Phono Preamp Advice...Dynavector Karat 23RS

S

SeriouSamuel

New Member
I have a Rega Planar 3 turntable with a Moth MK3 tonearm and a Dynavector Karat 23RS. I need advice on which phono preamp to purchase because I am new to moving coil setups.

The Schiit Mani is in my price range and claims that it is compatible with both MM and MC setups.

http://www.schiit.com/products/mani

Is this a good choice or are there better alternatives? Any advice is welcome.

Cheers!

S
 
I ran a Dynavector Ruby in a Rega P5 for two years. With low output moving coil carts like the Dynavector you need gain (which the Mani has) and an ability to change impedance loading, which the Mani does not have. (It's set at 47 ohm). 100 ohm seems to be the "standard" for MC cartridges if the loading is fixed in a phono stage. The rule of thumb on MC loading is to multiply the internal resistance of the cartridge by 10 and use that as a starting point. Adjust up or down to find the setting you like. If I recall, the DV has a resistance of 30 Ohm.

I liked my Dynavector loaded at 275 ohm, but it also sounded good at 100 ohm. I thought it started to sound sluggish at loading below 100 ohm.

Alternatives that I tried included an Emotiva XPS-1 which has a 100 ohm option or the Lehmann Black Cube that can accept resistors to create custom loading (no soldering required). The Emotiva is under $ 200 and offers a 30 day return period. You'd have to find the Black Cube used to get near that price point. I'd suggest looking for a unit that fits your budget and offers the widest range of settings you can find. That way it can serve you well as you change cartridges.

If you have a MM phono stage, another option would be to put a Step Up Transformer between your turntable and the phono amp. I haven't tried this myself, but lots of people like the sound they get from a SUT better than the sound they get from a MC phono stage.

Last - if you become a subscriber to AudioKarma you can have access to Barter Town where things like phono stages are bought and sold. You could post a "Want to Buy" thread there and see what folks have to offer.

Hope this helps. Happy hunting!
 
if you're as insane as the rest of the asylum, get a cheapie op-amp based MM phono amp,
get a schematic (or start with those that have available schematics) and modify the
gain (from about 45db for MM, to about 60db for MC), it usually about 2 resistors that
form the gain network. then mod the front-end and use a suitable loading resistor.

at the low-end Hagerman has phono preamps that can adjust the gain and the loading.

and lastly, there are cheap board kits (all soldered but needs wiring and power supply)
on eBay from china. warning though, some are pirated clone copies.

BTW the Ruby is one of the finest MC carts out there. it's one of the very
few to track the cannon blasts of Telarc's 1812 Overture.
 
SeriouSamuel said:
I have a Rega Planar 3 turntable with a Moth MK3 tonearm and a Dynavector Karat 23RS. I need advice on which phono preamp to purchase because I am new to moving coil setups.

Cheers!

S
Click to expand...

Which lomc will you be looking at? :idea:

Not all lomc have the same output.
 
According to Vinyl Engine, the Output Impedance is 35 Ohms and the Load Impedance is 100 Ohms, with the Output Voltage listed as .24 mV.

Do you have a phono preamp currently? Your basic choices are between:

A. MC Head Amp -> MM phono preamp
B. Step-Up Transformer -> MM phono preamp (need ~ 20:1 ratio for SUT)
C. MC phono preamp (need 100 Ohm load impedance, and >= 60 dB gain)

If you have a MM phono preamp that you like, I would suggest getting a step-up transformer, or maybe a head amp (pre-preamp).

Since the Mani has a 15-day return policy, you might try it, even though its input impedance is only 47 Ohms.

The new Mobile Fidelity Studio Phono preamp is quite adjustable, gets good reviews, but is twice as expensive as the Mani at $250. It might be a good one to aim for. Your cartridge is a pretty high-end model. Spending a thousand dollars to do it justice would not be out of line, even if it is out of budget.

We would be interested in your impressions of the cartridge, and whatever phono preamp(s) you end up trying. :)
 
Treasure your Dynavector Ruby. Be super careful, you can snap that cantilever with a harsh glance. It was called "the best" in its original TAS review.

