Tube phono section - help!!!!

[indy mike]

Any tubeoholics got a line on an inexpensive tube phono section using 12AX7's? After reading and rereading posts here and at some other sites I think I need the twinkle from those Telefunken tubes (say Steve, how many have you stored away???) Kit form is ok, or maybe a Dynaco PAS based modification that's not too complicated or requires a massive rebuild are what I'm leaning toward...

[Drew]

Here's a page with some interesting schematics... Including some photo preamps using 12ax7. Don't know how you feel about building from scratch. Maybe I should start a new business taking care of the people in this forum. Yeah, sounds like a good New Years resolution to me.

http://www.infomaniak.ch/~bonavolt/audioel.htm

duh, forgot the link ;)

[ December 23, 2001: Message edited by: Drew ]

[Sckott]

I think I have a schematic that uses 12AU7's from a very old Audio book I have. Most kits Iv'e seen use either 6L6's or 6SL7's. Jeremy Epstein also has his own breadboard right here. (http://home.earthlink.net/~ellenoler/riaa.html) Also check out "Bob Danielak’s Octal Phono Preamp" there as well. If I get to it, I'll post some real juicy photos from that book, maybe a few schems....

[Gary]

With all this talk about phono pre's, I met a guy who said I should be more concerned with the RIIA (or is it RIAA) curve. He said that lots of tube phono pre's don't have a very good "curve" (not too accurate?) and all such pre's ("SS" and "tube") are really analogue. No reason to go to tubes.

Comments would be welcome...?

[Sckott]

Hmm, I don't agree with that comment one bit, although with respect to the person who said that, I invite him to come over and try out my AES PH-1 on my Rega 3.

Phono is always a bit tricky though, but then so is most amps. Trying to get the sound as accurate as possible isn't very hard with my PH-1, but I feel that switching carts have been much more of a very big difference more than any tubes I've switched out.

Steve recommended side-getter RCA 6SL7 black bottom's against even some rarer and more covetable 5691 red bottom RCA's (NOW I still ask myself why people want them so bad other than the military-type girth since they go on Ebay for much dinero). I think I bought these tubes for $28 for the pair. Steve was right on the money with that sound. I use my favorite RCA 6189W green-branded with the black plates. I swear it whoops most 12AU7 Mullards I've tried. I'm using my 12AU7 Mull's for the Foreplay preamp.

You have to imagine, most people won't really have such a big preference of a tube-anal Ph Pre, but I do. The fact it was a kit, that it was upgradeable and the plain fact that other than carts, the tubes carry a bit of leverage in changes you can make in the sound. It's like night and day, but usually it's not the degrading of the sound tonally, it's just how you like the realism of the instuments. One ear might say one thing, then blah blah blah...

That being said another engineer said that "a plain old Stanton for $80 is just as good as other audiophile carts at $300". That I didn't agree with either.

Insert his argument with the Headphone and Speaker discussion we've already had. Your ears know, and it's not like you have to spend a kings' ransom to get what you want...