What phono stage would you get for $2500

[chessman]

sonicbum, welcome aboard!

[mraudio]

I wanted to buy myself a new phonostage for Christmas to replace my Audio Research PH-3SE.

I did a shootout over a 3-4 week period. I had in house: Parasound JC-3, Fosgate Signature, Moon 310, Sutherland 20/20. The Manley Chinook was not out yet and I couldn't arrange for a Zesto to try. I have several different tables and tried all of them with each phonostage.

All of this is, of course, was in MY system, in MY room and I was looking for particular sound/synergy.

I ended up buying the Parasound JC-3. Probably the best phonostage I've ever heard IN MY SYSTEM.

All of them were very good, but the JC-3 had what I was looking for. You should really try to listen to whatever you are interested in, in your system. It's makes a HUGE difference.

[JayV]

I'm looking to upgrade my phonostage and cartridge and am willing to spend 4-5k total for both. How did you manage to get all of those great preamps in your home to compare? That seems like by far the best way to end up happy....

[lakesailor]

Thought I would do an update to this thread. Hi-Fi News just did a review on six different phono stages within this price range in the November 2012 issue. The following is a brief summary of the review including the overall ranking in the finish order.

6. Avid Pulsus – Overall Score 79%.
Don’t be fooled by the finish order – this stage also received the editors choice recommendation as it was considered to be the best value and one of the most natural sounding. It is also flexible and highly adjustable and of course features a separate power supply. The only criticism was that it was supposedly somewhat limited in bandwidth when compared to some of the other products evaluated.

5. Bel Canto 3vB – Overall Score 80%
I was somewhat surprised this unit finished slightly ahead of the Avid. The editor’s criticized the lack of a separate power supply and it was mentioned to be the most sensitive for grounding issues causing a ground loop if one was not careful on cable routing. They did like how quiet it was and how “tube like” the overall performance was in spite of being a SS design. The price was also one of the highest of the group of six and it did not receive any editorial recommendations.

4.Roksan Reference – Overall Score 82%
Much like the Bell Canto, there was no editor recommendations for the Roksan. They loved the speed and attack and overall performance with transients that created a very enjoyable listening atmosphere. The Roksan was considered to be a very well rounded unit that did everything extremely well. However it did not seem to stand out in one particular area and that seems to account for its respectable ranking that fell short of a recommendation.

3. Clearaudio Balance + - Overall Score 84%
The Clearaudio was given a highly recommended rating and was also singled out for having a volume control so it can serve as a phono only pre-amplifier that also includes a headphone output. It was also singled out for having good cartridge flexibility and XLR outputs in addition to single ended, something the Avid and Bel Canto lacked. The Clearaudio was also recognized for putting out a “huge” soundstage with lots of depth. In short they liked the sound and loved the flexibility – hence the highly recommended rating

2. Pathos In the Groove Mk.II – Overall Score 86%
The Pathos was the only battery powered unit in the test and was considered every bit as “truly silent” as the Nagra. The Pathos also has passive RIAA equalization and XLR outputs (as well as single ended) The reviewers raved on about the Pathos calling it the most tube sounding of the group (suggested it sound very much like the Audio Research PH5) but having the silence of the Nagra, as a result it was also given a “highly recommended rating”. There were some criticism – mostly the lack of adjustability; MC impendence is fixed at 100ohms and MM at 47k – similar limitations to the Parasound JC-3 and it was suggested as being less forgiving on some cartdridges.

1. Simaudio Moon 310lp - Overall Score 88%

Although they hated the internal jumpers for adjustability they loved pretty much everything else about the Sim. Although it can add a separate power supply, they suggested it was perfectly quiet as is, and sonically had a silkiness about it that could literally “do it all” suggesting that even units at twice the price would be hard pressed to equal the performance. Coherence, texture were all said to be top notch and it was also noted that unlike most tested in the group the Sim was equally impressive on MM or MC carts. It also features XLR and single ended outputs. In spite of having the highest score in the group, the reviews mentioned had the jumpers been on the rear (or the bottom) instead of inside, the unit would have even scored several points higher. Ultimately it was awarded the outstanding product award.

Summary – all had “unique” personalities and various pros and cons. The Avid by far was considered the best buy of the group, the ClearAudio the most flexibility. The Bel Canto would have scored higher if it had an outboard power supply that the reviews felt it should have had given the highest price of the group. The Pathos was by far the quietest and most tube like, however it was also the least flexible. The Roksan was well rounded but the Simaudio was considered a real standout in virtually all areas – quiet, musical, and flexible. Overall they were all considered excellent units so it is mostly a case of fine tuning your needs. It was an enjoyable review and you can actually download the issue on your Ipad for around $ 6 if I recall correctly.

[Jerome W]

Manley Chinook or Linn Uphorik.

Sent from my iPhone using A.Aficionado