MM Phono stage (kit?) for tube newbie

[theskintman]

Hello all,

I've recently purchased my first tube amp - it's integrated but without a phono stage. I really intend to get into tube DIY in the future, and thought a nice place to start would be a phono stage for my new amp.

I could stretch to building my own, but feel it would probably be more sensible to get a (preferably cheap) kit as my first project, because I have no real-world building experience yet.

Any simple budget kit suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

 

[SY]

I would certainly opt for a kit, and as complete a kit as you can find. Good phono stage design is extraordinarily difficult, and it's extraordinarily sensitive to layout, wiring, and grounding. It's the last thing I'd do from scratch or from a published schematic if I were just getting started.

 

[chrisb]

without sounding like a shill

2 words:

Bottlehead Seduction

http://www.bottlehead.com/et/adobespc/Seduction/seduction.htm

 

[Cobra2]

Sarah ?
http://www.curcioaudio.com/sades_3.htm

Arne K

 

[BHD]

Thorsten Loesch, formerly a regular contributor to this forum posted a relatively simple tube MM phono pre. Here's the circuit:

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=335624&stamp=1077837811

Here's the thread where Kofi Annan, DIY Audio's own comic relief, builds the phono pre:

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=54534&highlight=thorsten+phono+stage

People that have built it say it sounds very good, indeed.

Frank DeGrove also posted a line and phono stage in this thread, people say it sounds pretty good as well.

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12042&highlight=

 

[BHD]

Ooops... you only wanted kits. Sorry.

Here's one that hasn't been suggested:

http://www.kandkaudio.com/phonostage.html

 

[FastEddy]

chrisb: "Bottlehead Seduction > http://www.bottlehead.com/et/adobespc/Seduction/seduction.htm ... "

I ordered mine yesterday = great reviews, cool design, very decent price for a quality kit ...

 

[theskintman]

I'm seduced

Thanks for the links - I had also read good things about the Seduction, and I think I'll be going with that. I really think a kit's got to be the way to go for a first-timer like myself.

At that price, who can argue? All the other kits seem good, but are waaay out of my price range.

 

[Vuokko]

Doesn't UK have 230V mains? If you take Seduction, you need also transformer which changes 230 to 115V for your amplifier.

So are there any 230V inexpensive kits for phonostage?

 

[FastEddy]

Call 'em, email 'em. ask 'em about substituting the UK transformer ... I believe they stock these for Euro power kits and ou just have to ask for it. ask docb at bottlehead dot com ...(he responded to my inquiries right away ...)

 

[alexmoose]

Kits can get extreemly expensive, often more expensive than building your own, just about any phono stage you probably want to compliment with a simple line stage anyway, and a simple line stage is the perfect first DIY project