dt79
Junior Member
Posts: 337
|
Post by dt79 on Mar 31, 2022 8:58:53 GMT
I am not planning to sell my BB3, but having enjoyed flogging as much superfluous gear as possible to get my amp, I’ve got a taste for it now and am slowly building up a little fund for my next purchase, and I’ve decided that I would like to try a top notch solid state phono stage.
Looking at spending £1-1.5k. Convenience is definitely a requirement as it’s awkward to be part dismantling and moving my rack every time I need to get to the back of it, so I want good controls over gain and loading, but these must accessible from the front panel. Priority is MC, but it needs to be great with MM as well.
Happy buying new or s/h. If buying new the aim would be to home demo before committing.
Shortlist so far:
Gold Note PH10 (front runner, but annoyingly high fixed capacitance for MM at 330pF)
Cyrus Signature Phono (fixed capacitance, but slightly less annoying at 220pf)
Teac PE-505 (looks great on paper (and in the flesh), but not many reviews out there)
Interested in everyone’s thoughts!
|
|
|
|
Post by pete on Mar 31, 2022 9:15:56 GMT
When I heard the Avalon at Angus's I though wow, that is amazing, and that was compared to my top performing BB3. It just had more control and such a sense of musicians playing together, mind you, that was with a Windfeld cart, which probably had some impact on it!
|
|
Bigman80
Grandmaster
AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
Posts: 16,071
|
Post by Bigman80 on Mar 31, 2022 9:26:52 GMT
I am not planning to sell my BB3, but having enjoyed flogging as much superfluous gear as possible to get my amp, I’ve got a taste for it now and am slowly building up a little fund for my next purchase, and I’ve decided that I would like to try a top notch solid state phono stage. Looking at spending £1-1.5k. Convenience is definitely a requirement as it’s awkward to be part dismantling and moving my rack every time I need to get to the back of it, so I want good controls over gain and loading, but these must accessible from the front panel. Priority is MC, but it needs to be great with MM as well. Happy buying new or s/h. If buying new the aim would be to home demo before committing. Shortlist so far: Gold Note PH10 (front runner, but annoyingly high fixed capacitance for MM at 330pF) Cyrus Signature Phono (fixed capacitance, but slightly less annoying at 220pf) Teac PE-505 (looks great on paper (and in the flesh), but not many reviews out there) Interested in everyone’s thoughts! Great to see the bug has bitten and you are now looking at trying some new gear. Want to borrow a SS phonostage? Bit over your budget, but will set a nice benchmark for anything you audition |
|
|
|
Post by robbiegong on Mar 31, 2022 9:47:58 GMT
I am not planning to sell my BB3, but having enjoyed flogging as much superfluous gear as possible to get my amp, I’ve got a taste for it now and am slowly building up a little fund for my next purchase, and I’ve decided that I would like to try a top notch solid state phono stage. Looking at spending £1-1.5k. Convenience is definitely a requirement as it’s awkward to be part dismantling and moving my rack every time I need to get to the back of it, so I want good controls over gain and loading, but these must accessible from the front panel. Priority is MC, but it needs to be great with MM as well. Happy buying new or s/h. If buying new the aim would be to home demo before committing. Shortlist so far: Gold Note PH10 (front runner, but annoyingly high fixed capacitance for MM at 330pF) Cyrus Signature Phono (fixed capacitance, but slightly less annoying at 220pf) Teac PE-505 (looks great on paper (and in the flesh), but not many reviews out there) Interested in everyone’s thoughts! I'd expect the Avalon to be superb, the Olster champions high quality componentry and good build implementation, towards excellent sq, coupled with vfm, that's always been his approach, so top notch will apply. I've recently purchased the Aurorasound Vida Prima and it too ticks the above criteria, it is a superb phono stage and has taken my vinyl replay, front-end to another level. Take a look online at user reviews, you will find it is a genuine audiophile, hi-fidelity tool, truthful, insightful, pure, dynamic, gets right inside the recording, puts you in the front row, voices and instruments sound as such, natural and real, it is that good and a bargain - £995 delivered. I have no hesitation in recommending this SS stage which will be more than enough for most audiophiles, as has been written. I didnt home demo as after doing my home work I just sensed that I would not be disappointed and thankfully I was right. I've never home demoed anything really. Feel free to pm if you like, no probs. |
|
dt79
Junior Member
Posts: 337
|
Post by dt79 on Mar 31, 2022 10:17:04 GMT
I am not planning to sell my BB3, but having enjoyed flogging as much superfluous gear as possible to get my amp, I’ve got a taste for it now and am slowly building up a little fund for my next purchase, and I’ve decided that I would like to try a top notch solid state phono stage. Looking at spending £1-1.5k. Convenience is definitely a requirement as it’s awkward to be part dismantling and moving my rack every time I need to get to the back of it, so I want good controls over gain and loading, but these must accessible from the front panel. Priority is MC, but it needs to be great with MM as well. Happy buying new or s/h. If buying new the aim would be to home demo before committing. Shortlist so far: Gold Note PH10 (front runner, but annoyingly high fixed capacitance for MM at 330pF) Cyrus Signature Phono (fixed capacitance, but slightly less annoying at 220pf) Teac PE-505 (looks great on paper (and in the flesh), but not many reviews out there) Interested in everyone’s thoughts! Great to see the bug has bitten and you are now looking at trying some new gear. Want to borrow a SS phonostage? Bit over your budget, but will set a nice benchmark for anything you audition That’s very kind Ollie. What have you got to lend? I am nervous about hearing stuff that’s out of my price range as it leads to dissatisfaction with even the best that I can afford! intruiged though! |
