I now have two phono stages in my music room.. first came the Gold Note PH-10 then the Sutherland 20/20 about a week later. I listened to the Gold Note right up until the Sutherland arrived, I probably only have about 15 hours on the GN so it’s not exactly broken in at this time. The top end of the Gold Note seemed to have more extension with a clearer sound quality to it.. I do like the sound but I need to listen to it some more before I make a final judgement.
I hooked up the Sutherland this past weekend, being that it’s dual mono the connection on the back of the unit were widely spaced which meant I couldn’t use the same cables I used to connect the Gold Note.. What a PITA.. I had to borrow cabled from my headphone system to make the connections on the 20/20.. I now need to buy another set of cables.. Being that the unit was already broken in, it was ready for an audition.
I have to say, so far, I’m impressed. It’s always hard for me to describe exactly what I’m hearing but the words that came to me right off the bat were neutral, musical and lush.. I listened to all types of music for hours and everything I threw at it sounded excellent.. what a wonderful phono stage. I will be listening to it for a few weeks before going back to the Gold Note and giving it equal time.
