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Phono pre-amp opinions needed

I ended up with the Cambridge Audio 640P. Nice phono pre, good price at Decibel.com.
Thanks for all the help.:thmbsp:
 
stereo_dog said:
I ended up with the Cambridge Audio 640P. Nice phono pre, good price at Decibel.com.
Thanks for all the help.:thmbsp:
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You made a good choice. :thmbsp: Notice i didn't say the rite choice I didn't want to ruffle the feathers of any of the other phono preamp owners but truth be told you did make the rite choice oops I said it lol:D
 
Don't consider the Rotel they missed it for phono preamps sounds horrible. If you want a reasonable and awesome sound phono preamp. Look at a Marantz CD-400 demodulator. Its a CD4 demodulator I know but it does 2-channel sound awesome. I like it as much as my tube preamp in my Dynaco PAS2. Plus the marantz has an aux. input to replace the aux. input that it takes up. The only other preamp to have is either the Bugle mentioned above or build that preamp that the board is sold in canada off of FLeabay. Its based on the marantz 7c and I am building one as we speak. If you want info on this preamp let me know. Just my 2 cents.
 
stereo_dog said:
I ended up with the Cambridge Audio 640P. Nice phono pre, good price at Decibel.com.
Thanks for all the help.:thmbsp:
Click to expand...

Congrats and nice choice Stereo_dog, hope you enjoy the 640P as much as I do! :banana:

Stanton681EEES said:
You made a good choice. :thmbsp: Notice i didn't say the rite choice I didn't want to ruffle the feathers of any of the other phono preamp owners but truth be told you did make the rite choice oops I said it lol:D
Click to expand...

Hey Stanton what the he**'s wrong with the Hagerman Bugle??? Just kiddin', thought I'd flame you first. :D
 
AFpay said:
The only other phono stage seperate that I had besides the ones mentioned in my last post was a Rotel. Now before everyone yells at me, it is solid state, does MC & MM and is quiet as a mouse. (no load options though)When I bought it years ago, it was $200 dollars. Nothing fancy, but Rotel is a solid company and underrated in my opinion, besides that, it sounded fine to me. If you wonder why I sold it, that's my nature, I like to move and try out different components. Phono stages are fun to sample because they do make a difference and you can hear it.

The number 1 feature for me with a phono stage however is quiet. At the very least, the Rotel had that feature when played in my system.
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That would be the RQ-970BX and it is quiet and a decent performer. About $125 in the used market.
 
Don't kno wyour budget, but not needing an MC, take a look at the Transcendent Sound Phono Pre kit. Dead quiet, highly detailed, and holds its value. Straightforward, not difficult assembly (at least for me) if you're good with soldering.

I run this into a tube pre and then into a tube amp and out through KEFs. The front is an old technics SL-1700 with an inexpensive AT OC9 MC cartridge followed by Altec 4722 step-ups.

Before that I used a NAD PP2 with the above set up before I got the TS Phono Pre. At $75.00 (new about $125.00) it is a giant killer, and it's now my back-up/traveling phono-pre. Yes, a phono pre is needed for a tube pre, but the NAD is no better than the phono stage in the Marantz 2270, Technics SA-500, or DBX CX1 I own.
 
GeraldM ~ how do the preamps of the tc style ( TC450, TC753LC and a TC754 ) Compare with the Cambridge audio stuff ? Huge difference ?
 
Have the Cambridge 640P for a few weeks now and I love it. It needs a good week to burn it in. The soundstage is much bigger than my phono input on my Harman Kardon receiver. Paid $179 and worth every penny! You just can't go wrong with this unit for the money. Get one!
 
Does the cambridge use line voltage or does it us a DC adapter? In this price range, which units run on AC voltage with standard plug or is DC pretty standard?

I have grounding issues using wallworts in my system, that is why I ask.
 
No one mentioned the Music Hall PA1.2 yet...

Any experiences? At $150, it seems fairly priced, has MM and MC and looks good to boot!

Any thoughts?
 
I had the earlier version of the Bellari (VP-129) and sent it packing because I couldn't chase out all of the hum. I have a Musical Fidelity X-LPSv3 and an Aragon 47K that I very pleased with. Both are MM/MC capable, and the Aragon has numerous load and gain settings for custom tailoring the sound with LOMC carts.
 
ryson2 said:
Does the cambridge use line voltage or does it us a DC adapter? In this price range, which units run on AC voltage with standard plug or is DC pretty standard?

I have grounding issues using wallworts in my system, that is why I ask.
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Ryson2, unfortunately the 640P uses a wallwart. Did the Bugle work out for you?

SkyLounger, didn't know about the Music Hall PA1.2, a new one to me. So they they said vinyl was dead!???

Tedrick, before buying the 640P I looked at the Bellari but was scared by the reports of hum. Musical Fidelity makes nice equipment. I use their X-Can 3 headphone amp but never heard their phono preamp, bet it sounds real nice.
 
ChairSpud said:
Ryson2, unfortunately the 640P uses a wallwart.

SkyLounger, didn't know about the Music Hall PA1.2, a new one to me. So they they said vinyl was dead!???
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"wallwart" ???


Loooking at the Music Hall and the Pro-Ject preamp on NeedleDoctor.com it seems that for 19$ more, the Pro-Ject has slightly better specs. But would it make such a difference in real life?
 
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