What phono pre would you like to see tested next?

[Bob from Florida]

This is my first post but I'm a long time lurker

I bought an IFI Zen Phono from AudioAdvice a couple weeks ago. It was in stock and arrived the next day, but now appears back-ordered.
On the same day I ordered a 4.4mm to XLR cable from eBay which uses Sommer cable. I chose this because the IFI cable is back-ordered everywhere and seems very over-priced ($100) and several reviews of the few other options on Amazon indicated those cables were poorly constructed and noisy when handled. The only other option was Hart cables which I found had a very long lead time.

We will see - I understand IFI has some packaging constraints but IMO this esoteric 4.4mm output is the biggest drawback of this device and the lack of availability of reasonably priced cables on the market a significant issue. Of course, there's the counter argument that a balanced output at this price point is already a bonus.

Nevertheless I am expecting the cable to arrive in a week or two. I would be happy to ship the unit + cable in for testing after that point. I selected the IFI based on their claims ("Super-silent noise floor -151dBV", "Precise RIAA with Balanced output, performance comparable to +$1k phono stages", etc.)
- would like to see them supported (or not) by measurements.

Frankly IFI hawking fancy "helix design" $100 cables for a $189 pre that is marketed as a performance for $/value engineering exercise seems like an inherent contradiction so I am curious the outcome.

The balanced cable pricing from iFi gave me some pause, however, the construction seemed solid from iFi's description. When I compared it to the generic offerings available, those offerings looked substantially different - as in you get what you pay for. I eventually found the iFi cable in stock at Audio46 and you can get 10% off by signing up for their emails, so $10 off. The cable itself is amazingly supple and well made. The price is about double or so the "knock off" brands and was worth it in my case. My other option was to get a 4.4 mm plug and make my own. A bit of laziness on my part steered me to getting it from Audio46.

 

[rwforsyth]

I have the TCC TC-750, US$44. https://www.phonopreamps.com/tc750pp.html

It came with a wall wart, asserted to be a regulated power supply that output 0.5A at 12V. Then I read about their offer of a supply that outputs 1.5A at 12V and bought it, US$12. It certainly made a difference in what I heard. In comparison the 0.5A sounds thin and bright. Anyway, I'm happy to feed a Rega Planar 2 into it.

I

I have the TCC TC-750, US$44. https://www.phonopreamps.com/tc750pp.html

It came with a wall wart, asserted to be a regulated power supply that output 0.5A at 12V. Then I read about their offer of a supply that outputs 1.5A at 12V and bought it, US$12. It certainly made a difference in what I heard. In comparison the 0.5A sounds thin and bright. Anyway, I'm happy to feed a Rega Planar 2 into it.

I have a Behringer pp400, which also sounded thin with the supplied wall wart with 12 volts and just 300 milliamps. I substituted a 12 volt power supply with 5 amp output, which had a similar effect. Sound now is fuller. I cant explain the improvement but I'm no electronics expert.

 

[NTTY]

I'd love to see this one reviewed. The Drawmer MC 1.1 is a bit expensive (500$ in my country) but if it works well, I'd go for it:

More information here:

Drawmer MC1.1 Monitor PreAmplifier

www.drawmer.com

 

[jp4573]

I am curious about this cheap one.

http://www.szfxaudio.com/ProductDetail/4596632.html

U1= TL071C
U2= JRC 2068
U3= TL071C
U4= JRC 2068

 

[KRhodes]

I'm don't care what is discussed in this thread, just want to inform you that I already bought a phono and sent it in for testing. Not looking for more at this point.

 

[Cwopete5]

I have the TCC TC-750, US$44. https://www.phonopreamps.com/tc750pp.html

It came with a wall wart, asserted to be a regulated power supply that output 0.5A at 12V. Then I read about their offer of a supply that outputs 1.5A at 12V and bought it, US$12. It certainly made a difference in what I heard. In comparison the 0.5A sounds thin and bright. Anyway, I'm happy to feed a Rega Planar 2 into it.

Another vote for the TCC TC-750. I just pulled my Emotiva XPS-1 from my system due to unacceptable noise/hiss. Installed the TC-750 and it's dead quiet all the way up to full volume (Vincent SV-500). I also have the upgraded power supply and it sounds terrific. The unit has the RIAA curve response printed on the top of the cover. Be interesting to see if real world test results match.

 

[Chazz6]

Another vote for the TCC TC-750. I just pulled my Emotiva XPS-1 from my system due to unacceptable noise/hiss. Installed the TC-750 and it's dead quiet all the way up to full volume (Vincent SV-500). I also have the upgraded power supply and it sounds terrific. The unit has the RIAA curve response printed on the top of the cover. Be interesting to see if real world test results match.

Parallel experience all the way: I tried an Emotiva general-purpose preamp and found it too bright.