One thing I know for sure—I need more records. Lots more records.
Another thing I know for sure is I enjoyed the heck out of every phono stage in this mini phono stage survey along with the process of listening to records and the education in difference. Yes, each of these fine phono stages had its own voice, their own interpretation of the music in play, and I can easily see how each one has their own unique appeal. The process also inspired stories, memories buried deep but brought to the surface in an effort to communicate the experience of listening more fully, beyond notions of sound quality to call attention to how listening to music on the hifi can be a deeply meaningful, life altering experience.
Beyond the obviously limited number of phono stages in this mini survey, it’s also important to note the associated gear which plays as important a role in outcomes. I decided to stick with one cartridge throughout, another clear limitation but a necessary one given the amount of time needed to get to know each of these eight phono stages in situ.
If you want to know what I thought of each, in detail, the reviews hold your answers.
The Reviews
Schiit Mani 2 MM/MC Phono Preamp ($149)
MoFi StudioPhono ($349)
Aurorasound VIDA Prima Phono Stage ($1290)
Hegel V10 Phono Preamp ($1650)
Lejonklou Slipsik 7.1 MM Phono Stage ($1795)
EAR Phono Classic (MM/MC w/volume) ($2595)
Manley Chinook SE MKII ($3199)
Parasound JC 3+ Phono Preamplifier ($3199)
The System
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M Black
Turntable: Michell Gyro SE
Tonearm: Michell TA8
Integrated Amplifier: Leben CS600X
Speakers: DeVore Fidelity O/96
Rack: Box Furniture ‘Fallen A”
Cables: AudioQuest ThunderBird, FireBird, and Everest Interconnects, Robin Hood Speaker Cables, Thunder High-Current AC power cables, NRG-Z3 Low-Distortion 3-Pole power cable
Power: AudioQuest Niagara 3000
The Chair: Red Eames LCW
The Barn
Overall Interior Dimensions: 35’ x 40’ x 12’ ceilings
Listening Side: 18’ x 35’ x 12’
My Favorite Phono Stages
Coming into this lovely exercise I committed to picking favorites so that’s what I’m going to do, even though I could easily live with any one of these fine specimens. Any one of them, happily ever after. When picking favorites, I’m focusing in on my preferences which are informed by taste as much as the associated equipment, the room, and the music I enjoy listening to, which is why I talk about all of these things in each of the reviews.
I also mounted the classic (and HiFi Bargain) Denon DL-103 cartridge to play with each of my favorite phono stages to see how they handled its MC load and there were two standouts—the Aurorasound VIDA Prima and EAR Phono Classic, each sounding as if their designers used the Denon in their design process. On that note, Aurorasound mentions the Denon 103 in the VIDA manual (hint), and I’ve heard through the grapevine that EAR’s designer Tim De Paravicini used the 103 during his product’s development. In any case, if you own a Denon DL-103 and are looking for a phono stage that gets its particular magic, I can recommend the Aurorasound VIDA Prima and EAR Phono Classic as excellent partners.
Without further ado, I give you my favorite phono stages from the group of eight.
Schiit Mani 2
I bet you saw that coming. The diminutive Schiit Mani 2 costs $149 and “offered shockingly good sound,” a winning combo if ever there was one. Via its bottom-mounted DIP switches, the Mani 2 offers a number of loading options and supports MM and MC carts and it plays music with authority, weight, and life-like sparkle.
While it played nice with the Denon DL-103, the combination lacked the weight and richness that came with spending more money…
Aurorasound VIDA Prima
I enjoyed the VIDA Prima with the Ortofon 2M Black, finding it “rich, detailed and—of greatest importance—well balanced”. Coupled with its retro-inspired looks, I could easily make it mine for the longer haul. When paired with the Denon 103, I fell even more deeply, as this couple made music sound even richer—as bold as love. While the 103 is not as detailed as the Ortofon, it injects a jolt of sonic energy into any music you ask it to play. Super addictive.
If I list all of the VIDA Prima’s pluses, they make its $1290 asking price sound like a bargain.
EAR Phono Classic
In its review guise, the EAR comes in at $2595 but the MM-only version wearing a basic black faceplate lowers that price to $1695, a tad more than the Hegel V10 and a tad cheaper than the Lejonklou Slipsik. For my tastes, I preferred the EAR’s rich and full sound even though its not as detailed as the Hegel or as refined as the Lejonklou. I found the Phono Classic to be “much more dexterous” than my old 2-stroke Kawasaki “but hot damn! It sure can growl”.
And as I said up front, the EAR also took the signal from the Denon 103 and turned it into high energy, rich, bold and beautiful music. Woof!
Manley Chinook SE MKII
The Manley Chinook took all of the things I loved about the VIDA Prima and EAR and added a further level of refinement, control, resolution, finesse, and color, lighting up all of my music with a spark of life that blazed with energy. The Manley offers excitement in sound, which, to my way of listening, forges a direct connection to the music in play. When coupled with the Denon 103, music took on a weightier and more vibrant vibe but in this case I kinda missed the Ortofon’s more refined presentation.
“Listening to my system with the Manley Chinook as part of it offered the deepest, most moving, and fastest track yet into a one-on-one communion with the cherished songs, sounds, stories, and moods laying in wait in records, slivers of magic that can change the course of our lives if we let them in.”
