[I.Greyhound Fan]

I just received my Gold Note PH-10 yesterday and my audiophile son and I were blown away by it. It may be my best single purchase of a piece of audio gear. It is extremely musical and dynamic. The background is completely black. The sound stage seems to extend beyond the walls of my 17-foot-wide room, and it is tall and deep. Detail is fabulous and micro details are fleshed out. It handles delicate and quiet passages very well. Bass is tight, controlled, and musical with good thump. It has a lush midrange but maintains great air and transparency. It is very neutral with barely a hint of warmth. Separation between instruments is excellent even when the music becomes complex. It definitely sounds better than digital. I can't believe how smooth it sounds but maintains detail.

If I had to nitpick, I would want a little more warmth, and the treble is ever so slightly recessed and maybe slightly rolled off at the very top.

Build quality is very good and I love the ability to make changes on the fly without having to stop the music. It is also bigger in person than how it looks in pictures.

What really impresses me besides how it sounds is that I am using a mid fi TT and phono cartridge and it sounds fabulous. My TT is a fully refurbished 1970's Thorens TD-145 and the phono cartridge is a Nagaoka MP-200. I can't wait until I get a new TT and a good quality MC cartridge.

[Bob2]

Glad to see that you are happy with the PH10. Appreciate the review. Nicely done.
What you're hearing with size and depth of the sound stage is what I experience with mine. 
Being able to make adjustments on the fly is really helpful. If I were to nitpick I would like it to have 3 inputs.

Congrats and enjoy!

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Glad to see that you are happy with the PH10. Appreciate the review. Nicely done.
What you're hearing with size and depth of the sound stage is what I experience with mine. 
Being able to make adjustments on the fly is really helpful. If I were to nitpick I would like it to have 3 inputs.

Congrats and enjoy!

Thanks Bob.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

I was thinking today how much this preamp took my vinyl to more of a true Hi Fi sound.   The preamp is way above the pay grades of my Thorens TD-145 TT and the Nagaoka MP-200 cartridge.  So why do many of us tell people to stick to lower priced phono preamps.  Unless someone has a really crappy budget TT I am going to recommend better phono preamps.

I am upgrading my whole analog system with a new Pro-Ject Classic Evo TT.  I bought it yesterday. I will also eventually purchase the Hanna ML-MKII MC cartridge.

[Bob2]

I was thinking today how much this preamp took my vinyl to more of a true Hi Fi sound.   The preamp is way above the pay grades of my Thorens TD-145 TT and the Nagaoka MP-200 cartridge.  So why do many of us tell people to stick to lower priced phono preamps.  Unless someone has a really crappy budget TT I am going to recommend better phono preamps.

I am upgrading my whole analog system with a new Pro-Ject Classic Evo TT.  I bought it yesterday. I will also eventually purchase the Hanna ML-MKII MC cartridge.

I agree that the phono pre amps make a big difference and feel they are well worth cost. Your Thorens TT is pretty decent. I'm interested to read your thoughts comparing the new TT to the 145.

[theflattire]

I was thinking today how much this preamp took my vinyl to more of a true Hi Fi sound.   The preamp is way above the pay grades of my Thorens TD-145 TT and the Nagaoka MP-200 cartridge.  So why do many of us tell people to stick to lower priced phono preamps.  Unless someone has a really crappy budget TT I am going to recommend better phono preamps.

I am upgrading my whole analog system with a new Pro-Ject Classic Evo TT.  I bought it yesterday. I will also eventually purchase the Hanna ML-MKII MC cartridge.

Too many disregard the importance of the phono stage.
The phono stage should be the best part of your vinyl rig, the signal has to pass through it.
You can create a funnel, or a free flowing pipe; most choose the funnel.
My phono/sut is the second most costly part of my system, second only to my amplifier.
I am though, 99.9% vinyl.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

I agree that the phono pre amps make a big difference and feel they are well worth cost. Your Thorens TT is pretty decent. I'm interested to read your thoughts comparing the new TT to the 145.

Bob, the Classic Evo is a much better sounding TT than the Thorens.  It is much more refined with more detail, better textures and layering.  The sound stage is much larger and treble was smoother.  Vibration dampening and foot drops are handled much better with the Classic as well. They are almost non existent.  Don't get me wrong, the Thorens is a good TT but today's modern TTs are better.  I probably suspect that the Thorens is bettered by the Regar PR3 and the Project Debut Evo.

I see all these  people recommending the older Thorens over these tables and the Classic Evo and they could not be more wrong.  Besides these newer TTs sounding better there is the issue of reliability.  These older TT's need servicing and maybe new parts which are hard to find.  And finding an EE to work on them can be harder.

[Bob2]

Glad to read that the new TT is an improvement. No doubt that newer TTs offer better sound. Design and materials are much better. Finding someone that can still work on older gear is certainly nearly impossible.

