i'm an arse

just got my 99 preamp back from quad for the second time. apparently, it's not broken - i didn't read the instructions and was not switching between MM and MC, just changing the sensitivity.
it sounds good through the planar 3 and elys but i'm sure my old MF preamp 3 had a more vibrant and three dimensional phono stage - this is from memory; i haven't played a record for nearly six months but i intend to do comparisons tonight.
my question is, how much do i have to spend on an outboard phono stage to get 'better' sound. people here have reccomended the slee 2se and ear stages but there are quite a few that are rated at half the price, the slee 1 for example.
the elys will be replaced by a denon 110 or 304 shortly if i can find somewhere that will let my fumbly fingers loose on their delicate little boxes.
did i really just say that?

 

If you want a good budget phono stage I found the Cambridge 640p to be a pleasurable little beastie, The next one up that I would suggest would the be Slee 2 se. I did have a switch on/off thump with the slee that I did not have with the Cambridge. Rega wiring I would think (P25-DL110). If you go for the 304 it may be worth while looking around for the Rega MC phono, if on the other hand you go for the DL110 I would suggest you try it through the Quad before you spend any money on a stage, as it could well be the elys that's not living up to expectations. In fact that could equally apply to either cart. If you get the 110, give it 20-40 hours before you are over critical of it, it seem a touch splashy in its early hours of usage, but once settled in its probably the best ?200 cart out there. (I know its 70 ish) and it seems to enjoy life on a Rega arm, just try to get some better mounting bolts than the ones supplied by Denon.
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Head shop

 

pixies, I don't think anyone can tell you how much you need to spend on a phono stage to be happy with it - what an individual call that is.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love valves, and no-where more so than in a phono stage.

Try to audition a few budget valve phono stages to get a flavour.

 

Chunk by chunk I've been really impressed with the upgrade path of the Trichord Dino, the add on options are great. First upgrade I bought the external power supply, second upgrade I bought the uprated power interconnect. Each upgrade has genuinely improved the sound from the basic priced unit, I don't know many other phono stages that can grow with my rather limited budget. The dip switches underneath the main body allow for infinite cartridge load tweeking MM or MC.
heres the review: http://www.coherent-systems.co.uk/magreview_2.asp

sure there are cheaper ones out there, but not this kind of flexibility. I lurve it.

 

thanks for the replys. at the moment my vinyl replay is just a little fat a wallowy - i don't want a sharp sound but it lacks the detail of my 99cdp.
what's the best way to upload photos on here? - haven't done it for as while

 

you can upload pictures if they are below a certain size and resolution.

click ''go advanced'' at the bottom of the page, and then click ''manage attachments''.

If you have pictures stored on a public website that you want to link to, instead:
1) click on ''go advanced''
2) then click on the picture which looks like mountains and the sun with a yellow background.

 

actually the phono stages in the 99 are very good ..not astonishingly good but better than my iso ...so don't be too quick to change