|
Bigman80
Grandmaster
AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
Posts: 16,071
|
Post by Bigman80 on Mar 31, 2022 10:23:12 GMT
Great to see the bug has bitten and you are now looking at trying some new gear. Want to borrow a SS phonostage? Bit over your budget, but will set a nice benchmark for anything you audition That’s very kind Ollie. What have you got to lend? I am nervous about hearing stuff that’s out of my price range as it leads to dissatisfaction with even the best that I can afford! intruiged though! It's the Avalon. I understand that maybe the price tag would be a little over your budget (£2300), but i am about to put a loan list together for it. Just thought you may want to be on it. |
|
dt79
Junior Member
Posts: 337
|
Post by dt79 on Mar 31, 2022 11:12:10 GMT
That’s very kind Ollie. What have you got to lend? I am nervous about hearing stuff that’s out of my price range as it leads to dissatisfaction with even the best that I can afford! intruiged though! It's the Avalon. I understand that maybe the price tag would be a little over your budget (£2300), but i am about to put a loan list together for it. Just thought you may want to be on it. Go on then😜 thank you! |
|
|
|
Post by robbiegong on Mar 31, 2022 11:22:18 GMT
It's the Avalon. I understand that maybe the price tag would be a little over your budget (£2300), but i am about to put a loan list together for it. Just thought you may want to be on it. Go on then😜 thank you! lol, would be daft not to take the offer of a listen up, no brainer  |
|
optical
Moderator
BIG STAR
Be Excellent To Eachother
Posts: 1,559 
Member is Online
|
Post by optical on Mar 31, 2022 12:32:06 GMT
I am not planning to sell my BB3, but having enjoyed flogging as much superfluous gear as possible to get my amp, I’ve got a taste for it now and am slowly building up a little fund for my next purchase, and I’ve decided that I would like to try a top notch solid state phono stage. Looking at spending £1-1.5k. Convenience is definitely a requirement as it’s awkward to be part dismantling and moving my rack every time I need to get to the back of it, so I want good controls over gain and loading, but these must accessible from the front panel. Priority is MC, but it needs to be great with MM as well. Happy buying new or s/h. If buying new the aim would be to home demo before committing. Shortlist so far: Gold Note PH10 (front runner, but annoyingly high fixed capacitance for MM at 330pF) Cyrus Signature Phono (fixed capacitance, but slightly less annoying at 220pf) Teac PE-505 (looks great on paper (and in the flesh), but not many reviews out there) Interested in everyone’s thoughts! I'd expect the Avalon to be superb, the Olster champions high quality componentry and good build implementation, towards excellent sq, coupled with vfm, that's always been his approach, so top notch will apply. I've recently purchased the Aurorasound Vida Prima and it too ticks the above criteria, it is a superb phono stage and has taken my vinyl replay, front-end to another level. Take a look online at user reviews, you will find it is a genuine audiophile, hi-fidelity tool, truthful, insightful, pure, dynamic, gets right inside the recording, puts you in the front row, voices and instruments sound as such, natural and real, it is that good and a bargain - £995 delivered. I have no hesitation in recommending this SS stage which will be more than enough for most audiophiles, as has been written. I didnt home demo as after doing my home work I just sensed that I would not be disappointed and thankfully I was right. I've never home demoed anything really. Feel free to pm if you like, no probs. I've not heard the Vida but for the looks and the price I really like that stage Robbie, simple and elegant with orange switch undoubtedly met with universal approval. A very desirable piece of kit. Glad you're enjoying it. |
|
|
|
Post by robbiegong on Mar 31, 2022 13:13:13 GMT
I'd expect the Avalon to be superb, the Olster champions high quality componentry and good build implementation, towards excellent sq, coupled with vfm, that's always been his approach, so top notch will apply. I've recently purchased the Aurorasound Vida Prima and it too ticks the above criteria, it is a superb phono stage and has taken my vinyl replay, front-end to another level. Take a look online at user reviews, you will find it is a genuine audiophile, hi-fidelity tool, truthful, insightful, pure, dynamic, gets right inside the recording, puts you in the front row, voices and instruments sound as such, natural and real, it is that good and a bargain - £995 delivered. I have no hesitation in recommending this SS stage which will be more than enough for most audiophiles, as has been written. I didnt home demo as after doing my home work I just sensed that I would not be disappointed and thankfully I was right. I've never home demoed anything really. Feel free to pm if you like, no probs. I've not heard the Vida but for the looks and the price I really like that stage Robbie, simple and elegant with orange switch undoubtedly met with universal approval. A very desirable piece of kit. Glad you're enjoying it. Ditto, I can only agree, wholeheartedly. It is a class act, in both looks and the way it does it's job properly, allowing your cart to showcase what it is capable of, so that the music and the recording do the talking and take lead role, hence I keep saying it is a genuine hi-fidelity tool, truthful and pure in that regard. I've read that the components were carefully chosen and that as well as being passionate about hifi, Designer and director Shinobu Karaki has 28 years experience working for Texas Instruments Japan Inc. He is also a passionate musician and a music teacher, which doesn't surprise me. Music played through this phono stage sounds totally natural, vocals and instruments sound as such and right, tonally and texturally, you hear right into the recorded music and get access to any emotion thereof. I'm blown away by this stage and at £995 delivered, have to say it is a bargain, punches way above |
|
dt79
Junior Member
Posts: 337
|
Post by dt79 on Mar 31, 2022 14:12:25 GMT
Ok the Vida is on the shortlist!
