For sale (or possible swop for a high-end sub) is Graham Slee's top of the line Revelation phono stage with adjustable EQ and PSU1 upgrade. This is a truly fabulous phono stage (as can be seen from the following review where it sees off competition costing between 3 and 5 times as much):[URL]http://www.avguide.com/review/tead-groove-plus-srx-herron-audio-vpth-2-graham-slee-revelation-phonostages?page=5[/URL] Slee's design philosophy is for maximum bandwidth in all aspects which makes this particularly noise and distortion-free. It has a wonderful way with fine detail, timbre and room acoustics, without the sterility of something like a Whest PS20. Its main claim to fame is its adjustable EQ for non-RIAA recordings - this is basically everything (LP or 78) before 1953, plus many many more recordings right through into the 1970s where the engineers messed around with the equalisation based on their own preferences. This device allows response to be subtly tweaked according to those preferences - not a tone control but a re-optimisation of the equalisation curve to suit the recording. It's designed to be a fairly definitive device to allow not just playback but also archiving of vinyl and shellac recordings. It has a mono switch to facilitate mono playback. The previous Slee device to do this was the Jazz Club (a relative of previous Slee generation Era Gold V, just as the newer Revelation is the added-EQ pair of the current model Reflex - see this review of the Era Gold V to get a feel for the use of the EQ feature [URL]http://www.tnt-audio.com/ampli/jazzclub_e.html[/URL] One of the main changes from the Era Gold/Jazz Club to the new Reflex/Revelation is the adoption of a double-mono signal path, and the option for fitting of balanced outputs (which can be retro-fitted back at the manufacturer). As it's indended for MM/high output MC, I have been using it with Graham Slee's Elevator EXP (see [URL]http://www.tnt-audio.com/ampli/elevator_e.html[/URL] for some info on syngergy with this). Works well not just with and active head amp like the Elevator EXP but also with a good passive step-up transformer. Why am I selling it? Essentially because my Conrad Johnson EV1 (£1795-worth new and a good £1000 second hand) is a whisker better in my all-valve system. But for the price difference (x2.5) there really is very little in it, just perhaps a shade more warmth and mid-range weight - and then you have to figure in its flexibility. I bought it to see how it would partner the Elevator and it is a very good partnership indeed, but after a period of soul-searching and swithering one way and the other, I've come to a conclusion in favour of the tubed stage. It could easily have gone the other way, indeed it does when listening to mono vinyl or with recordings that need a little bit of EQ tweaking to sound their best (we've all got them). Looking for £410 including postage, payment by bank transfer. Paypal OK if you gift it or pay the fees. This model (with the linear PSU1) retails for £780. (It's also available with the cheaper 'green' switched mode PSU for just shy of £700, but the PSU1 makes a clearly audible difference). A bargain price for a superb piece of kit.
