Vista-Audio Phono-1 MkII

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #40 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 07:19 pm »

Let's all not be so offended and let's just enjoy the music and banter now, shall we?

Thanks,

John / Facilitator The Vinyl Circle

JackD · « **Reply #41 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 07:44 pm »

Jim

We both had our say, so I suggest we do as John said and just move on. Congratulations on you purchase I think you will enjoy it. The current kit now includes 9 resistor values instead of the seven shown on the webpage, with the addition of 200 and 511ohms. If you need other than that they are Vishay cmf55's .1%. If you anticipate ever using a MM cartridge at any time you might want to consider lowering the capacitance value.

And discussions with Den involving all the phono stages he tried is what got me to buy the Vista instead of the Phonomena II I was going to buy.

Jack

neobop · « **Reply #42 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 08:39 pm »

Quote from: jsaliga on 19 Jun 2013, 05:28 pm

Since you asked, I use a pair of them. One is fed by a Bob's Devices Cinemag Blue SUT to run my Ortofon SPU Gold Reference LOMC stereo cartridge. The other is used to run my Ortofon SPU CG25 DI MK II mono cartridge, mounted on a second tonearm on the same table.

But I have to tell you that I think if you heard one phono preamp you pretty much heard them all, once you get past matching load impedance that is. I know my stance on this is very much outside of the mainstream. I have owned phono preamps costing as little as $80 and as much as $5,000. I won't say they all sounded the same, but I will say that I feel spending any more than $500 on a phono preamp is a colossal waste of money in my experience. There are others who will argue that you should drain your bank account on the most expensive phono preamp you can buy. Whatever floats your boat.

I like the Soundsmith MMP3 just fine: they are dead quiet and very musical (if a phono preamp can be any such thing). However, I said the same thing about a lot of phono preamps I have used in the $80 to $1,000 price range, so you may want take that with a big grain of salt. The only thing that I feel very strongly about is that I will never own another tube driven phono preamp...ever.

You can probably do very well by spending less money than the cost of the Soundsmith. My focus these days is on music, not equipment.

Happy listening.

--Jerome

Thanks for the reply.
Unfortunately, it tells me virtually nothing about the MMP3. Since you chose not to identify anything except your SUT, I can't even guess at your reason for such an attitude, except for one thing. The SUT. BTW, the MCP2 has an SUT built-in and loading options. Not my cup of tea, but whatever.

Enjoy the music.
neo

JackD · « **Reply #43 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 08:40 pm »

Neo

In response to your question about comparison phono stages, though I have rotated a lot of speakers, amps, preamps and wires through my main system over the last 15 years, phono stages were never that big of concern to me after my B & O 8002 died. I replaced that with the media darling at the time, the fully manual Rega Planar 3 w/RB300 arm. The inconvenience of the fully manual Rega compared to the B & O, plus never being able to get either a AT Safety Raiser or Expressimo Lifter to work reliably lead me like others to lean more towards CD. When the B & O was alive I used the phono stages in the Soundcraftsmen and then the APT Holman preamp and finally an earlier AVA preamp. When using the Rega, I used the Creek OB-8 with a Anthem preamp and then the Music Reference RM-4. Later sold this combo and used the excellent phono stage in the Music Reference RM-5 preamp. For the convenience of remote, I foolishly sold the MR and bought a Kora Eclipse preamp with to no thought of the phono stage. A couple of years ago when I bought the first of my vintage JVC DD's, I found out that the phono stage in the Kora was just an after thought and pretty bad. In sucession upon that discovery I tried the TCC, the ART, V-LPS and Cambridge. In the end I had my Holman completely re-capped and restored to original factory specs, rather than modded like Vince at Audioproz does. Once I got it back I discovered that it bettered all of the previously listed phono stages. I didn't start looking again until I decided I wanted to try LOMC for the first time. I was prepared to order the Phonomena II until I read Den's description of all the stages he had tried iincluding all of the reviewers faves. Decided to give the Vista a try and have not been disappointed. The gain adjustments are great and the loading settings are subject to whatever you want to order and try. Have already had to adjust some when I switched from the winter tube amps to the Florida summer Odyssey SS amp.

Jack

jsaliga · « **Reply #44 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 09:26 pm »

Quote from: neobop on 19 Jun 2013, 08:39 pm

Thanks for the reply.
Unfortunately, it tells me virtually nothing about the MMP3. Since you chose not to identify anything except your SUT, I can't even guess at your reason for such an attitude, except for one thing. The SUT. BTW, the MCP2 has an SUT built-in and loading options. Not my cup of tea, but whatever.

