Psssst.....looking for a great bargain in a good phono stage? Look no further.

[Blumlein 88]

These aren't state of the art. However for $199 with MC and MM capability and selectable loading. I know someone with one and they work very well. Specs are good enough if they come close you'll need something special to make it worth lots more money.
https://emotiva.com/products/xps-1

 

[restorer-john]

I know someone with one and they work very well.

It looks like a great value for money product. You can even use a split personality cartridge- one that is MM on one channel and MC on the other!

Uses a Linear Tech LT-1115 for each channel.

Here is the application note design for an RIAA preamp:

I would expect that MarchAudio might consider going the whole hog and producing a balanced input RIAA stage perhaps? The only trouble with that are many turntables may need tonearm rewiring, especially ones that use muting circuitry for cue up/down and common earths etc.

 

[amirm]

Pretty neat construction:

 

[restorer-john]

Pretty neat construction:

I agree. It looks very well thought out. Chinese RCA jacks look decent and well anchored. Nice earth terminal. Quality main caps bypassed. Decent toggles and recessed DIP switches. Casework looks neat and well finished.

It looks like they are generating the split rails from a single DC rail in the top right corner (see the chokes, diodes and IC), unless it is an AC plugpack input- can't tell.

The LT-1115 is a very interesting device.

Maybe you should buy one and test it or ask Emotiva to borrow one?

 

[Wombat]

I agree. It looks very well thought out. Chinese RCA jacks look decent and well anchored. Nice earth terminal. Quality main caps bypassed. Decent toggles and recessed DIP switches. Casework looks neat and well finished.

It looks like they are generating the split rails from a single DC rail in the top right corner (see the chokes, diodes and IC), unless it is an AC plugpack input- can't tell.

The LT-1115 is a very interesting device.

Maybe you should buy one and test it or ask Emotiva to borrow one?

I second that.

 

[Wombat]

These aren't state of the art. However for $199 with MC and MM capability and selectable loading. I know someone with one and they work very well. Specs are good enough if they come close you'll need something special to make it worth lots more money.
https://emotiva.com/products/xps-1View attachment 18792

I could feed that through my very old SoundBlaster Extigy external sound card ADC section into computer USB for ripping vinyl. Yes, I know there are better ADCs but I have this one and I think it will do the job(not an SOTA guy). Any Extigy deficiencies will probably be swamped by vinyl ones.

 

[sergeauckland]

Any idea of the overload margin? Sadly, not mentioned in the spec, and many modern phono stages don't do well there.

S

 

[Blumlein 88]

Any idea of the overload margin? Sadly, not mentioned in the spec, and many modern phono stages don't do well there.

S

No I don't know. I don't think it is a problem. My friend has no issues with that and he has a very high quality LP rig. He's previously used much more expensive gear than this for phono. It was during a switch over to digital room correction he went with this as a temporary measure, and found it good enough it became non-temporary.

 

[sergeauckland]

No I don't know. I don't think it is a problem. My friend has no issues with that and he has a very high quality LP rig. He's previously used much more expensive gear than this for phono. It was during a switch over to digital room correction he went with this as a temporary measure, and found it good enough it became non-temporary.

I think it IS an issue, but depending on the cartridge. As the gain is fixed at either 40 or 60dB, the voltage output will depend on the cartridge. A highish output MM, say 6mV, will output a nominal 600mV from a 5cm/sec record, but 6V from a 'hot' LP. Will the phono stage manage that without clipping?

On MC, the gain is 60dB which will be OK for a 150uV cartridge, but may not be for a 500uV cartridge, or indeed a 1mV cartridge like my TSD15. The TSD15 could be used into the MM input, but then the noise performance won't be as good, albeit probably adequate.

There's really no reason not to quote overload margin unless they have a reason no to.

S

 

[Blumlein 88]

I think it IS an issue, but depending on the cartridge. As the gain is fixed at either 40 or 60dB, the voltage output will depend on the cartridge. A highish output MM, say 6mV, will output a nominal 600mV from a 5cm/sec record, but 6V from a 'hot' LP. Will the phono stage manage that without clipping?

On MC, the gain is 60dB which will be OK for a 150uV cartridge, but may not be for a 500uV cartridge, or indeed a 1mV cartridge like my TSD15. The TSD15 could be used into the MM input, but then the noise performance won't be as good, albeit probably adequate.

There's really no reason not to quote overload margin unless they have a reason no to.

S

You could be right. I simply don't have the information. Probably could puzzle out some idea of it from the circuit. My only info is audible overload hasn't been noticed on any occasions.

 

[bigx5murf]

I would love to see this one measured https://www.ebay.com/itm/Stereo-Pho...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

Supposedly it's a knockoff of the original hagerman bugle

 

[restorer-john]

...There's really no reason not to quote overload margin unless they have a reason no to...

Very true. Overload margins have decreased massively, it was only yesterday I was looking at the spec for the Yamaha AS-3000 and AS-2100 current model integrated amplifiers. I was disgusted to see a overload/max input spec worse than any integrated I've ever seen:

AS-3000

AS-2100

Clearly Yamaha is taking its customers for idiots.

 

[sergeauckland]

Yes, those Yamaha overload margins are barely adequate at 20dB above 5mV for MM. MC is even less good for the majority of MCs which output 300uV or more at 5cm/sec. Typical of providing too much gain........it's so powerful, I can blow out the windows and the volume control's only at 9 o'clock! CD is almost 20dB more sensitive than it needs to be! Marketing wins again.

