[etcarroll]

In the past year I've brought my Denon DP 52F turntable back online, am now searching for the best possible phono preamp to go with it. I started out with a TEC TC 760LC, but it was un-involving as preamps went. Have a new-ish Ortofon MC25E cart, used to have an original Denon DL 301, I may order the new DL 301 MkII, not sure I'm digging the Ortofon, but thinking it might be the TEC pre so far.

Right now I've been using a Vista Audio phono-1 on loan from Woodsyi. I got the phono-1 a few weeks back when I attended a phono preamp comparison at Woodsyi's where I got to hear his two preamps, a Jasmine unit, and an EAR 834P.

For tomorrow I have on loan the EAR 834P and Pumpkin Man is bringing his Rogue solid-state preamp. I also have Sonny's Curcio. In fact the Curcio was warming up now as I type,

[etcarroll]

Along with the phono preamps being tested, I have on loan from Shadowlight his line source array speakers or LS6 pair. So we'll be doing an impromptu comparison between these and my Onyx Reference 3 with skiing ninja upgrades. So another byproduct I'm hoping for this weekend is the final tuning of my system which will be the proper placement of my speakers, and that will simply leave me with the need to purchase room treatments as required. Here's a link to my room issues.
http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/home-audio-acoustics/43472-help-needed-treating-mcmansion-stereo.html

[Sonny]

COOL!  Looks like a fun and fatiguing weekend, listening and comparing!  Enjoy yourselves and let us know how things sound!  I hope the Curcio can hold it's own!

Also, Gene, seems like you don't have to spend money, borrowing equipment is the way to go!   

Tuan (aka Sonny) 

[etcarroll]

Two more contenders, I had also hoped to have the jasmine unit here as well tomorrow, but it was too short notice for jtsnead to post. However he did have me down to his place a few weeks back where I got to hear the Jasmine and I have to say it's in the running as well, it's a very nice unit.

EAR 834P and VA Phono-1;

[Sonny]

Gene try putting the Bugle Power Supply on the flow or away from the Curcio...that's why the umbilical cord is long.
Tuan

[etcarroll]

Sonny-if only it was that easy, to borrow other peoples' stuff indefinitely, I'd be all over that. Since we corresponded this afternoon, I moved the two boxes a little further apart, and the hiss I mentioned seems to have decreased appreciably. This Curcio is a very nice sounding unit. And I'll seperate the units more as you suggest.

All I have to do now is clean some more records in preparation for tomorrow. This is some of what I scored yesterday at Joes Record Paradise in Silver Spring Maryland with ScottDazzle, who was kind enough to lend me the EAR 834P:

[Sonny]

Gene, I was only kidding....
I hope you enjoy your day... and if you put the Bugle below on the ground or on the second shelf from the bottom, that will help more!  Will wait for your comments!

Those are good records, but I can only see the Bill Evans, a good one indeed!

T

[Sonny]

btw, please list the loading impedance for the phono stages tested... hopefully they can all use the same loading to have consistency.  As you know the Curcio is loaded at 100 ohm with about 57db gain...if I remember right.
Tuan

[etcarroll]

The impedances, good question, as these are borrowed I may have to do some research and get back to that.

The Bugle will most likely go on the 2nd from bottom shelf on the black rack, if not the bottom shelf. Right now there's a cement block there to add mass to the rack, it can be moved. As for other records, got Lockjaw Davis' "Cookbook" playing, the Curcio does a nice job with the Hammond organ.

[Sonny]

Good to hear...

The Curcio is a great phono pre for sure!

Tuan

[shadowlight]

Have fun.

[etcarroll]

Have fun.

Are you going to make an appearance?

[shadowlight]

Are you going to make an appearance?

Sorry, going to have to miss it.

[Sonny]

I would love to and here how the Curcio/Bugle stack up against the EAR and others...but am too far away!
T

[drphoto]

Sounds like a fun weekend. If that Vista unit ends up for sale, LMK, as I'm interested. I like my Mapletree pre, but the phono section is a bit noisy at the gain I need for a HOMC cart.

[etcarroll]

So Pumpkinman showed up last night with the LS6s, his Rogue and a TT platform table he made for me to further 'deaden'  the TT experience for me, 2 sheets of MDF sandwiched together, radiused edges, and painted a pleasing, if non-descript, off-grey.

Pman and Shadowlight's LS6s



the almost 30 year old Denon and MDF platform on no-rez base



and his Rogue

[etcarroll]

btw, please list the loading impedance for the phono stages tested... hopefully they can all use the same loading to have consistency.  As you know the Curcio is loaded at 100 ohm with about 57db gain...if I remember right.
Tuan

Vista Audio 1 - 100ohm
Rogue - 100 Ohm loading, 60 dB gain
Curcio - 100ohm
Ear 834P - The unusual and defining feature of this phono stage is the inclusion of two small transformers, potted and screened in cans, which act as a gain stage for moving-coil cartridges. Interestingly, one of the audio print journals measured the moving-coil input impedance at 515 Ohms. The implication is that the designer believes that moving-coil cartridges should be loaded down to tame high-frequency resonances. This particular unit was supplied to me with three 7025/12AX7 tubes, ElectroHarmonix brand.

[etcarroll]

So we went through some jazz, rock & minimal classical. Thank God only 3 people, as with 4 preamps, just listening to this took forever. I've been to GTGs with 6, 8 or more than 12, and though they're a good time, you really can't hear what you want to/need to. The playlist;
Steely Dan's -
Gaucho
Aja
dire straits -
communiqué
Eddie Lockjaw Davis -
cookbook
trane whistle
Lee Morgan-
the Sidewinder
The Bill Evans Trio-
the Bill Evans album
The Pachelbel Canon - Maurice Andre , Jean-Francois Paillard Chamber Orchestra
and the winner is...

[etcarroll]

The Ear 834P.

to steal someone else's words;

Hi-Fi News & Record Review, June 1994
A Real Earful
by Ken Kessler
"What distinguishes the 834P from solid-state phono stages is the sense of openness, scale and three-dimensionality. While it’s easy to better the retrieval of detail - this is no Gryphon, no MC Kinnie - it’s hard to match the warmth and the ‘analogueness’ of the 834P. It’s a great soundstager, a strong defender of the analogue argument and (for those who cherish this one aspect of playback above others) the source of some of the sweetest bass I’ve heard in years."

To echo the above, the Rogue did provide a smidge more detail than the 834P.

All three of us love the 834P's sound, its presentation, the sound stage it threw, and the effortless way it played everything we threw at it.

From my notes some of the comments from the group were as follows;
the presentation was very fluid...
unlike with some of the SS preamps, the timber of the music is NOT the same across all instruments, with the 834P not only can tell what the instrument is but you can also hear and feel the uniqueness of each instrument, something the other preamps attempted to provide, but none as well as the EAR 834P didn't provide...
tremendous handling of, and presentation of PRaT.

[etcarroll]

When all was done and said, we ranked them as follows, top to bottom
EAR 834P
Rogue Stealth
Curcio
Vista Audio Phono-1
TEC TC 760LC

I also learned I need to remove dustcover when playing music, which combined with MDF platform on no-rez has improved the clarity of my TT presentation. Next I have to replace the cables out of the TT, maybe some mid-range Cardas cables. Though according to my guests I need a new TT entirely, though that will have to be stage 4 of my journey. Stage 3 is speaker placement and room treatments.

But 1st, I get to play with Shadowlight's LS6s while he builds out his basement. Take your time D!!!