Allnic/zesto/true life audio phono pre comparison
I was at a great dealer in Brussels today (bel hifi) to sample three different phono pre's. we heard the allnic/ h-3000, the true life audio /Argo and the zesto/andros 1.2. First, it was great to be at a dealer that knew their stuff and actually had lots of stuff to demo. It was also good to be with my friend and colleague who would have to spend the money because I was on the wrong continent voltage wise.
We demo'd the components with trulife amp (big tube mono block) and the trulife pre - another big component that looked as if it had been hand carved. TLA is a Greek company that I had never even heard of, much less heard their components, but I was quite impressed. For the life of me, I can't remember the turntable specifics or the cartridge. Cables were the same across each of the samples. We took several hours giving each a good listen and doing some a/b comparisons. We used some lower end verity speakers (about $7k or so), with which I was also impressed for the price.
The very close winner (for my ears, in this room, with this system) was the zesto, but that was a matter of sound signature preference. The TLA was also very good, if you like / need more detail and less warmth. It was so close though that it would be a matter of personal preference. The zesto was also about $9k cheaper than the other two, so it did well on the price performance scale. No complaints with the allnic, but compared to the other two, it lacked some bass and was "thinner" in its presentation.
These were sound comparisons only - there's the matter of the number of supported tables/mm/mc/ease of use, etc, but that's too much for this write up.
Zesto has just come out with the tessera, which has a separate power supply and higher end componentry (for a higher price), which would also be interesting to hear.
Great day and great music and great components, if you decide one of these is right for you.
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