I know there are other threads on phono stages, but my budget (luckily) is a little higher. I have a VPI Prime turntable with a Dynavector DV20x2H high output MC cartridge. My current phono stage is a Soundsmith MMP3. I am considering an upgrade to the MMP3. I would buy new or used (obviously, used will get me a better unit for the same or less $) SS or tube (although I hear that you have to spend a lot to get a QUIET tube phono stage.)
With all of that being said, the big question for me is... "Will my $1,000'ish budget buy me something substantially better than the MMP3 I have?
Thanks in advance for the suggestions.
SN
I never had good experiences with tube phono preamps that can support both MM and MC, and I have owned a few pretty expensive choices that are well above your budget. But YMMV, and performance will depend greatly on the implementation. Beware of tube phono preamps that use tube gain only for MCs, as it can be very difficult (impossible, in my experience) to squeeze 60DB+ of gain out of tubes and not have noise injected into the signal path.
If you are using relatively low output moving coil cartridges (say, .5mv or less) and don't have a step up transformer then I would suggest you forget about tube phono stages and stick with solid state.
If you are considering a change a good place to start is to identify what it is about your current phono preamp that you find could do with some improvement. Spending $$ on the random chance that it might sound better because it cost more may lead to disappointment. It also helps if you can find a few reasons other than sonics to make a change to help justify the expense. For example, if your current phono preamp lacks adjustable gain and loading options then buying one that does may lead to better sound if part of the problem with your current rig is that you cannot optimally load your cartridge.
Just some food for thought.
If you are wondering what I use, I have a pair of iFi Audio iPhono units at a cost of about $425 each and IMO they perform way above their price point. They have adjustable gain and loading, and a few different EQ curves to chose from in addition to a subsonic filter you can switch in or out.
--Jerome
