Now I’m after a phono stage with three specific requirements, beyond sublime sound. I try to treat myself to a piece of hi-fi each year, having bought London and Koetsu cartridges, the Denon DVD-2900 universal player and other bits and pieces since the change of millennia. Read more about Audio Research including preamp and phono stage reviews here.īut it’s time to get selfish. EAR’s 834P remains my sub-£500 all-tube reference, while I can’t recommend too highly either the Pro-Ject Tube or the NAD PP2 for sheer value for money. My absolute references, but beyond my means, are the Manley Steelhead and the Audio Research Reference Phono, while I adore the EAR 324 for its unbelievable flexibility and quietness – a masterpiece. Continuing to revert exclusively to vinyl usage for my ‘pleasure’, as opposed to ‘reviewing’ listening, I’m ecstatic about the flood of killer phono stages available today.
