Phono Stages

I currently use a phono stage on my integrated HT amp and I'd like to upgrade. I have limited experience with Phono stages, aside from the excellent Graham Slee loaner program. Unfortunately the currency conversion makes them to cost prohibitive to purchase. I'm strictly seeking MM pre-amps but dual capability is welcome! Also Some open to used & vintage options. Interesting products I've looked at
1) Project Phono Box RS
2) Project Tube Box DS
3) Vincent Pho 701
4) Mofi StudioPhono
5) Schiit Mani

 

I had the SP and the Mani at various points. Of those I would only recommend the SP, and then only for certain cartridges with output 4mV or below. If you need a cheap phono preamp get an Art DJ Pre, then save your pennies for a better one later.

I do not like Pro-Ject or Vincent products and wouldn't personally recommend them.

 

MoFi StudioPhono is excellent. I recommend this preamp to everyone looking for a flexible, high quality, and great sounding phono stage that’s affordable. It has a mono switch and a sub sonic filter. IMO these two features are critical and I can’t believe they’re not standard features on all phono stages - especially expensive ones. The input capacitance is reasonably low too - 100pF, which you want to take in to consideration for modern MM cartridges since they like low capacitance.

 

AVA Vision Q MM/MC sounds very good.

 

Not necessarily looking for "cheap" but maybe in the $300-700 range

 

After using some of phono stages , including both Projects and Shiit, I now have “ASR Mini Basic Exclusive”. Second hand price should be around $ 1000.- highly recommended!

 

Also any reasoning behind the dislike of Pro-Ject and Vincent?

 

You could also check out Simaudio, pretty popular nowadays and headquartered in Quebec. The low end of their phono stage line is the 110LP, recently updated to v2 designation. It's an integrated circuit design, as are most nowadays, using a INA163 instrumentation amp on the input (like the much more expensive Sutherland 20/20) followed by L49720 opamps. I tend to prefer discrete circuit approaches like the similarly priced (and very nice sounding) Rothwell Rialto from the UK, but that's just my own bias. In any case, the Simaudio is a good package, the instrumentation amp on the input allows them to run with very low input capacitance, and it is fully adjustable for both gain and loading, and handles both MM and MC cartridges. Worth looking at, there's few users around here.

SoundStage! Hi-Fi | SoundStageHiFi.com - Under-$600 Phono Preamp Suggestions
To Doug Schneider,
I am rediscovering my LP collection. I am using the phono preamp section of an old Yamaha RX-1130 receiver connected to an all-Bryston electronics system.
I am looking to improve the sound with a dedicated phono preamp. Would you have suggestions for a budget of $600?
I am using an early-’80s turntable with an Audio-Technica moving-magnet cartridge.
Thanks in advance,
René Fortier
Canada

You actually have many options, but if I were in your shoes, the first phono stage I’d look at is the Simaudio Moon 110LP v2, which costs only $399. Thom Moon reviewed the 110LP v2 for SoundStage! Access last November, where he not only raved about it, he ended up buying one for his system. Furthermore, it had a Reviewers’ Choice award bestowed on it at the time the review was published, and was also chosen as one of our 2018 Products of the Year. Please read the review to learn how versatile the 110LP v2 is -- it has support for moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges, as well as numerous switches for adjustment -- and how good Thom found it to sound.

I also encourage you to check out our new SoundStage! Expert videos about phono stages that are on YouTube (there are six on this topic, all less than two minutes long). These were filmed at Simaudio’s factory. They should give you more insight as to what Simaudio knows about the product category. . . . Doug Schneider

 

Project Tubebox DS2 here.
Can fine tune by changing tubes.

 

I use the iFi iPhono2 here. No complaints.
A lot of settings on the underside to adjust.

 

How long have you had yours? Lots of reports of quality control problems/dead units. Great sounding unit when it works though, like a '70s British sports car. I sold mine while it still worked. The buyer upgraded and sold it again. It died on the third owner. It was 18 months old.

That said, the MoFi StudioPhono sounds nearly indistinguishable from the iFi as long as the caveat above is followed. I used it extensively with a cartridge with 3.5 mV output.

 

Big tick for anything with a mono switch.

 

I believe Parasound has a couple of nice phono pre's in your range as well

 

Which one's have you tried?

 

I have a Project Phono Box DS+ (no tubes!!) and it is very good. Has a low capacitance setting of 47pf (besides others) and every setting (loading, gain, rumble filter) is easily accessible from the front panel. Sound is just as nice as my Arcam Rphono.

 

there's a Rega Aria on Audiogon for 700.

 

Era Gold V, Reflex M, Acession MM

 

I have the mani, sounds great, no noise or interference.

 

The Gram Amp 2 SE is a great phono stage.
I ran one for around 15 years.
It's well worth giving a go.

 

Mani seems nice and I do own a the Magni/Modi 2 which have been rock folid for the past 3 years, however the Mani is a little light on features. I wish they'd have a higher tier stage available

 

Looks attractive but I really enjoy the Mono switch on all the other models

 

Then why not just get one of those? With VAT removed they should fall into your budget range, except for maybe the Accession, which is a bit more expensive than either the EGV or the Reflex.

 

Project Tube Box S2, no complaints and very low cap at 47pf.

 

I am not sure about your last statement.

 

OP is in Canada.
The exchange rate is not so kind.