Phono Stages

Is it safe to assume that via the ps is the prefered signal route?

as any one try t the trichord dino mk3 and dino+ with its power cord .i have on my rega p9 with a 282 and 200 compo is sounds grate

yeti42 posted:

Is it safe to assume that via the ps is the prefered signal route?

When I had the Stageline/Flatcap2, it was much better via the ps to preamp vs Stageline to preamp.

Well Michael - on the strength of your Aria review and what it's done for your TT I've got one on the way down from my dealer to give it a test drive. Arrives Thursday so very much looking forward to giving it a whirl against my trusty Stageline!

Jonners posted:

Well Michael - on the strength of your Aria review and what it's done for your TT I've got one on the way down from my dealer to give it a test drive. Arrives Thursday so very much looking forward to giving it a whirl against my trusty Stageline!

I'll be interested in what you think for the money....

Christopher_M posted:

Jonners posted:

Well Michael - on the strength of your Aria review and what it's done for your TT I've got one on the way down from my dealer to give it a test drive. Arrives Thursday so very much looking forward to giving it a whirl against my trusty Stageline!

I'll be interested in what you think for the money....

Me too - I'm demoing a "previously enjoyed" unit at a pretty good price from my Linn Dealer and they're also willing to let me trade in the Stageline. BUT - it's being supplied with a Chord Shawline which is a £225 cable I can't justify so if I like it then I'll most likely be off to Witch Hat or CHC for a far cheaper interconnect. If I don't like it then next on the list is Lejonklou but I'm really hoping the Aria will do the biz as I have a spare power socket in my Hydra cable all ready to go!

Jonners posted:

......I'm really hoping the Aria will do the biz as I have a spare power socket in my Hydra cable all ready to go!

Ah! If only the Stageline had an IEC socket  ;-)

For those interested in the Rega Aria: I just had one at home for a demo over the weekend, looking to upgrade from my Rega Fono MC used with my LP12 Akurate (which was always meant as an interim solution). Ideally, I'd like to get the Linn Uphorik, but it's (very) pricey and so was looking to the Aria given the more modest outlay. The Aria tightens up the lower registers quite considerably compared to the Fono MC and has more oomph. I liked that a lot. It is also quieter/less grainy, allowing more music to come through on a blacker background. Unfortunately, I also had hum issues with it (which I don't have with my Fono MC, nor had with the Uphorik I previously tested at home). Tried a number of different positions and different sockets but the problem remained (to varying degrees). It wasn't so loud as to be audible when playing music but clearly audible with the volume at 8 and upwards when no music was playing. Might be different in another system, who knows. Without the hum I would probably have been tempted to go for it.

PSAN posted:

For those interested in the Rega Aria: I just had one at home for a demo over the weekend, looking to upgrade from my Rega Fono MC used with my LP12 Akurate (which was always meant as an interim solution). Ideally, I'd like to get the Linn Uphorik, but it's (very) pricey and so was looking to the Aria given the more modest outlay. The Aria tightens up the lower registers quite considerably compared to the Fono MC and has more oomph. I liked that a lot. It is also quieter/less grainy, allowing more music to come through on a blacker background. Unfortunately, I also had hum issues with it (which I don't have with my Fono MC, nor had with the Uphorik I previously tested at home). Tried a number of different positions and different sockets but the problem remained (to varying degrees). It wasn't so loud as to be audible when playing music but clearly audible with the volume at 8 and upwards when no music was playing. Might be different in another system, who knows. Without the hum I would probably have been tempted to go for it.

Great info - the Aria I'm waiting for will also be hooked up to my LP12, albeit of lowlier heritage than yours PSAN but this gives me an inkling of what I can expect. Question is - does it represent good value for money and now it's been given the order of the  boot, what will you try instead (if anything)?

Jonners posted:

Great info - the Aria I'm waiting for will also be hooked up to my LP12, albeit of lowlier heritage than yours PSAN but this gives me an inkling of what I can expect. Question is - does it represent good value for money and now it's been given the order of the  boot, what will you try instead (if anything)?

I didn't listen to it for that long given the hum issue I experienced but my quick impression is that it represents good value for money - performance was certainly quite a bit better than the Fono MC, even from cold (albeit if, as in my case, you don't need the MM part of the stage you're arguably paying for redundant functionality). I think I'll now have a listen to the Trichord Dino Mk. 3 with the upgraded power supply (the Never Connected PSU) and if that doesn't represent a sufficient bump in SQ then I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and get the Uphorik (which is very good) when I've saved a little more.  

Jonners posted:

PSAN posted:

For those interested in the Rega Aria: I just had one at home for a demo over the weekend, looking to upgrade from my Rega Fono MC used with my LP12 Akurate (which was always meant as an interim solution). Ideally, I'd like to get the Linn Uphorik, but it's (very) pricey and so was looking to the Aria given the more modest outlay. The Aria tightens up the lower registers quite considerably compared to the Fono MC and has more oomph. I liked that a lot. It is also quieter/less grainy, allowing more music to come through on a blacker background. Unfortunately, I also had hum issues with it (which I don't have with my Fono MC, nor had with the Uphorik I previously tested at home). Tried a number of different positions and different sockets but the problem remained (to varying degrees). It wasn't so loud as to be audible when playing music but clearly audible with the volume at 8 and upwards when no music was playing. Might be different in another system, who knows. Without the hum I would probably have been tempted to go for it.

