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In Reply to: RE: Best $500 & Under Tube Phono Stage posted by John Elison on August 30, 2014 at 07:47:26
Very interesting John. I have a Luxman L505u integrated (all SS) and have been thining about getting an external tube phono pre. I have a SL1200 KAB upgrades like you and this looks interesting. THanks for the input, might have to do some research now..best
-Theron Day
Edits: 08/30/14Follow Ups:
Well, you can't go too wrong since the price is less than $200. If you buy one I hope you like yours as well as I like mine.
Good luck,
John Elison
You almost feel you have to buy one! LOL
... buy my ph. stage supports 3 tables with memorized full configuration for each and is pretty good so I wouldn't have any excuse. ;)
Never trust an Atom, they Make Up everything!
John, have you rolled any tubes in yours?
No! I am completely satisfied with the tubes it came with. All my other components are solid state so I don't have a stash of tubes around to pick from. I just wanted a cheap phono stage and I took a chance on the Yaqin. I was impressed with it immediately and I just kept listening. So far, I still like it just as much if not more than when I first bought it.
Best regards,
John Elison
if I go with a LOMC then the SUT will cost me still....cant win :)
-Theron Day
> if I go with a LOMC then the SUT will cost me still [more]....cant win :)Yes, and I don't recommend skimping on a step-up transformer. I've had both the CM-3440A and Bob's Devices CM-1131 in my system, and the 1131 is quite noticeably superior. After hearing it, I could never go back to the 3440A.
Bob's Devices has a couple of new ones called the SKY 20 and SKY 30 , which are supposed to sound even better than the 1131, but I haven't heard either. They are basically the same price as the 1131, which is not real cheap at around $1200. Bob doesn't even sell the CM-3440A anymore if that tells you anything. Therefore, based on my experience, it's not worth skimping on a step-up transformer. But, when you have a good one -- wow!
Good luck,
John Elison
Edits: 08/31/14
NT
-Theron Day
John,
Some do the step-up with transformers; some do it with a JFET or similar device. From your point of view how does one choose? Is one of these approaches clearly better then the other from your point of view?
Mel
> Is one of these approaches clearly better then the other from your point of view?
Not necessarily! It depends on the active gain stage and the specific SUT. My reference for the past eleven years has been a Pass Labs XOno active phono preamp. I have never heard a step-up transformer that sounds better to me than the active MC section of the XOno. I tried the CineMag 3440A after reading all the accolades, but it didn't measure up to my XOno. Then Bob Sattin introduced me to his CM-1131 and it was the first SUT that I had heard in years that equaled the audible performance of the MC section of my XOno. It didn't necessarily sound better, but it sounded just as good. It exhibited all the same clarity including deep, tight bass response that I had never heard from a step-up transformer. I was seriously impressed and since I needed a second phono stage to use with my Technics SL-1200, I decided to go with a moving-magnet phono preamp in conjunction with Bob's CM-1131. I couldn't be happier with this combination.
My test for any step-up transformer is to reconfigure my XOno for 40-dB MM gain and connect the SUT. The CM-1131 sounded just as good to me as using the XOno by itself configured for MC gain. The CM-3440A did not provide the same clarity and bass response compared to using the XOno by itself. The difference was fairly substantial.
Best regards,
John Elison
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