WTB Used Moderate Phono Stage

I'm looking for just a modest/used phono stage, considered as budget one.I can stretch my budget up to RM600 if the item suit to me.Must have MC line since my amp only provide MM line only.Need MC since I owned 2 turntables,one using MM cart., the other using MC cart.
Noted that there's a guy by the name Abhas wanted to sell his NAD PP2 but problems is he's in Dubai, so how to deal?
All vinyl junkies out there whose owned extra phono stage(moderate ones) pls help me to make my other turntable spinning again.

Call/PM or sms me at 017-2726309 if u have any.Tq

u can buy a brand new NAD PP-something phono stage for RM300~400 from A&L Audio. But be prepared to set your expectations for sound quality to be rock bottom with this NAD PP phono stage.

If u can stretch to RM1K , this would buy you a Clearaudio Nano-Fono thingy. Brand new.

Or there might be a guy selling off a Dynavector P75Mk.II soon... Maybe for around RM1K or so for s/hand. New is around close to RM2K.

B52....

Excuse me Mugen..... to add on....

If your Budget is in the range of RM600 and if you could stretch the budget a bit ......you can get a Cambridge Audio 640P with MM / MC capability.

This would be a much better performer then the NAD PP entry level range.

Check this thread out :

http://www.hifi4sale.net/equipment-discussions-f6/phono-stage-t6882.htm

That would give you a clear picture to make the choice.

cheers

Dear Mugen & Wingman,

Thanks mates for your generous advice.I agreed with Wingman about NAD PP2 is very average kind of phono stage or so called entry level.I'm not sure whether this PP2 can drive my MC cart (Audio Technica AT OC5 & Benz Micro MC Silver, both low output) with ease.But due to tight budget this month I only can afford used phono stage up to RM600.

I owned Cambridge Audio 540p(MM only) before and its good to me and might be the upper model, 640P,from info gathered my frenzs it not so good in MC line.What about Rotel any idea,anyone?

I know my tight budget permit me, but the problem now that both my MC Cartridge are low output,therefore I need a phono stage with output voltage of 0.3mV minimum.

Please help, my dearest vinyl lovers/vinyl junkies/vinyl addicts or I might turn up listening to Digital which I Never Ever intend to do so.

Tq
B52

u should have mentioned that you're using Benz MC Silver earlier.

You'll need a much better phonostage as the 0.3mV output from the MC Silver means u will need to "invest" more on the phonostage, otherwise your Benz rig might end up sounding worse than the MM rig.

U need the flexibility of gain and load settings to really dial-in the
proper freq response. So far, for the lowest cost phono stage with gain
and load flexibility, only the Clearaudio nano-Phono comes to mind.
Anything less and you're better off just sticking to MM carts.
I've gone thru 2 Benz MC carts and they definitely need good phono stages to really sing. All MC carts in general need the flexibility of gain adjustment, and various impedance load settings.

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/clearaudio4/nano.html

If u want to touch, caress, grope and listen to it, it is being sold brand new at a hifi shop in PJ.

If u get a CA Azur 640p, you're stuck with fixed gain (50-something dB) , and a fixed 100ohm loading. Definitely NOT ideal for playing MC carts. If u go for the NAD PP, even worse.

Some people playing MC carts end up getting worse sound than MM setups because they did not load and gain-set their phono stages appropriately, or they are unable to because their phono stages are too limited & inflexible. In this case, better off to be playing MP3, for sure will get better sound than a wrongly-loaded and wrongly-gained MC rig.


Its like having BMW 325i but putting Sime Tyre on it...

Has anyone tried this- use an old amp's on-board mm/mc board and take the line out to your amp. I did using an my son's Musical Fidelity A1 and also my Pioneer A400. They sound perfectly good for me though I'm using a dedicated phono stage for a long time now.

Those days TTs were front ends and amps came with serious phono stages and you can buy these amps cheap nowadays.

Cheers.

the matter is more than just having a phono stage , but that for MC carts, the importance of proper loading and gain matching is perhaps the most crucial electrical link in an MC eco-system, yet alot are oblivious to it. And often times, MC carts get wrongly blamed for sounding bad. Or worse still, people draw wrong conclusions that LPs sound "not as good as their CD player"...

The odds are not in favour of anyone getting one MC cart that magically works well with one fixed setting MC phono stage.

MC carts can range from 0.1mV to a high 1+mV output, and its internal coil impedances can range from 2 Ohms to maybe a couple hundred Ohms. Hence the need for Adjustable MC stages to properly accommodate MC carts.

MM's are much simpler, its always 47KOhms loading, and mebbe fiddle with a gain here and there only.

Then there's the matter of capacitance loading as well, but think better not go there and elaborate for now.

Mugen , this time I have to agree with u. Loading and gain matching is very important for mc as well as the RIAA curve used. For me, lacking of budget this month, I will save up enough money n go for a gud one in the next few months time.

No point to buy something that u will sell it less than 6 months. If budget permits the Audio Image multi curve phono stage is a gud one..

B52.....

Concur with Mugen , stash the dough, top up and get the right gear to drive the Benz cart.

Does not make sense to rush.

cheers

There is a significant difference between phonostages costing up to RM800(Rotel, Cambridge Audio) and those costing up to RM2k. Of course the more costly ones will perform better. The Audio Image phono stage is very good given its price point and is worthy of consideration.