New phono pre-amp for Benz MC Gold

[jrhymeammo]

Hey John,

There is Trichord Dino + PSU on Audiogon right now.
Not sure if it'll meet your spec, but it's really rare to see one on Audiogon.
Just wanted to let you know if you were interested.

Cartridge loading resistance:			33 ohms
			100 ohms
			1k ohms
			47K ohms
Cartridge loading			MC 1.1nF
Capacitance:			MM 100pF
Switch selectable gain:	MC	Very Low Output	0.1 - 0.25mV 74dB
	MC	Low Output	0.25 - 0.4mV 70dB
	MC	Normal Output	0.4 - 0.6mV 63dB
	MM	Low Output	2 - 3mV 52dB
	MM	High Output	3 - 5mV 48dB
Can be powered from either AC or DC power supply:
AC Supply requirements:		0 - 17 Volts, 0 - 17 Volts
DC Supply requirements:		0 - 22 Volts, 0 - 22 Volts
Two ultra high performance 'Super Regulators'
RIAA reproduction characteristics:		20Hz - 20KHz	+/-0.25dB
Dimensions:	185mm x 58mm x 112mm (D x H x W)

[JohnMichael]

Thanks JRA I checked it out. I am trying to find a pre-amp with 200 ohm loading resistance as specified by Benz. I also looked at the Graham Slee and it too was 100 ohms. My Rotel and Cambridge Audio 640P again are 100 ohms. The Musical Surroundings Phonomena II has the adjustments I would like and would match the Benz. Of course since you read my other thread you know that my unhappiness with the CA 640P was when the subsonic filter was in use.

The search continues. Since I do not have unlimited funds I would like to stay in the $600 range or less. Used may be the way to go but the Phonomena is $600 new. The Pro-ject Tube Box SE has the adjustments. What was you ropinion of that pre-amp?

Thanks

[jrhymeammo]

The Pro-ject Tube Box SE has the adjustments. What was you ropinion of that pre-amp?

Thanks

I have no idea how newer PJ Tube Box sounds, but the original one I had was very fun but not very neutral. It offered typcial Tube-Like sound with OEM tubes. Everything got better once I installed a Pair of Tung-Sol 12AX7.

I have no idea how PJ measures their gear, but newer Mk2 SE seems to be noiser than the original. I thought the original's output was pretty noisy itself, but I never got to try LOMC with it so I can't really offer what you may want to know.

Here is a link to both models:

Original:
http://sumikoaudio.net/project/products/tubebox.htm

Mk 2 SE:
http://sumikoaudio.net/project/products/tubebox_se2.htm

But, Phenomena II is probably the most flexible phono-pre out there. If I was to doing it over again, I would go with Phenomena II.

JRA

[JohnMichael]

Thanks JRA for your input on the Pro-ject tube boxes. I do want to avoid noise. I think the Phonomena is the way to go. It has the features I want at a price I can justify for my system. After all I still have my eye on the Exposure 2010S.