the deal with them blowing it out at $799 to make room for the new Elac-branded model, but looks like the new one is still under $1000, lotta empty space inside but sized to match their other new components in that line ...

 

At least they have a real power supply and some physical separation along with a barrier between the power supply and the phono board. And it looks like they have some XLR output, maybe balanced, which should interest some people as well. Obviously that don't really speak to the sound at all, but they have some decent design principles laid out for the price point.

 

I live in France and i am selling a Lehmann Audio Black Cube with pwx power supply (SE).
It lists for 749€ here in France.
Can be yours for 450€ + shipping

 

Une très belle offre.. mais comme expliqué ci-dessus, je vais récupérer 300€ en avoirs sur maplatine.com donc je vais acheter sur leur site uniquement

 

I wonder if both outputs (balanced and RCA) are active full time. I was thinking using the Balanced out for everyday listening and the using the RCA our for a device like Rek-o_kut reequalizer for 78's and pre RIAA recordings. The Rek-o-Kut does have a bypass switch, from a review, the switch is not TRUE bypass and artifacts can be heard.

 

Yes, according to the constructor in Audio Advisor yt video.
Musical Fidelity MX and M6 Vinyl are also capable of this and probably PS Audio Stellar Phono.

 

Great. I also need a mono switch as well. I’ll check those out

 

Doesn't the Rekokut sum to mono?
Pro-ject Tube box ds2 has two outputs, not simultaneous but selectable.

 

I’m not certain. To be honest, I do not hear much difference when I press the mono switch on a mono recording