Enjoy the music.
neo

As I said, I know my opinion about phono preamps is pretty far outside the mainstream of audiophile thought and I don't expect anyone to agree with it or understand why I feel the way I do. I came to the conclusions I did about phono preamps through considerable experience. I have no desire to go into that experience at length or invite a critique of my setup. The MMP3 is a good phono preamp IMO, much like any other competently designed and implemented phono preamp that I have used. So, it is my experience that well designed and implemented phono preamps sound more alike than different. If that is the impression I left you with it was intentional, because that is representative of my experience. Sorry you didn't feel that was meaningful, but it's the best I can do.

Cheers.

--Jerome

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #45 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 10:12 pm »

Re: Phono-1+ or the one under discussion. Anybody got a phone number for Vista Audio? Sure would appreciate it. Didn't see one at their site. Thanks.

Think I'm getting a Shelter 501 MC, too, to replace my original Koetsu Black. Twenty five years I've had this along with a more recent Grado Sig Ref.

Twenty five years ago, geez, maybe thirty, I knew a Japanese opthomologist- prolly didn't spell that right- who would travel to Japan twice a year and smuggle Japanese MC's home in his luggage and share with me and others. I bought a Fidelity Research MkIII from him, too. There is your lush cartridge.

jtwrace · « **Reply #46 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 10:13 pm »

Quote from: jimdgoulding on 19 Jun 2013, 10:12 pm

Re: Phono-1+. Anybody got a phone number for Vista Audio? Sure would appreciate it. Didn't see one at their site. Thanks.

He answers email pretty quickly. Boris did mention above that he's out of town though. Send an email!

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #47 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 10:17 pm »

Thanks, but I can't for some reason I don't understand.

jtwrace · « **Reply #48 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 10:22 pm »

Quote from: jimdgoulding on 19 Jun 2013, 10:17 pm

Thanks, but I can't for some reason I don't understand.

Understand what?

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #49 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 10:27 pm »

I don't know what. It wants me to add some kind of a program to complete sending. Any ideas?

jtwrace · « **Reply #50 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 10:29 pm »

Quote from: jimdgoulding on 19 Jun 2013, 10:27 pm

I don't know what. It wants me to add some kind of a program to complete sending. Any ideas?

Use this email: audio (at) engineeringvista (dot) com

Remove the (at) and replace with @

Remove the (dot) and replace with .

NO SPACES

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #51 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 10:33 pm »

Thanks, but I get the same message. I tried to open it but get another sayin I don't have the capability to add it or something. Beats the you-know-what ought of me. Now, I will follow your instructions.

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #52 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 10:46 pm »

I try to send an email direct and get a message that I don't have to correct address. Going by those links on the site and I get a message that I can't comprehend even tho I followed the text as I understood and got zilch. Suggestions?

Anybody know the total cost of the Phono-1+ set-up for a low output MC cartridge and I'll just mail a check. Thanks.

JackD · « **Reply #53 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 10:48 pm »

Jim

I always PM him through AC. He usually responds in hours. He told me that where he was traveling internet service was touch and go, and that was why it took half a day the last time I talked to him.

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #54 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 10:52 pm »

Thanks, Jack. I'll look on AC for Vista if I understand you right.

JackD · « **Reply #55 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 10:54 pm »

Just go to post 33 on the previous page where he responded to the thread and click on his name Audiovista.

tomytoons · « **Reply #56 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 10:54 pm »

One of the pages that has the active links has a "Server error " that comes up.

These work here.
http://vista-audio.com/how_to_buy.htm

You may need to clear cookies or something because this goes right over to my Outlook for composition.
I fix computers too.

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #57 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 11:02 pm »

Tough describing the 'sound' of a HiFi component, ain't it?

Damnedest thing trying to impart that to an audience of audiophools as we're the most particular of the lot of humanity.....that's why we're audiophools.

An enigma wrapped in a conundrum

Maritan · « **Reply #58 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 11:08 pm »

Quote from: jsaliga on 19 Jun 2013, 05:28 pm

...

The only thing that I feel very strongly about is that I will never own another tube driven phono preamp...ever.

You can probably do very well by spending less money than the cost of the Soundsmith. My focus these days is on music, not equipment.

Happy listening.

--Jerome

I'm curious. Would you care to explain why you would not go with a tube drive phono preamp? Noise?

Thanks!

JackD · « **Reply #59 on:** 19 Jun 2013, 11:30 pm »

Maritan

Good to see you back. Which way did you decide to go between the two TT's, the Kenwood or the JVC or both. If not the JVC were you able to turn it over?
Also where did you end up cartridge wise. Last I knew you were playing with a Signet.

Jack