Phono Stages

It is nice to see a company stand behind their products like that.

 

Even the bottom of the Graham Slee MM line gets excellent reviews and it is only 180 pounds sterling. Is that out of your price range? Others may have said so, but you won't be charged VAT if shipped to North America and, if you join the forum before you order, you can get a 5% discount off the list price. I just bought the Accession that way (with the upgraded power unit even) and it came out to $1,240 shipped. Here, buying it retail it would have cost about $1,630 (List price $1,495 plus tax).

 

Worried that you'll damage your speakers? I'm sure you have ready Slee's opinion on that.

Why Rumble Filters are bad

 

Someone ask Mr. Slee whether pumping woofers wouldn't introduce a constantly varying degree of phase shift (phase modulation) and other distortions, and whether the listener wouldn't find that more objectionable than a constant phase shift introduced by a subsonic filter.

When I turn the subsonic filter ON, the double bass sounds sublime. With the subsonic filter OFF, not so much.

Here is what Floyd Toole says on phase shifts of a more constant fashion:

Audibility of Phase Distortion ​

Dr. Floyd Toole: "It turns out that, within very generous tolerances, humans are insensitive to phase shifts. Under carefully contrived circumstances, special signals auditioned in anechoic conditions, or through headphones, people have heard slight differences. However, even these limited results have failed to provide clear evidence of a 'preference' for a lack of phase shift. When auditioned in real rooms, these differences disappear.."​

 

You can email and ask him yourself if you want.

In any case, I've had rumble filters and ran my turntable without them as well. If there is any audible difference in my system it is very subtle. So I have nothing for or against them really. I do think sometimes people use them as band-aids. But in any case, if your situation demands one due to extreme woofer pumping or feedback at high SPLs, then I wouldn't worry too much about using one if that works for you.

 

I've always wondered about those aftermarket power supplies. I know Swagman was pretty popular for awhile with certain models. I came close to trying one but don't need it now.

 

Besides sound quality I'd be concerned about safety of an always-on device designed in, and shipped directly from China. Something that not only hasn't been submitted to any agency for certification, but was likely designed by someone that has never submitted a thing to a safety agency ever.

 

That could certainly be a concern. I've also heard of folks building a power supply from a kit or having a tech build one. The G.S. PSU-1 is certified, which is one of the reasons for the high price.

 

Here's an interesting phono stage that came up on another forum today. Available as a kit or fully assembled. Designed by Doug Self.

The Signal Transfer Company: RIAA PCB with unbalanced outputs

 

Hi guys,

I’m looking for an upgrade to my Cambridge Solo in the region of up to 500-600 GBP. I auditioned Moon 110LP v2 and although it was a noticeable improvement, it also was exhibiting noise at half the output of my Hegel H95 through headphones. The hiss was greater than my Cambridge, despite shielded interconnects and careful placement. So I am still on the lookout for a good, quiet alternative. I was looking at Tube Box as I always liked the lush sound the tubes produce but the reviews of them are mixed so I am not completely sold. My turntable is a Project RPM 5 with Ortofon 2M Bronze. Any advice would be most welcome if you can give any Out of SS, would Lehmann Black Box be a commendable choice? If so, which version?

Thank you!

 

Graham Slee is an excellent choice, made in the UK and offer a loaner program.

 

I would recommend Graham Slee as well, happy Gram Amp 2 SE owner.

 

I had no idea this was an option! And to be clear, you're saying that G.S. will sell me a Reflex M (or C) board that I can swap into my Era Gold V? No soldering required? That's exciting!

 

I'm interested in pursuing this option, if it exists. In searching the G.S. forums and website I can't find any info about DIY board upgrades. Can anybody else confirm that this is indeed a possibility? I'd be grateful for a link with any helpful information on the matter. Thanks!

 

I just bought and have been very happy with a NOVA II (600.00) google it.

 

I've actually been running an ERA Gold V for a very long time. Great phono stage.

 

I was pretty impressed with Rega Fono mm mk3 if you are looking for a relaxed sounding phono amp.
I own the Mani and did A/B as well. MAni tends to sound bright comparatively.

 

I managed to make some progress as far as learning more about the potential to upgrade the board in my Graham Slee is concerned. Fish17 had mentioned the ability to purchase the Reflex (M or C) board from G.S. as a DIY upgrade option. Thanks to patient_ot, I finally got an email off to the correct individual at G.S. and received a prompt response confirming that this is true. I have an Era Gold V and am interested in stepping up to a Reflex M. The following are the questions I asked and the answers I received from John at G.S.

How much is the kit and where do I order?
Is there any soldering required?
Does the kit include a new "Reflex" faceplate for the box or does my preamp stay branded as Era Gold V w/ a very special secret inside?

We can supply a Reflex M or C upgrade board, yes.
This is a fully built and tested PCB and requires no soldering, just the tools to remove and replace the rear panel.
The cost is £175.00 excluding taxes and shipping so I'll need to know your location to give you a more accurate price.
We don't supply a new faceplate as the case itself has changed a few times and the current faceplate may not fit due to the fixing hole positions, however if you can email me a picture of your Era Gold I should be able to check this. The new Face plate would be an additional £15.00.
You can place an order via the order form from the link below as it is not an item listed on the online shop:
Order Form - HiFi System Components

 

Do you have the PSU or the standard wall wart? I'm wondering if it's worth it.

 

I'm just running the standard wall wart, not convinced about the power supply debate, snake oil?

 

Then you're all set. Just sit back and enjoy it and save more money until you can afford the Graham Slee Accession.

 

I loaned it at one point but didn't A/B with the ERA

 

I know there are many that would disagree and maybe it's because I have very clean power here but I tried a LPS with my Nova ii pre and found no difference between it and the supplied wall wart.

 

I actually just bought the Gram Amp 2 SE and received it last night. The directions recommend it being plugged in an entire week before it reaches its full potential. Is that over exaggerated or is that accurate? I wasn't totally impressed with the sound last night (though I did plug it in immediately after it sat outside in the cold for an hour so I'm not trying to jump to conclusions just yet.).

And is the PSU-1 a night and day difference?

 

My Era Gold V definitely smoothed out and opened up over the first couple of weeks. I leave my SS equipment powered on 24/7. It's always warm and always ready.

I just recently upgraded to the PSU-1 in my system, and if there is much of a difference, I can't say it's night and day. Things may be a bit cleaner and clearer, but no stark differences. I probably get more of a mental placebo from the PSU-1 just knowing it's there.