Parts are getting harder to find but my old TD 280 Mk2 is still going strong and sounding better than ever. Although I have modified it a bit.




Enjoy that new TT!!

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Thanks Bob, I am enjoying the TT immensely. I have not listened to digital since I got the TT. Wow, nice turntable and gear you have there.  What TT is that?

By the way, the jury is still out on the Gold Note.  I wish it had a little more warmth.  I probably will pair it with the Shelter 501 MKIII cartridge which is supposed to be warmer and then decide if I will keep it.  Other cartridges that I am considering are the Grado Reference 3 or Master 3, Hana ML MKII, Clear Audio Maestro V2.  I think that the Shelter will have the most warmth.  I am so sensitive to brightness.

I had modified my Thorens TD-145.  I made a plinth out of Cocobolo wood.  It is one of the densest woods available and it is heavy.  I lined the plinth with GT-Mat and I used aquarium silicone to line the supports that the plinth rests on.  I added Sorbothane feet and really tightened up the sound and improved vibration isolation.  I am giving it to my son to replace a vintage Pioneer PL55x TT from the same era.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Ok, here's my final impressions on the PH-10.  I have about 20 hours of listening to the phono preamp with the Classic Evo TT with a Nagaoka MP-200 that I recently replaced the stylus on so it is still breaking in as it takes about 30 hours per Nagaoka and they are spot on with the break in.

I am loving the phono pre.  I fixed the shoutiness that occured on high dynamic range albums.  The preamp allows you to adjust the gain up or down in 3db increments for a total of +/-6db.  I turned down the gain and switched from XLR to single ended and that fixed the problem entirely.  This preamp is really made for MC cartridges as there are multiple settings for them but only 1 setting for  MM cartridges.  The problem with MM carts is that you can only turn the gain down to -3db.  With MC carts you can do +/- 6db.  That is why I went from XLR to single ended to lose about 6 more db in gain and it worked like a charm.  I will go back to XLR cables when I upgrade to a MC cartridge next fall.

There already is a bit more warmth with the Nagaoka breaking in and the sound becoming more detailed but smoother at the same time if that makes sense. The bright edge has disappeared. The sound stage is tremendous and there is a lot of depth to the music.  Micro details come through in spades.  The midrange is full and lush without sacrificing transparency and air.  Bass is punchy and not lacking in the least.  Treble is smooth and airy and sibilance is contained with occasional break through on some recordings.

Some music sounds better than digital depending upon the recording and my digital end sounds great with my Luxman DAC and WW Platinum usb cable and JCat usb card.  All my LP's that are from Acoustic Sounds and on 180gm to 200gm vinyl sounds superb and better than digital IMHO.  No fatigue whatsoever.

That said, I would still like a little  more warmth as I am so sensitive  to brightness.    I will do another review come November when I upgrade the cartridge to the Shelter 501 v3 MC cartridge.  So for now it is a keeper and it may be the last phono pre that I ever own, it is that good unless I win a large amount in the lottery.  Then, I will give it all away and build a system from scratch with an unlimited budget   Something like the Boulder system at RMAF a few years ago. My son and I still talk about that room.

Equipment used-
New Pro-Ject Classic Evo TT with a cork-rubber hybrid mat, Nagaoka MP-200 cartridge, BAT VK51se tube preamp, Pass Labs X250 amp.  Cables- from TT to phono preamp are Tributaries series 4 dedicated phono cable, from  Phono preamp to BAT I am using Belden 8402 and they are used throughout the rest of my system.  Speakers are Magnepan 1.6's with dual Martin Logan subs.

[Rocket]

Hi Ian,

I'm glad your enjoying your new turntable and gold note phono stage. The gold note does receive many good reviews online. Its a mixed bagged buying vintage turntables as you never know what you get.  I bought a Kenwood kd500 which I returned to the seller because of tonearm issues. Eventually, I bought a new Technics sl1200g turntable with a goldring mm.

Cheers Rod

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Hi Ian,

I'm glad your enjoying your new turntable and gold note phono stage. The gold note does receive many good reviews online. Its a mixed bagged buying vintage turntables as you never know what you get.  I bought a Kenwood kd500 which I returned to the seller because of tonearm issues. Eventually, I bought a new Technics sl1200g turntable with a goldring mm.

Cheers Rod

Thanks Rod.  Since I received the TT and phono preamp I have not listened to digital in 3 weeks and I have bought 5 new 180 gram pressings that sound fabulous and better than digital IMHO.  I can't wait to upgrade the cartridge.  I am off work 11 weeks after having knee surgery and this was a present to myself to help occupy my time while I recover.  It was a smart move because my knee hurts like hell and the music helps me just disappear and forget about the pain for a while.