You guys have been so awesome helping me in the past with all my questions, thank you. I got a really nice amp and preamp now I've been listening to the past year. (LM3886 chipamp.com as well as DIY Nelson Pass First Watt preamp.)
I was wondering if anyone could recommend to me an affordable, yet really good sounding phono preamp kit? It's for Moving Magnet turntable: Technics SLD2 . I got a good cartridge on it and well most of the good records sound better than any of the audio coming from my DAC.. e.g. Rush Permanent Waves. I really love the sound of vinyl.
Right now I am using a BBE $50 phono preamp wired to a beefy linear 12v power supply.
I got a $1000-2000 amp for $150 and $1295 preamp for $150
. Is there a $1000-2000 sounding phono preamp I can build for $150 as well ?
I was wondering if anyone could recommend to me an affordable, yet really good sounding phono preamp kit? It's for Moving Magnet turntable: Technics SLD2 . I got a good cartridge on it and well most of the good records sound better than any of the audio coming from my DAC.. e.g. Rush Permanent Waves. I really love the sound of vinyl.
Right now I am using a BBE $50 phono preamp wired to a beefy linear 12v power supply.
I got a $1000-2000 amp for $150 and $1295 preamp for $150
. Is there a $1000-2000 sounding phono preamp I can build for $150 as well ?
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Muffsy is an opamp based kit...more aimed at kit builders than ultimate performance. It should sound good. I have not heard one. It's very similar to a lot of commercial phono stages. It uses your industry standard regulators, etc. Mostly a "from the datasheet" design. Nothing wrong with it, but it's a pretty standard design.
Salas phono is all discrete, uses jfets designed for phono use and has shunt regulators. This is a no holds barred, every component chosen for best performance design. Not really comparable to Muffsy.
I have not heard the Muffsy but have had a phono stage with a similar design. There is no comparison to the Salas. An alternative would be the BHL phono kits which are kind of based on the same topology as the Salas but are simpler and not quite as good. The Hagerman Bugle is another one...similar to the Muffsy. The Bugle actually looks better to me.
But the cost are also not comparable...The Salas will cost much more to build and be more difficult to build.
If you are interested in the best performance I would look at the Salas phono. If you want a well put together kit or a more paint by numbers approach that sounds good I would go with the Muffsy or Hagerman Bugle or BHL.
The "kit" is available as a group buy only, prices are in the thread:
GB for Salas Folded Simplistic Phono PCB
It's more difficult to build because it's more complex. There are no "instructions" although Salas has a nice write-up in the thread. I will say that Salas is very helpful and his designs are well documented and very good and you will recieve good support here on DIYaudio. I have his phono stage and DCG3 preamp.
If you are building without the kit you will need to match many devices, some of which are not in production any more. I built mine on perfboard and matched the parts myself...I didn't want to wait for the next group buy.
Read the Salas thread carefully to make sure you configure it correctly for whatever cartridge you have...there are different builds for MC or MM or whatever.
GB for Salas Folded Simplistic Phono PCB
It's more difficult to build because it's more complex. There are no "instructions" although Salas has a nice write-up in the thread. I will say that Salas is very helpful and his designs are well documented and very good and you will recieve good support here on DIYaudio. I have his phono stage and DCG3 preamp.
If you are building without the kit you will need to match many devices, some of which are not in production any more. I built mine on perfboard and matched the parts myself...I didn't want to wait for the next group buy.
Read the Salas thread carefully to make sure you configure it correctly for whatever cartridge you have...there are different builds for MC or MM or whatever.
Hikari, thank you very much for that. That helped me a great deal. I did see that the muffsy and hagermans kits seemed very similar to significantly more expensive production kits.
Thank you for bringing the BHL kit to my attention it seems very intriguing. In terms of the differences between that and Salas, with the BHL being more accesible from a parts procurement standpoint, what are the benefits of the Salas over it/are you 90% of the way there with the BHL kit?
Cheers!
It depends on your cartridge/table.
The BHL has some capacitance on input, if your cartridge is MM wants to see a low loading (less than 100pf) it's probably not a good choice as I think the input capacitance is over 100pf already without the addition of a cap. Also, it's sensitive to power supply quality. I've had the BHL (run on batteries) and the Salas (along with some Opamp based phono stages like the Muffsy) I'd say the BHL is 90% as good as the Salas on batteries...Probably 70% as good when compared the the Salas w/shunt regs. If you are using a lower-end cartridge or table the differences may not be as great.
But audiophiles pay thousands for the last 5%. The extra expense/effort on the Salas was worth it for me but you may feel different.
I have a micro ridge retipped quintet black and my table uses Pyramids DC drive etc, It seems as though I may as well jump right in and spend the money/effort for the Salas. either way it seems that there are really good options all the way up the price point and difficulty for diy.
Hagerman/Muffsy for pure kit/op amp.
BHL for the more effort/fully discrete.
Salas for the high end diy, along with others.
Thank you for the advice and help Hikari.
With that cart you will want the Salas. It can be built natively for MC (no step up) and it's more appropriate for a cartridge of that caliber. Ortofons sound pretty neutral to me, I have the 2M bronze, and I think the Salas phono is also very flat. BHL a little warmer (probably rolling the highs or oil caps).
Another one to consider for hi-end MC is the Paradise phono stage or Pass Pearl 2.
Another one to consider for hi-end MC is the Paradise phono stage or Pass Pearl 2.
I'd really like to try a new turntable as well, since I guess the one I have is like a $50 table. However the cartridge in it is great sounding.. better thanthe shure cartridge I paid $100 for.
I have no clue what to buy with respect to turntables.. so many options and price points.. mods etc.. makes my head spin.
I don't have one of those weight things to sit on top of the record .. would that help with my cheap techniqs direct drive turntable? What does it do?
I have no clue what to buy with respect to turntables.. so many options and price points.. mods etc.. makes my head spin.
I don't have one of those weight things to sit on top of the record .. would that help with my cheap techniqs direct drive turntable? What does it do?
It clamps the record down flatter against the platter.They can also wear out the motor or ruin the bearing on your turntable.
it depends on the turntable if they help or hurt. If you want a cheap experiment drill a hole in the center of a hockey puck and try that.
That’s kind of like asking what speaker or amp is good. Everyone has their preferences. I have a Rega now. British turntable, pretty much invented the modern turntable...the pro-ject and music hall tables are similar. I have had vintage stuff before (thorens, technics, pioneer) and I prefer modern tables. Also, the cartridge is probably more than 50% of the equation.
If you intend on using a cartridge you already own, you should make sure it is
compatible with the tonearm. For more info, see here:
Resonance frequency
The pro-ject tables I've seen are pretty good value...and they have a very extensive
line...at various price points.
compatible with the tonearm. For more info, see here:
Resonance frequency
The pro-ject tables I've seen are pretty good value...and they have a very extensive
line...at various price points.
I would get something with the more modern one piece rega arm. It’s a lot better. A used p3-24 or p25 or rp3 or p5 is what I would look for.
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