Proper Analog Front-End Resource Allocation — A Cautionary Tale.

I routinely use VM540ML into a Linn Uphorik. That's a 1:10 retail price ratio, and it sounds pukka. Cartridges come and go, and exploring the vast array of choices is fun. A great adaptable phono stage can get the best out of all of them. I put the phono stage above the cartridge in the source first hierarchy, but still below the arm.

 

[googles pukka]

 

Not to be confused with puke-a.
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I've understood the importance of a good preamp (both phono and line stage) very soon in my hi-fi journey. For me, a great active preamp is heart of the system. Extremely influential on sound character of the system.

 

I agree, which is why I sold my expensive preamp and use a passive. Even very expensive preamps can't compete with no preamp, in my opinion.

 

That idea sounds very "common-sense" and I know passive is great in some systems (and maybe better than active) but that's not the general rule. Great active premaps can give amazing soul, texture, presence and liveliness to music.

 

I keep telling my pal he needs to get a better phono preamp. The current model he has was a $249 special. He has a $20k system and loves his SACD player more than his VPI Prime with a DL110. Being an electrical engineer he just can’t fathom that spending for an appropriate phono stage would make that much of a difference. So, he won’t upgrade.

 

Loan him your phonostage for a few days?

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...which is lacking in the upstream signal?

It's more a question of compensating for an impedance mismatch between source output and power amp input imo. But if you do have such a mismatch, you could trade your source or power amp for a better-designed one. Why fix it by inserting what you seem inadvertently to have accepted as a special effects circuit?

I had a Linn Klimax Kontrol 1/D. In the end I sold it because it was sucking out some of the "amazing soul, texture, presence and liveliness" that a passive volume control allowed to pass. I'm sure there are better preamps than the KK, but to my ear a £100 Creek passive ran circles round it. If you have a modern source with the juice to drive a modern power amp, a good passive will probably outperform any preamp because it is no amp. Amps don't improve the signal.

Just my experience.

 

My experience has been quite different than yours.

 

I think his journey mirrors a lot of others' experience in the hobby in that you make incorrect assumptions. There are so many factors that come into play when building a system and you may just have a thought that some of these factors don't make that big of a difference. There are also people out there who will tell you some minor tweak makes a big difference. You can't really try them all unless you get borderline obsessive about it (and don't we though!). So in his mind other factors at play were given a higher priority. I would have never put much credence in the phono preamp until I kept reading over and over about the magic that happens at that stage of the audio chain. Typically when you start out you don't have a very resolving system. Say you have not very resolving speakers and you try upgrading the phono pre and you don't hear that much of a difference. You might carry that bias for 10 plus years in the hobby. I think this partially explains why you can hear so many adamant contrary opinions on things like DACS, cables, power cables and so on. It's easy to over estimate your own opinion or some tweak doesn't sound logical to your otherwise intelligent brain. So you discount it. Maybe he's one of those guys that think he knows more than he does. Maybe he was just wrong. But I've made the same mistake with speaker brand, cables, speaker size etc etc.

If you've never heard that drastic difference a phono preamp has made you don't know what you are missing. If you are in this hobby long enough you will experience many of these "Aha!" moments. I know I have. I suppose he invites the criticism by doing reviews and purporting to be an expert.

 

This makes a lot of sense. Well said!

 

So what is the proper %age allocation of funds of phono stage to turntable and cartridge? I have a Rega Aria and Rega P10/Apheta 3 and have wondered if I undercooked it on the phono stage and about upgrading to the Aura but then that would be worth more than the cart and table

 

There are many other equipment manufacturers, Rega is not the only one or the best one (IMHO).

 

True but there is something to be said for the synergy between components from the same company. Often they are designed with the hope or intention that they are used together.

 

I think you're in good shape with the Aria but only you can say for sure once you listen and compare. The problem, once you get to this level, is you have to consider whether the rest of your system is up to the task of illuminating the differences between components.

One thing to keep in mind is that the Aura is strictly a single input MC phono stage. The Aria works with either MM or MC (or both if you ever get a second turntable).

Do you enjoy your system now?

 

This is what they want you to believe. Great legend for an upsale.

 

Yes I think it is pretty special, but one never stops wondering if it could be even better!

 

That’s a possibility. Better if he hears it in person for sure. I’m trying to get him to invest in a stage that costs about the same as his Marantz SACD. His options would be numerous but I’ve told him check out the PS Audio Stellar and the Sutherland 20/20 for starters. I’m lookin at those two as an upgrade for my other table that’s currently using the very nice but low powered MC section of my Parasound P5 preamp.

 

Oh please this guy is a guber who reviews HiFi gear. Move on.

 

Those are two phonostages that are on my (very) short list as well.
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When I was looking at a P8, I already had a Tavish Adagio ($2200). Once I decided to go a little higher, I felt that I needed to do the same with the phono stage so I went with a Modwright PH9.0 ($3500 and I use a SUT with Hashimoto HM-7s).
I think now, the phono stage should be at least as good as your TT, or maybe even better, depending on how far you plan on going with carts.
With a P10, obviously the TT isn't going to hold you back on what kind of cart you can run, so why make the phono stage a bottleneck?

I never listened to an Aria, but didn't exactly read good things about it. I think stepping into the $2k range you can do better like the above Sutherland 20/20, Adagio, Icon Audio, Rogue Ares, Lehman Decade, etc. and you'd be good, but personally if I had a P10 I'd be shooting for something more.
Yes the improvements are incremental and small, but they are still improvements.
I'm on my 5th phono stage and pretty happy, but if I won the lottery I'd be all over something like a Luxman EQ500. Again, no bottlenecks and no more wondering if it can be better.

 

DIY WP phono trumps anything under $4k. Were on out 10th phono stage and we also like passive volume control.

 

Don’t suppose you’d care to reveal the identities of the $1700 and $499 phonos in question, eh?

(And the line-level preamps too?)

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Parasound JC3 Jr and Zphono XRM respectively.

The line-level preamps are the Topping Pre90 and A90D.