I was talking to Andy Kim recently (Seattle Cartridge Retipping) about fixing a Koetsu Rosewood for me, and mentioned I also had the Dynavector Ruby. He was silent for several seconds, then said in an awed tone, "Really? You have one? That's a great cartridge!"
 
might be a little higher then you want to spend but there is a Dynavector P75 phono stage on ebay for $250. i use the P75mklll with my Dynavector 20x2L set to phono enhancer which Dynavector added for theirs and other LOMC carts. it sounds really amazing. i like it better with that cart then my EAR 834P phono stage. *edit* just saw it wasnt a buy it now price but if it can be had under $300 its probably a good price
 
Last edited:
I know everyone has a budget, and sometimes funds can get hard to come by. But a phono stage is a critical component to getting quality analog playback. You have a decent cartridge and turntable, do not limit them by getting the cheapest possible phono stage that might work. The output level of the Dynavector cartridge is fairly low, and you need a phono stage that has a good deal of gain and a low noise floor. That is not typically within the repertoire of a cheap phono stage. If at all possible find one at the level of the Dynavector or the Lehman that have previously been mentioned. The Vista Audio units are quite good also if you can find one used.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
That P75 would be near the top of my list too. The standard 60b boost that most MC pre's provide is not enough for a 0.2mv cart imho.

jblnut
 
Another vote for the P75. Used one (mk1) for several years with Denon DL103r then Dynavector XX2 MK2.
Had to spend a lot more to get significantly better.
 
Looks like I need to expand my price range. I can manage $500ish max at the moment. Anyone have experience listening to the Vista Audio Phono-2?
 
I run a Denon DL-S1 cart . Output is .15mV. It's low.....I get by nicely with a Creek OBH-15 MK2 phono amp.I run her at 70bd of gain. Nice black background....and very dynamic. You can get one over at Needle Doctor for $595.
 
I just inserted a Benz Micro Lukaschek PP-1 T9 MC phono preamp in my system. What an improvement!

I bough it when a friend with a price-is-no-object system recommended it (I've just recently got into MC carts, and so am going through the "upgrading" path), and I believe it when he says this one is one of the best, for under $1000.
 
SeriouSamuel said:
The Schiit Mani is in my price range and claims that it is compatible with both MM and MC setups.
http://www.schiit.com/products/mani
Is this a good choice or are there better alternatives? Any advice is welcome.
Click to expand...
There are so many alternatives on the market now that it's mind-boggling. No doubt you will get lots of suggestions based on what members have and are happy with.

Bob said:
if you're as insane as the rest of the asylum, get a cheapie op-amp based MM phono amp, get a schematic (or start with those that have available schematics) and modify the
gain (from about 45db for MM, to about 60db for MC), it usually about 2 resistors that form the gain network. then mod the front-end and use a suitable loading resistor.
Click to expand...
There are two possible problems there: firstly the OP would have to know what he's doing with electronics and secondly there's a good chance that the signal-to-noise ratio would be poor (depending on what op-amp is used). An op-amp that works fine for mm cartridges can be noisy when used with an LOMC.
 
sure - all the points posited here are valid but for a first time user with a limited (as high as it is) budget is
not looking for state-of-the-art nor should he and would be a waste since the journey is limited.

nothing wrong with buying something cheap then upgrading to a 10K head amp. or take any op-amp
based phono section of a receiver/amp/preamp and get a quote for a 2 resistor change from anyone
with a soldering iron. or buy a ebay unit (used, new, etc) and trying it.

no need for SOTA on a first try. My first car was not a Ferrari although I know one kid who got a
brand new Porsche 911 (TOTL) for his 16th birthday. Father owned a hitech company with his name on
it. and who knows what he upgraded to...
 
Just called the shop servicing my table (upgraded to the Moth arm). Apparently my uncle, who I inherited the gear from, soldered the Dynavector Karat 23RS to the wires in the Tonearm. My tech says removing the solder will destroy the cart....
 
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