Does anyone have any experience of the other models I mentioned?
|
|
|
|
Post by karma67 on Mar 31, 2022 15:48:25 GMT
Ok the Vida is on the shortlist! Does anyone have any experience of the other models I mentioned? ive heard the next vida up from robbie's one,spent a most enjoyable day comparing phono stages,there was very little in it between the paradise and the vida. personal preference id say although the owner went on to sell the vida. |
|
dt79
Junior Member
Posts: 337
|
Post by dt79 on Apr 9, 2022 17:11:24 GMT
Got a Gold Note PH10 inbound. Found a new one at a bargain price such that I should be able to get most or all of the cost back if I decide it’s not for me, but in the end I couldn’t resist the reputation or the convenience of being able to adjust everything from the front panel, plus the upgrade path with PSU later.
Will report back on findings.
|
|
|
|
Post by antonio on Apr 9, 2022 17:13:27 GMT
Nice one Dan, hope you like it.
|
|
dt79
Junior Member
Posts: 337
|
Post by dt79 on Apr 21, 2022 12:52:27 GMT
I've had the PH10 for about 10 days now, so I thought i'd share some thoughts. This isn't going to be an extensive review because there's not that much to say really.
Between the BB3 and the PH10, there really is not much to choose in terms of outright SQ, reinforcing just how good both really are. We can pretty much call it a draw. The BB3 is richer sounding with a touch juicier tonal colour (juicier is the best word I can come up with). The PH10 is more focussed. It's not like there is anything else you can hear that you can't hear with the BB3, but what is there is ever so slightly crisper. How you weigh up juiciness with crispness is probably a matter of individual taste. Personally I think it could come down to mood and listening content.
Where the PH10 does win out is in terms of the easy adjustment of MM/MC, gain and loading (and EQ if you are inclined to tinker with that), right from the front panel. This is a lot more convenient for experimentation and if you want to use different cartridges. I appreciate that this is very much ancillary to the main business of SQ, but it's convenient and I appreciate that. PH10 is also quieter, which is to be expected.
Overall i'm not inclined to settle on one or the other. I think i've just made life more complicated. Ideally I would like to try the optional PSU for the PH10 at some point as that is supposed to elevate the performance, and also find some way to accommodate both the PH10 and BB3 and easily switch between them according to mood.
|
|
|
|
Post by antonio on Apr 21, 2022 14:57:06 GMT
Well that was a short tasty review Dan   I'd also read that the LPS improves the sound as well, pleased it is doing a good job and you're enjoying the PH10. |
|
|
|
Post by firebottle on Apr 22, 2022 6:46:24 GMT
Good to get a report from a real user rather than just a 'reviewer'.
Interesting to get a view of where the PH10 performance sits in the scheme of things.
(Great that the Bigbottle ultime is still king)
|
|
|
|
Post by myles on Apr 22, 2022 8:12:09 GMT
Well that was a short tasty review Dan I'd also read that the LPS improves the sound as well, pleased it is doing a good job and you're enjoying the PH10. I've got the PH-10 with the PS-10 power supply but like an excited child I didn't start with the phono then add the PSU; I went all in so I can't comment on the improvement, but the universal opinion is that it steps the performance up by a nice increment. I'd never make a good reviewer! |
|
optical
Moderator
BIG STAR
Be Excellent To Eachother
Posts: 1,559
Member is Online
|
Post by optical on Apr 22, 2022 8:14:50 GMT
Well that was a short tasty review Dan   I'd also read that the LPS improves the sound as well, pleased it is doing a good job and you're enjoying the PH10. I've got the PH-10 with the PS-10 power supply but like an excited child I didn't start with the phono then add the PSU; I went all in so I can't comment on the improvement, but the universal opinion is that it steps the performance up by a nice increment. I'd never make a good reviewer! No half measures though, I like it. Ultimately unless it has a proper power supply (not SMPS) . . . . everything in the chain requires one, so makes sense. |
|
I'd also read that the LPS improves the sound as well, pleased it is doing a good job and you're enjoying the PH10.
I'd also read that the LPS improves the sound as well, pleased it is doing a good job and you're enjoying the PH10.