S

 

[restorer-john]

...it's so powerful, I can blow out the windows and the volume control's only at 9 o'clock!...

Yep, that's the plan. "look at this, I'm only at a quarter volume". Cynical, but typical.

If Amir ends up testing one, he can easily determine the overload at various frequencies, not just 1KHz.

 

[Wombat]

NAD, 35 years of consumer Phono level progress.

Eighties:

Current: PP4/PP2i


The recent one is somewhat superior to the old one in phono overload, it seems.

Is the 3020e phono overload spec acceptable?

 

[restorer-john]

Is the 3020e phono overload spec acceptable?

It's acceptable, yes. Not mad on the RIAA deviation, you can do a whole lot better than that. But bear in mind, that is a built-in phono stage on a budget integrated amplifier of yesteryear. It's not bad, that's for sure. I've had several 3020, 3020i, 3020es and sold them all. They have a great resale and can often be picked up very cheaply. You can't go wrong at the right price- you'll make money and get to try it.

If I was in the market a really decent phono stage, I'd be tracking down some decent 80s, very early 90s standalone preamplifiers. (Yamaha/Denon/Marantz/Pioneer/Luxman/Rotel/NAD/Accuphase/Sony/Onkyo etc). You get multiple inputs, excellent phono stages, proper tape loops, decent facilities, direct and bypass options along with high quality components, often excellent headphone amplifiers and usually phenomenal line stage buffers.

Your Technics TT has an onboard step up for the MC cartridge, but IIRC, all these listed below have switchable MM/MC front ends.


Yamaha C2/C2a/C2x/C60/C80/CX600/CX800/CX1000
Denon PRA1000/2000/3000 (forget the PRA-1500, it has a crap phono stage, might be remote and have XLRs, but they seriously skimped on the RIAA stage)
Marantz SC500 is a nice little unit and very cheap- performs well/ SC6/SC11/SC8
Pioneer C90/C90s/C91
Luxman C03/C05
Rotel RC850/870BX they have a lot of nice preamps that are cheap on the 2nd market, look good and are well made.
NAD Monitor series preamps/1130/1155
Accuphase All of them (I have a C-11 with a lovely phono stage)
Sony TAE77es/TAE77esD (with inbuilt DAC)/TAE80es/TAE90es
Onkyo P304/P3060/P3090

The ones in bold I have owned or still own.

If you want a list of integrated amplifiers with spectacular phono stages I can rattle off some models based on my experience/ownership/testing. I reckon there are still bargains to be had if you hunt a bit.

 

[Wombat]

It's acceptable, yes. Not mad on the RIAA deviation, you can do a whole lot better than that. But bear in mind, that is a built-in phono stage on a budget integrated amplifier of yesteryear. It's not bad, that's for sure. I've had several 3020, 3020i, 3020es and sold them all. They have a great resale and can often be picked up very cheaply. You can't go wrong at the right price- you'll make money and get to try it.

If I was in the market a really decent phono stage, I'd be tracking down some decent 80s, very early 90s standalone preamplifiers. (Yamaha/Denon/Marantz/Pioneer/Luxman/Rotel/NAD/Accuphase/Sony/Onkyo etc). You get multiple inputs, excellent phono stages, proper tape loops, decent facilities, direct and bypass options along with high quality components, often excellent headphone amplifiers and usually phenomenal line stage buffers.


Yamaha C2/C2a/C2x/C60/C80/CX600/CX800/CX1000
Denon PRA1000/2000/3000
Marantz SC500 is a nice little unit and very cheap- performs well/ SC6/SC11/SC8
Pioneer C90/C90s/C91
Luxman C03/C05
Rotel RC850/870BX they have a lot of nice preamps that are cheap and well made.
NAD Monitor series preamps/1130/1155
Accuphase All of them
Sony TAE77ed/TAE77esD (with inbuilt DAC)/TAE80es/TAE90es
Onkyo P304/P3060/P3090/

I have a 3020e. It may well do in the short-term.
I feel that using the Sony TA 4650 as a phono stage is a waste. If the problem of shipping an amp(cost for non-business) was easy it would be up for sale at a bargain price.

 

[bigx5murf]

This is currently my favorite phono that I own. It's a PS audio phono preamplifier II, from the 70s. I wish I could figure out the cap values so I can recap them. I've tried reaching out to PS audio and no response so far.

 

[Wombat]

The caps have printed info. No problem to R-J or other hands-on members.

 

[restorer-john]

This is currently my favorite phono that I own. It's a PS audio phono preamplifier II, from the 70s. I wish I could figure out the cap values so I can recap them. I've tried reaching out to PS audio and no response so far.

Goodness me, that is a seat-of-the-pants preamplifier. But easy to work on.

Step 1: lift one leg of each cap and measure it. Crosscheck those approximate measured values obtained, to the markings and post them (and the markings) here and we can ID them for you if you have difficulty.

Step2: Any and all of those ancient carbon film resistors can be replaced with 1% metal film. Even go 0.1% in the RIAA network.

Step3: kill the tantalums, they are evil. Tell us the value and voltage and we can recommend replacements.

Step4: maybe look to move the t/x former or at least shield it- it looks like a basic little EI with no mu-metal shielding or anything. That said, a nice through-hole vintage PCB is fun to work on and the basics appear good.