Great info - the Aria I'm waiting for will also be hooked up to my LP12, albeit of lowlier heritage than yours PSAN but this gives me an inkling of what I can expect. Question is - does it represent good value for money and now it's been given the order of the  boot, what will you try instead (if anything)?

I just added an Aria to my LP12 (kore, cirkus2, ittok, armageddon) and have had no hum issues. May be luck of the draw. Have mine on the top shelf in the middle to keep away from LP12 (on seperate table to the left) and Naim Power Supplies on right.

Were you using RCA-Din PSAN?

In my opinion it's only bettered by Superline and Uphorik, Urika but I haven't heard every phono stage.

My mind has gone blank! Can you remind me what a Cirkus2 is, please?

Michael Mccullough posted:

Were you using RCA-Din PSAN?

 

Yes, using RCA-DIN (Chord Shawline), which does tend to minimize hum/noise compared to RCA-RCA. 

Clive B posted:

My mind has gone blank! Can you remind me what a Cirkus2 is, please?

They changed how they produced the Cirkus a few years ago to make them more consistent. Seems to have made them more musical as well since I wasn't a big fan before.

+1 on the Lejonklou phono preamps. I started with the Gaio and moved up to the Slipsik 6, both with Radikal, Keel, Aro, and Adikt. Highly recommend a demo if possible.

PSAN posted:

Jonners posted:

Great info - the Aria I'm waiting for will also be hooked up to my LP12, albeit of lowlier heritage than yours PSAN but this gives me an inkling of what I can expect. Question is - does it represent good value for money and now it's been given the order of the  boot, what will you try instead (if anything)?

I didn't listen to it for that long given the hum issue I experienced but my quick impression is that it represents good value for money - performance was certainly quite a bit better than the Fono MC, even from cold (albeit if, as in my case, you don't need the MM part of the stage you're arguably paying for redundant functionality). I think I'll now have a listen to the Trichord Dino Mk. 3 with the upgraded power supply (the Never Connected PSU) and if that doesn't represent a sufficient bump in SQ then I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and get the Uphorik (which is very good) when I've saved a little more.  

would be nice to no how you get on with the trichord. psan . i found it worked well with a good power lead. i use belden 19364 works well  

Anyone using the Moon 110 ?  Thanks

Davie R posted:

would be nice to no how you get on with the trichord. psan . i found it worked well with a good power lead. i use belden 19364 works well  

Will do and thanks. It will be sent tomorrow, so should arrive on Friday - in time for the weekend.

In the meantime I had the Linn Uphorik at home for a demo but was actually slightly underwhelmed. Not that it's not a good phono stage - it obviously is, with e.g. better resolution, a slightly darker background and more depth than my Fono MC - but at roughly eight times the price I would expect the difference to be much greater, and perhaps the Uphorik is almost too neutral/clean (in fact, I think the name doesn't fit at all with the sound). In that perspective the Fono MC is actually quite impressive.

The hunt continues ...

sjw posted:

Anyone using the Moon 110 ?  Thanks

No but after a long search of many excellent phono stages, ended up with a Moon 310LP.

Best regards, FT

OK - quick update on the Aria I'm demoing. It turned up a little earlier with a Chord Shawline to hook up the 282. First impressions on cold are positive - straight out the box there's a more balanced performance with the most obvious difference being "decay" on instruments such as cymbals - really noticeable but in a good way. Vocals are little to the fore but I think that's a trait the Shawline brings to the party as I have Chord cabling throughout the rest of the system and it seems to be their signature. I'm going to let the Aria warm up for the rest of the day and spin some LP's tonight, see if it improves yet further.

I had thought that the Aria might be a bit bright with your mm AT.

Christopher_M posted:

I had thought that the Aria might be a bit bright with your mm AT.

That was/is my concern too - it may prove to be the case when it's warmed up properly so I will reserve judgement for now. Having said that, I am playing through Dynaudios which tend towards a pronounced bass response so I reckon a bit more on top might not go amiss.

A quick update on my home demo of the Trichord Dino mk 3 phono stage with the Dino+ power supply and the high performance connecting cable. Overall it's better than my Fono MC, as it should be. The Dino is quieter, has more detail, a wider soundstage and the lower registers have more authority. The Dino also has a little more energy in the treble, but not overly so. It's also more transparent. Overall I very much like what I'm hearing, and will be listening some more over the next couple of days - but I think I've found my new phono stage.

Does the 282 take 522/523 phono cards like the 82?

Suzy Wong posted:

Does the 282 take 522 phono cards like the 82?

No, the NAC282 has a powered AUX2 socket to accommodate a Naim off board phono stage such as a Stageline, Prefix or Superline.