Looking for a great MM phono stage

[Toaster]

Lots of excellent DIY options, but I would also echo the recommendation for the Rothwell Simplex or Rialto- I have both, and they are very good indeed.

 

[craigtone]

I just finished a build of the OPENAMP1 and so far very impressed! Tops my old Pearl 2 ...

 

[warrjon]

I would also recommend this Linear Audio | your tech audio resource as €2.99 well spent on a good article by Bob Cordell. In this he discusses Damped loading, where you load to the point you create a HF pole using the L of the cartridge. Potentially this sidesteps all the problems with HF resonance in MM cartridges with the drawback of some additional noise (no free lunch).

That looks very interesting, and being designed for MM. I've bookmarked it.

I will finish building the Xono. As I said I bought the loaded PCB's for less than I could buy the bare boards and components.

I appreciate everyone's input thanks.

 

[warrjon]

Built the Xono and WOW, this is a seriously good phono stage. If anyone is interested I bought it from Frank Wilker, he has an eBay listing but I bought it directly. He was easy to deal with and I received exactly what I was expecting. I would definitely recommend him if anyone is interested in Xono PCB's

Here is 1 of his listings
XOno Clone Phonovorverstarker MC/MM / nur Cinch kein XLR, externes Netzteil | eBay


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[adason]

Ear834 sounds great, sometimes there is hum problem though.

 

[vinylkid58]

Built the Xono and WOW, this is a seriously good phono stage. If anyone is interested I bought it from Frank Wilker, he has an eBay listing but I bought it directly. He was easy to deal with and I received exactly what I was expecting. I would definitely recommend him if anyone is interested in Xono PCB.

Nice! Maybe a little more than most need for MM? I'm still enjoying my old Pearl with MC.

Ear834 sounds great, sometimes there is hum problem though.

The Little Bear versions seemed to have a hum problem.

jeff

 

[brucetassin]

Hello All,

I have A little Bear T-11 now. It's a clone of the EAR834.

It DOES NOT have a hum problem.

Best phono pre amp I ever heard.

Bruce

 

[warrjon]

Nice! Maybe a little more than most need for MM? I'm still enjoying my old Pearl with MC.



The Little Bear versions seemed to have a hum problem.

jeff

I have the unloaded MC PCB's but it's unlikely I'll ever go back to MC. The Stanton 881 is very good and better than any MC I have had.


My Rega Aria hummed dreadfully on MC, never could get rid of it. The Xono is dead quiet.

 

[billshurv]

Nice! Maybe a little more than most need for MM?

I would say that you can't have too good an MM stage. MM carts deserve as much attention to detail as MCs if not more in my book.

 

[craigtone]

I would say that you can't have too good an MM stage. MM carts deserve as much attention to detail as MCs if not more in my book.

Don't forget MI cartridges either like the Soundsmith line-up. I'll put my Boheme against most MC any day of the week but I need an MM phono stage to run it.

 

[billshurv]

I don't tend to differentiate MM/MI, esp since ortofon muddy the waters by selling MI cartridges as MM!

 

[niffy]

I've only gone semi-diy. I have a Graham Slee Reflex M. Rather than using the psu1 from Slee I built my own linear supply with higher quality components and a CRCRC filter. With the green plugtop power supply the sound could be a tiny bit thin and uninvolving. The addition of the linear supply completely transformed the sound putting the meat on the bones of the music. The final tweek that actually made even more difference than the linear supply was to swap out the reflex's voltage regulator for a sparkoslabs discreet regulator. I'm contemplating rebuilding/cloning the Slee as a full dual mono with a separate power supply for each channel and possibly the addition of an output buffer, possibly Pass B1. I've got several other projects in the pipeline and I'm more than happy with the phono stage as it is so probably won't get around to further tweeking anytime soon.

Niffy

 

[jphabc54]

I'm currently comparing a 834P clone, a Salas Valve Itch, and my own Reflex M. All different and all great.

Curious Niffy -- is the process to upgrade the Reflex voltage regulators documented anywhere? I also built my own alternative to the PSU1 (in my case an amb Sigma11)

 

[niffy]

Hi jphabc54,

The voltage regulator in the reflex M is a standard to220 package and the sparkoslabs is a drop in replacement. Sparkoslabs do recommend a specific Panasonic low esr capacitor be fitted across the output as close to the device as possible. The exact model is specified in the spec sheet on their website. I mounted the Panasonic on the underside of the board. I also added a heatsink.





The sparkoslabs documentation is comprehensive but easy to follow and has all the information you need. If you do have any questions Mr Sparko himself will happily help. Plus he is honest. I enquired about adding one of his products in a different place and he said straight up not to bother as it wouldn't make much difference even though this cost him a possible sale. The Graham Slee requires an 18 volt positive rectifier. It took less than half an hour to fit.

Niffy