wikeeboy Posted December 10, 2022 Posted December 10, 2022 Hi there I just organised a new Technics SL1210GR with an Ortofon Bronze for a friend of mine. He'll be feeding it to some KEF LS50's. Only thing missing now is a phono stage. He hasn't provided a budget yet, but i'd be very surprised if it was greater than $1,000. I reckon somewhere in the $500 range is realistic for him. I'll be suggesting something used so his dollar drives him further. I'm happy to keep my eye on the classifieds for him. What should i be looking out for? Appreciate any advice.
Pegasus Posted December 10, 2022 Posted December 10, 2022 A Lehmann Black Cube, with external power supply, would be a good match. I've seen them sell on SNA for around $500. A Dynavector P75 MK 11 would also be a good match. It's what I set up April Snow's Technics 1200 with an Ortofon Bronze (now upgraded to a Black). Similar 2nd hand price.
wikeeboy Posted December 10, 2022 Author Posted December 10, 2022 On 10/12/2022 at 12:40 PM, Pegasus said: A Lehmann Black Cube, with external power supply, would be a good match. I've seen them sell on SNA for around $500. A Dynavector P75 MK 11 would also be a good match. It's what I set up April Snow's Technics 1200 with an Ortofon Bronze (now upgraded to a Black). Similar 2nd hand price. Expand Thanks for the advice Andrew, i'll keep my eye out for both of them
random Posted December 11, 2022 Posted December 11, 2022 I'm using a puffin with a 1210g which currently has a 2M Bronze mounted. I find its range of features including the "magic" noise reduction feature are unmatched in its price range. I'm personally very happy with the sound quality (I don't miss the Project Phono Box RS it replaced) and I suspect it will compare very well with other options in a similar price range. Some downsides are that its looks won't suit everyone (looks a bit like a guitar pedal), the vertical RCA connector orientation makes cabling a bit clunky, all the setting options might appear a bit daunting to some and as it uses DSP it will not suit an analogue purist Also it is currently out of stock on Amazon at the moment and a notice on the Parks Audio website suggests no new stock till after Christmas. 1
wikeeboy Posted December 11, 2022 Author Posted December 11, 2022 On 11/12/2022 at 10:29 PM, random said: I'm using a puffin with a 1210g which currently has a 2M Bronze mounted. I find its range of features including the "magic" noise reduction feature are unmatched in its price range. I'm personally very happy with the sound quality (I don't miss the Project Phono Box RS it replaced) and I suspect it will compare very well with other options in a similar price range. Some downsides are that its looks won't suit everyone (looks a bit like a guitar pedal), the vertical RCA connector orientation makes cabling a bit clunky, all the setting options might appear a bit daunting to some and as it uses DSP it will not suit an analogue purist Also it is currently out of stock on Amazon at the moment and a notice on the Parks Audio website suggests no new stock till after Christmas. Expand Thanks for the suggestion. I know a few others with the Puffin who really like it. Will add it on the list
rocky500 Posted December 12, 2022 Posted December 12, 2022 (edited) How about the ifi Zen Phono stage as it might be worth considering. Eltel's thread below had a very positive response when he sent his around the country. https://www.minidisc.com.au/ifi-zen-phono-pre-amplifier Edited December 12, 2022 by rocky500
wikeeboy Posted December 12, 2022 Author Posted December 12, 2022 On 12/12/2022 at 10:48 AM, rocky500 said: How about the ifi Zen Phono stage as it might be worth considering. Eltel's thread below had a very positive response when he sent his around the country. https://www.minidisc.com.au/ifi-zen-phono-pre-amplifier Expand Thanks for the suggestion @rocky500 and thanks for the thread. I hadn't seen that before, what a great initiative by @El Tel. Still not sure the budget my mate has in mind, but if he is closer to 500 than 1000 and preferring new then the Ifi is now on the list 1
NPC Posted December 12, 2022 Posted December 12, 2022 On 12/12/2022 at 12:23 PM, wikeeboy said: Thanks for the suggestion @rocky500 and thanks for the thread. I hadn't seen that before, what a great initiative by @El Tel. Still not sure the budget my mate has in mind, but if he is closer to 500 than 1000 and preferring new then the Ifi is now on the list Expand Honestly, it's throwaway money in this hobby. He can buy it, trial it for a few weeks and then trade-up down the road if he wants to explore higher-end. But he will probably have to spend more than a grand to get something noticeably better, the iFi is *that* good at the price point. If I hadn't let the unit go once interest in borrowing it started drying-up, I would have sent it your way. 1
Kristian Kristiansen Posted December 13, 2022 Posted December 13, 2022 Highly recommend at least trying the ifi zen phono - good odds it will slay most things twice or thrice the price And someone will snap it up if he's not happy 1
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