It seems there is some demand for a Schiit all tube phono preamp...Tubes have real world constraints which impact costs and features.
Given the above info, what say you all?
My question is, why have you guys not built this already? I mean, seriously? Or maybe you have and are waiting to release it at the right time. But let's go through your list anyways.
The first is an unsuitability for all but the highest output moving coil cartridges.
Many of your customers are not worried about this. Many who own extremely low output moving coil carts know that there is a tremendous amount of clean power they need. It's kind of like buying planars - it is not just the cost of the planars, but the amp needed to push them to the level of refinement required. Many of your customers would more than likely have high output moving magnet (or moving iron, like those awful Grados) cartridges. So with the majority of carts out there, even high end ones, being MM, and the fact you would be able to accommodate some of the MC carts, except for the extremely low output ones, I see no issue here. Especially when you have a preamp already for those type of carts.
The next issue is gain – this is due to my philosophy of no feedback vacuum tube design.
Same kind of point as above. I have the Mani and I'm using Ortofon 2M Blue with 47K load (obviously) and 48db gain (Gain 1 = H, Gain 2 = L). I found 1 = L, 2 = H a bit soft and missing something on the top end. And both on high distorted badly. So, if that is the kind of gain you are needing (the Mani with both 1 and 2 on high), then I would say it is not needed. Even my old vintage Shure cart distorted on this setting as well as my AT95E. Now, granted, all of those carts are MM, but that is mostly set with the incoming impedance setting. I doubt anything that impedance needs that much gain.
Either way, I still say fixed gain and only MM is not that bad giving the quality of the preamp. If anyone NEEDS that, you still have a preamp that works. You can't make a product for every turntable setup. And sometimes more settings is just confusing to your customers. Remember, most of your customers that are buying the Mani, it is their first phono preamp they have ever purchased.
The next constraint is no tube rolling outside of the 6DJ8/6922/7308 family.
That is enough tubes to roll. Once again, too many choices. Other manufacturers don't even go that far. One tube they support, that's it. A phono preamp has much more delicate impedances to deal with as you say with the proper RIAA curve, so users can deal with it. It is what is.
Finally we get to cost. The net result is that such a proposed design will be 4 to 5 times the price of a Mani.
Mani is going for $129. It smokes every preamp in that price rage. I think it is even better than the popular Rega Fono at $395 and that thing is only MM. I even read a review that said is is just as prestigious as their Clearaudio Mini V2 (which is about the same physical size as the Mani), and that thing is $450. [To anyone reading this, yes, the Mani is THAT good.]
But those are solid state...okay. 4 to 5 times the price of the Mani would be $516 to $645 range. That is actually a pretty wide range, and your main competition in this would be the Pro-Ject Tube Box S and the Tube Box DS, which are most likely using high negative feedback designs and nasty 12AX7 tubes. Yes, they have all that customizability (especially with the DS model), but at what expense? It negates the advantages of tubes when you have to make such sacrifices (and again, with those nasty and noisy guitar amp 12AX7 tubes). And let's not even mention the
Rolls Bellaris - they don't even count as tube preamps. So nobody even makes a tube phono preamp in this price range that would be likely as good as the one you could build.
So again I say, what is stopping you?
One last thing I will say...I see there are many Schiit items on Amazon, but the Mani is not one of them. There is a big market for external phono premaps, and good ones, to match their Rega's, Pro-Jects, Music Hall, and even Audio-Technica turntables. This is mostly due to the fact that phono preamps are not included in receivers these days.
@Jason Stoddard ought to consider it. I think you guys are missing out.