I have been using a jfet phono amp for a long time that include MC input. Recently, I am looking forward to build a tube phono amp but most of them are for high output MM cartridges. Is there something call electronic phono MC step up module in the market? I believe there must be but I just couldn't find it.
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I would have to second the real transformer aspect. I have been playing around with building phono preamps for the last couple of years. Two things have quite surprised me
1. How different phono stages sound even though measurements are almost identical.
2. How changing to a step up xfmr solve alot of problems and made things much more quiet.
I will stick with xfmrs from now on as the first stage for DL103R cartridge.
1. How different phono stages sound even though measurements are almost identical.
2. How changing to a step up xfmr solve alot of problems and made things much more quiet.
I will stick with xfmrs from now on as the first stage for DL103R cartridge.
I won't judge the performance of an amplifier from the circuit alone. This all started when my friend presented me a single tube DL92 preamp that he purchased from China at US$90. Yes, it is US$90 all in, totally built. The circuit is simple and I must say; without any modification, it sounds great. I started to work on it by changing a number of parameters and eventually built an improved version that blows away my Herron Audio VTSP-3 and WE437A DIY preamps.
I am using Erno Borbely's 320 phono amp and it is quiet, dynamic and musical. As a DIYer, you never satisfy and settle down therefore I am working on a tube phono. Since most tube phono are MM based, I am looking forward for a step up stage for my VDH Colibri MC cartridge. Good step up transformer are expensive therefore I am looking for an electronic step up stage. Since the 320 phono consists of two stages, I am thinking to use the first stage as step up with tube phono as second stage. Yet, all of this has to start with a MM phono stage that I still have not finalized. Will get more information before I start.
The Pacific pre-pre is simple and it could be one of the alternatives.
I am using Erno Borbely's 320 phono amp and it is quiet, dynamic and musical. As a DIYer, you never satisfy and settle down therefore I am working on a tube phono. Since most tube phono are MM based, I am looking forward for a step up stage for my VDH Colibri MC cartridge. Good step up transformer are expensive therefore I am looking for an electronic step up stage. Since the 320 phono consists of two stages, I am thinking to use the first stage as step up with tube phono as second stage. Yet, all of this has to start with a MM phono stage that I still have not finalized. Will get more information before I start.
The Pacific pre-pre is simple and it could be one of the alternatives.
Moving Coil Cartridge Head Amps
http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/components/national/_appNotes/AN-0222.pdf - Fig 4 page 4
Moving Coil's very low resistance gets down in the Universal Voltage Hiss of most amplifying devices. Until recently, BJT gave lower hiss. Recent JFETs matched BJTs, but have become harder to find. The classic BJT designs are, IMHO, more likely to work well without careful procurement and selection.
As discussed, I am posting the first stage schematic of my phono amp here. This is the 320 phono of Erno Borbely that I have been using it since 2011. A very articulate, quiet and dynamic phono that beats my ASR (old model).
I am thinking if I can use the first stage as MC stage for my tube phono project. Can anyone tell me is it possible to take the output at "TEST" point (Between R27 and R28) and feed it to a 47K MM tube phono amp?
I am thinking if I can use the first stage as MC stage for my tube phono project. Can anyone tell me is it possible to take the output at "TEST" point (Between R27 and R28) and feed it to a 47K MM tube phono amp?
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Borbely phono preamp is an elaborate, high quality piece of elactronic. Why do you think that tube circuit is better than Borbely second stage ? The only thing you may get is softening coloration of tubes, problem with tubes choice, etc. It is a very bad idea from my point of view.
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