My system restructuring is nearly complete now, I’ve got the Nait 2, got the CDX, and got a buyer for the Mana (the esteemed Mr Hanson) and enough money in the bank to buy the QS Reference when the Mana deal is complete. After all this I still won’t be able to play any records as I don’t have a phono stage. I do however have a spare CD17KI, some 32.5 phono stages, and a black SNAIC with which to buy one…
Right, here are the contenders, slightly different than last time, but here we go again:
Naim Probably out of the running due to cost or inconvenience – The Prefix involves buggering up my RB900 (which I am not prepared to do) and the Stageline needs an extra shelf (150 quid) as I would not be prepared to put it on the same shelf as a Hicap (which I don’t even own anymore). I suppose that a Stageline / second hand Flatcap might be a option, but I would prefer to keep the rack as small as possible.
Tom Evans Microgroove Deeply loved by many in Reading, and probably the most likely choice. I spoke to a Reading-ite today, and was assured that it grooves, swings, and even plays tunes. I could get one matched to my Ortofon, and its small and easy to shelve. Non-ferrous too! I have been warned elsewhere that it sounds a bit thin though, and this is exactly what I don’t need! I have been told it is superior to a Stageline / Hicap.
Densen DP-02 I am probably too worried about the finite life span of the weird light things. I like to cook stuff, and one of the reviews I read (Hi-Fi Choice I think) implies that the lights have a lifespan of 10,000 hours, which is a little over a year. Shame as I know where there is a cheap one.
Plinius Jarrah Total outsider. I know nothing about Plinius except that they hail from NZ, and this phono stage costs 600 quid. A dealer who spammed me regarding my recent Loot selling frenzy will do me a brand new one for my Marantz CD17KI which is my main currency at the moment. The dealer in question rates this higher than the Groove let alone the Microgroove, and reckons he has had people trade Microgrooves in against it. Looks kind of dinky, anyone know if it can hold a tune or play in time? Check it out: www.pliniusaudio.com/pro/pro08.htm
Tony.
Posted on: 22 September 2001 by Top Cat
Try the Clearaudio phono phonostage - quite a nice beastie, although I found it a little prone to RFI. Allegedly in the same ballpark as the Tom Evans, although I sent mine back to the dealer when I decided to get a DNM Preamp, as the phono stages in them are at least as good as the Tom Evans, plus the fact that I could liberate £500 towards the preamp by not keeping the phono stage...
Ah, whatever. Good luck in non-ferrous land. I'm going in that direction with my preamp, funnily enough... 
John
Posted on: 24 September 2001 by Tony L
quote:
Instead of a pre-preamp, have you considered an MC transformer?
My Nait 2 is line level only, so no MM stage to add a transformer to! I need a stand alone stage.
quote:
I still think you should add the Exposure 13 phono stage to your list (if you can find one - I had to get mine from a dealer in Germany!
I had thought of that as I believe it’s a really good phono stage. I asked an Exposure dude about it at the Novotel show, I received a look of total incomprehension. It would appear that today's Exposure have little in reality to do with the original company.
The one I really want to know more about is the Plinius Jarrah it is such an easy option (I give my old CD player to a shop, they give me a brand new Jarrah). The Marantz does not seem to want to leave me via Loot, so I reckon I would have to use Hi-Fi World, and there is a couple of months wait until an ad appears there. Two months without vinyl… not good!
The few reviews of Plinius kit I have been able to read online all seem massively favourable, and unbelievably some seem to actually mention the timing being excellent. The amps seem to be big class A monsters, though the reviews imply they are far more bouncy and fun than Krell etc. Their integrated seems really well liked. Anyone here heard any Plinius kit? Likewise anyone else got any comments on the Tom Evans Microgroove?
Ross, describe your impressions of the Black Cube. I heard one at the London show a few years back sounding really excellent (Basis TT / Acuphase amps / Maggies) - it really seemed to groove quite well, though I have heard very negative things in that area from others here.
Tony.
Posted on: 24 September 2001 by Tony L
quote:
Would also like to know which dealer your are using.
Thanks for the comments on the Plinius, how you describe them is in line with the reviews I have managed to find online so far - i.e. sounds like they are pretty good. The rest of my system is incredibly fast, so I have a little room to play with. I am more interested in tune and weight. The P9 and Kans both have a slightly thin presentation which I need to compensate for slightly - this is what scares me regarding the Tom Evans, I suspect it is more of the same.
I have not made any decision on dealer yet (or even if I am going to use one at all). The Plinius offer came up after www.connoisseuraudio.co.uk spammed me a few times as a result of my recent Loot ads. I just gave them a bell to see what they would give me for my CD17KI, I see the Plinius as a reasonable exchange (its 600 quid to buy), so if it is actually any good I may well go for this deal. Its got a small footprint too, so I might even be able to sit it next to the Nait 2 thus saving 150 quids worth of Quadraspire Ref! Depends if it hums in that location.
Tony.
Posted on: 24 September 2001 by Rob Doorack
Unless the Black Cube has changed a lot since I auditioned one a couple of years ago, it wouldn't be appropriate in a Flat Earth system. Great imaging / soundstaging etc. but it made Gene Krupa sound like he'd taken a fist-full of Valiums on "Sing Sing Sing" from Bennie Goodman's '38 Carnegie Hall concert.
Posted on: 24 September 2001 by Tony L
quote:
Glad I mentioned the bloody thing (should have done so sooner). Looks like things are shaping up for you!
Certainly are!
quote:
BTW--as you can imagine, the Rotel uses RCA jacks, as will everything you're going to be considering (now that Naim has been crossed off the list), so what will you be doing to address the hook-up issue (I assume you've got BNCs on the RB900)?
No, I never managed to find BNCs that I was happy with from a mechanical perspective to fit the thick Rega lead. I hate dry joints that can tarnish - unless the BNC could be soldered or properly crimped (i.e. with a crimping tool) I was not interested, plus I always had an incling I would be getting another external phono stage as I was never totally sold on the internal one in the 32.5. I just stuck RCAs on the back of the pre as a stop gap.
So my P9 still has the Neutrik RCAs plugs, and I have a really nice well burnt in Naim Aro RCA to DIN lead to connect the phono stage to the Nait with. Sorted.
Tony.
Posted on: 25 September 2001 by mmhifi
Tony, I have Microgroove+ in break-in status(2 weeks) right now. It changed Prefix K/Hicap because I had not enough gain(I have non-Naim amplification). My first impressions were it's thin and has no low level detail of Prefix. But break-in(with signal, not simple warming) makes
amazing things with this unit. It's better and better with every single day. I think it's better than Prefix today. PRAT, leading edge definition and thread separation are not from this world.
It's frightening... Interesting where I will be after full break-in(I was told by dealer it takes months) and we have the full Groove too...
Posted on: 26 September 2001 by Tony L
quote:
Found the Rotel in the garage (a minor miracle) and it will be on its way today. It is called a Phono Equalizer RQ-970BX. It takes RCA in and out and has a switch between MM and MC. No idea about gain and impedance - the manual has long since disappeared. You may be able to track some info down armed with the model number provided above.
Excellent. Thanks very much. I had previously done a few web searches suspecting that was the item, and it seems very well liked. Sounds like it gets the fundamentals right, though needs a long warm up (I will just leave it switched on like the rest of my kit).
Cheers,
Tony.
