[kokushu]

I am looking to upgrade my mf lps phonostage.  So far those two are the one I am interested about.  How does both of these fare against each other.  Is there a better phonostage option than those two if my budget is betweek 1k-1.5k.  Its kind of disappointing that there is not much discussion on phonostage on head fi;  its make its so much harder to gather info. 

 

 

[Uncle Erik]

I've listened to the Eddie Current for a few minutes and really enjoyed it. Haven't heard the RSA phonostage, though.

Another you should consider is the Fi Yph. I've owned one for a few years and am very happy with it. It's in your price range, too. You'll find a few reviews out there, but it's not that well known. Still, an excellent product. Entirely handmade and built point-to-point. You won't find a more unique chassis, either.

 

[Audio Addict]

I have the XR2 as well as the RSA Nighthawk and between the two, it is pretty even match to my ears. My XR2 has been upgraded to the latest chipset used in the Nighthawk. I think that is what Ray puts in the XR2 now. I know one of the reviewers had their RSA X10B upgraded to the latest chips and indicated they were an improvement to the X10B as well.

I have not had any experience with the Eddie Current phonostage.

I would suggest discussing you preferences with the two vendors and see which one sounds more to your expectation. Since neither have a retail outlet, I would discuss their audition policy and try the one that sounds like it would fit your needs.

 

[jp11801]

I've had the Eddie Current TA in my system in the past and think it is fantastic. If I did not already own the metric halo uln 8 I'd have stuck with it. I've also had the XR-2 from RSA in my system for a time a while back. I do prefer the ECTA as it is very clean and clear sounding with very good macro and micro dynamics and is even across the audio spectrum. The RSA was very full sounding and warm bodied and was good at macro dynamics but seemed to lack low level resolution and had a dark tone to it.
 
I also second the FI phono as while I've not owned it, I have a FI 2a3/45 amp that is just fantastic, in a pinch also the Bottlehead Seduction is a great way to go.

 

[kokushu]

So no real comparision since none have hard both for extensive amount of time?  Yeah that yi hdp one look different but how do it compare to the two i am thinking about; and where the heck could I buy it at if I decide to get it.  I can't find a dealer for it yet.  So no one really heard of the rsa yet?  Is the ecsa really that big of an improvement over the mf lps?  If its not that much improvement then I might replace my wa6 for wa5 le instead.    Which one is the better SQ improvement for my vinyl setup if I go that route?  Thank you for all your reply all your common have been helpful so far in helping me determine what to do next.

 

 

[jp11801]

maybe I was not clear but yes I had both at different times in my system for a period of about a month each.
 
If you want to the Fi stuff there was one on audiogon for sale recently and Don Garber of Fi is reachable via his email dgfi@earthlink.net,