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Making a decision about a phono preamp

post #1 of 9
12/17/09 at 1:17am
Thread Starter 
To start, I'm going to point out that I am a new at this. I'll be building a Millett MiniMax soon, and a gamma y2 DAC afterwards when all the parts arrive. I'm going a bit ahead of myself, but I want a good phono stage or preamp for my turntable afterwards. I'm using a Soundsmith Aida cartridge, for reference.

And I want to build it myself.

Now, I've spent several hours looking at all the options, and narrowed it down to three:
  • Hagerman Cornet 2 Phono Stage
  • Transcendent Sound Phono Preamp
  • Bottlehead Eros Phono Preamplifier

Now, I've looked for impressions of all 3, but I seem to find it only for the Cornet 2 (which is very positive). For the others, there seems to be only biased sources, directly from their websites. I'm hoping that someone has heard all three and can give his/her impressions, but I know it's a long shot. In any case, I would appreciate any feedback on these, or other alternatives.

In case you're wondering, cost is not really a factor: I just want the best one.
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post #2 of 9
12/17/09 at 1:31am
The real question is how much gain do you need in your system.

What did you not like about the PassDIY Pearl?
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post #3 of 9
12/17/09 at 1:38am
Thread Starter 
Right now I'm using a phono preamp with 43 dB of gain, and it works well.

As for the Pearl, I have two issues: it's solid state and there's no PCB available (as far as I know).
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post #4 of 9
12/17/09 at 1:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by WyldRage View Post
Right now I'm using a phono preamp with 43 dB of gain, and it works well.

As for the Pearl, I have two issues: it's solid state and there's no PCB available (as far as I know).
heh, you see these are good things to mention. What about signal transformers (input, LCR, etc.), are those allowed?

But really, I got nothing.

I know of good projects that use tubes, but all would be P2P.

I know of some good projects with PCBs, but they are solid state.
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post #5 of 9
12/17/09 at 2:04am
A PCB is no obstacle. Give me a good schematic and I can layout a board for you for a small fee. You'll get gerbers, ODB++ database files, and an IPC-D-356 netlist.

I also built my own phono circuit. It is just a very simple circuit I got from National Semiconductor and features solid state devices. It sounds decent enough so I'm happy. But maybe nowhere near the standards you're after. I simply didn't have the time and wanted something NOW!
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post #6 of 9
12/17/09 at 2:04am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by luvdunhill View Post
heh, you see these are good things to mention. What about signal transformers (input, LCR, etc.), are those allowed?
Yeah, signal transformers are ok.

You're right, I forgot to mention I'd prefer going for tubes, and that I'm still at a "paint by numbers" stage, so building it by following the schematics only is too advanced. My bad.
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post #7 of 9
12/17/09 at 2:04am
I don't think you could go wrong with any of those. If you want some feedback on the Bottlehead and the Transcendent, both of them have forums on their sites. If you haven't already, you could read what owners have to say and ask if they've made any comparisons.
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post #8 of 9
12/17/09 at 2:13am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by deltaydeltax View Post
A PCB is no obstacle. Give me a good schematic and I can layout a board for you for a small fee. You'll get gerbers, ODB++ database files, and an IPC-D-356 netlist.
Good to know, but I'm affraid you've lost me with the technical stuff. I'd prefer just getting a kit, or a PCB and source the components, and just build the thing.

As an example, I'm lost if there is no specified enclosure. I'm THAT new.
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post #9 of 9
12/17/09 at 2:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by WyldRage View Post
As an example, I'm lost if there is no specified enclosure. I'm THAT new.
I guess its every guy's own choice when to get into high voltages but better a little too late than too soon.

Try the hagerman bugle. Easy to build, inexpensive, very tweakable, and consistently gets VERY good reviews. Aside from the fact that it uses opamps (4 things that make a great & easy project VS why do you want tubes anyways?), what more could a guy really ask for? I dont think it comes with a case, but everything else is done. Buying DIY parts in baby steps.
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