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In the Forum: Analog Playback
In the Thread: The LCR RIAA correctors
Post Subject: As Though A Point Were Being Made...Posted by Paul S on: 11/10/2009
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Romy, I am not sure that the first part of your response actually addresses the first part of what I was talking about.  So, I +/- repeat myself:

As an extreme example, if I see a claim of "80 dB gain" for a phono stage, it is a dead giveaway that they did not deduct the +/- "universal" 20 dB "loss" for the RIAA network.  Just now, I don't give a crap what "they" say about phono stage gain, since I am out of the market.  But prior to this point I always wished there was some consistency in reporting "gain" for phono stages, whether the RIAA "losses" were factored in, or not.

As for "cost effective" phono stages, this is self-explanitory and inarguable. Just look at the miriad "Stereophile Class A Recommended" list for a bunch of too-expensive phono stages, including several that use a 3rd, "active" LO MC gain stage.  IMO, this approach is so seldom realized sonically that Shoppers could safely use this "spec" as a "no-go" fault threshhold to save themselves money, going in.  Shoppers: Yes, it's hard to pick the "right" step-up for your cartridge; but you will likely fare better, musically, with a "carefully chosen" step-up than you will with the average "high-end" "active" LO MC step-up.

I have never used the 417 or 437, but I have heard plenty of whining from folks who do.  They often pay a small fortune for "special" tubes and wind up with tubes they simply cannot use for low-level input.

I am suspicious of trying to get "the most possible gain" from any one tube/stage, especially a phono input stage.  This seems like a sure-fire recipe for hearing the tube instead of the music.  I am instantly suspicious of "active" "raw" LO MC input stages, especially tubed ones.  Someone please explain to me how this "works" at the rote "electro-mechanical" level.

Lastly, gain and impedance in the input or output tubes absolutely affect the sound of a tube phono stage.  As Roger Modjesky pointed out, these factors actually wind up affecting the "RIAA Curve" itself in any LCR RIAA circuit, whether "split" or "continuous".

Paul S

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