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4K views 28 replies 9 participants last post by  tarzan1234 
#1 ·
Hi folks

I bought a Pro-Ject RPM5.1 a couple of weeks ago running it through an Onkyo TX-NR 3010 could anyone give me a clue at what price point model of phono stage i should look out for please.

I am really pleased with the Turntable and the upgrade may be a while longer yet but if i had some good idea i could even watch out for a used model which may take longer for locating

My speakers are Kef Iq7 floor standers presently biwired not biamped :)
 
#3 ·
In truth very few problems just everything I read says I should connect via a phono stage and that in built phono stages tend to only cost a $ after finding how good vinyl is I would not like too miss out on best sound

The only issue I have so far is static on the platter

The turntable came with Ortofon Alpha I am thinking in the future of maybe buying 2m Ortofon Bronze mm cartridge don't envisage going for mc cartridge

Thanks for reply
 
#8 ·
Hi folks
...could anyone give me a clue at what price point model of phono stage i should look out for please.
$2000?

But really what your asking is kind of backwards. Usually you determine what your approximate budget is, what your needs are and go from there. Do you want adjustability, low output MC compatibility, etc? You can spend anywhere from $25 to $25000 on a phono stage.
 
#9 ·
As I mentioned I am thinking MM 2m bronze I never quoted a budget because I don't know what price point I needed for the turntable if $2000 is what I really needed I would probably buy it Origin live in their summary seem to suggest about same price as the table but that is without the tone arm hence my confusion rrp when new was £900 but the arm is £500 I just wanted to see from other owners what they considered sensible pricing. :)
 
#13 ·
I'm not sure what faith I'd put in a site that places the importance of speakers and amps at 15% each, but the turntable at 25%. BTW, their total importance figures add up to 101%.

The single most important component in any system is the speaker, nothing else impacts sound quality as much, not even close.

In their CD system ranking they put 20% on the player, 40 on the amp and 40 on the speakers. Nope, the audible difference in amps of the same power is negligible, again, it's all about the speakers.

Looks like a good site to put on your ignore list.
 
#12 ·
I'm in the same boat. I recently got my first turntable (a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon DC) and have used it with my receiver's phono input. The receiver is a an older 2-channel Harman Kardon and its onboard phono stage is not bad but I think the sound is a little harsh. I've decided to get an external phono preamp with a max budget of $200. After some extensive research I narrowed down to the Yaqin MS-23B (tube) and Hagerman's Bugle 2 (solid state). These two seem to have a lot of happy owners especially after swapping out the stock tubes on the Yaqin but I ended up buying the Bugle 2. I've never had anything tube before so I wanted to tried the Yaqin out but decided to go with the Bugle 2, just to support an American business. I haven't received it yet so I can't say how it sounds compared to the built-in phono stage. I'll give an update after spending some time with it.
 
#26 ·
I couldn't find a price on the Project RPM5 in the USA, but in the UK they are £650. So, off the top of my head, I would guess about $1000 in the USA. The Ortofon 2M Bronze is another $450. So, let's round it off to about $1500.

The Onkyo TX-NR3010 Amp is about $1500, depending on the source.

I would expect that AVR to have a well above average Phono stage. So, I'm inclined to agree with others. Ride with what you have and see how it works out in the long run.

If you are looking for an external Phono stage, I would guess about $250 to $500 would be more than enough. Though ultimately it is up to you.

Here is a very basic straight forward Phono stage, though Musical Fidelity certainly makes better ones -

Musical Fidelity V90-LPS - $229 -

http://www.needledoctor.com/Musical-Fidelity-V90-LPS-Phono-Stage?sc=2&category=35461

Project Phono Box S - $199 -


http://www.needledoctor.com/Pro-Ject-Phono-Box-S-Phono-Preamp?sc=2&category=35467

Project Phono Box DS - $349 -


http://www.needledoctor.com/Pro-Ject-Phono-Box-DS?sc=2&category=35467

Keep in mind, a lot of what raises the cost is dealing with the complexities of an MC (moving coil) type cartridge. I which have very low output and are more impedance and capacitance/inductive sensitive than common MM (moving magnet) type cartridge.

Rega MM Phono Pre-amp -- $395 -

http://www.needledoctor.com/Rega-Fono-MM-Phono-Preamp?sc=2&category=35468

Musical Fidelity M1LPS Phono Stage - $449 -

If you would like, I can post some that are 10 times the price of those I listed here.

Bryston BP 1.5 Outboard MM & MC Phono Stage - $3,200 -

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=BYBP1.5

Para Sound JC 3+ Phono Stage - $3,000 -

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PAJC3PLUS

That said - ride with what you have until you are sure of your priorities. You have a functional Phono Stage right now. So is a Phono Stage the best place to put $500?

Steve/bluewizard
 
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