Will a tube phono pre be worth the purchase?

[MotorMike]

Hi, I have a Music Hall 2.2 turntable, a ss Harman/Kardon AVR25II and a PrimaLuna Prologue 4 tube amp. The HK does have a phono input. I'm wondering if adding a tube phono preamp (looking at the Pro-ject tube box) will yield any better sound beyond the PrimaLuna? Thanks.

 

[joel27]

I will give my opinion as soon as my Tube Box II se shows up. I have a Fisher tube amp and will be trying the same thing.

 

[peterh]

Hi, I have a Music Hall 2.2 turntable, a ss Harman/Kardon AVR25II and a PrimaLuna Prologue 4 tube amp. The HK does have a phono input. I'm wondering if adding a tube phono preamp (looking at the Pro-ject tube box) will yield any better sound beyond the PrimaLuna? Thanks.

In general yes.
replacing the HK with a tube preamp might be a more efficient solution.

 

[joel27]

I don't know if the Pro-Ject will be any better but I just received my Tube Box DS and couldn't be happier. Great purchase for me.

 

[mhardy6647]

it all depends; I went from tube to solid state - the design, implementation and sound are all more important than whether the active devices are vacuum tubes or transistors.

 

[fhawk618]

it all depends; I went from tube to solid state - the design, implementation and sound are all more important than whether the active devices are vacuum tubes or transistors.

I tend to agree with this satement. In general, MOST dedicated external phono preamps perform better than the phono preamp sections incorporated into multifuction devices such as integrated amps and receivers, since they are exactly that... a dedicated design to perform that single function.

However, the choice between a SS or tube phono preamp is more a matter of personal preference and should be based on the quality of design, build, features and ultimately performance.

Happy hunting...