GoodSoundClub - Romy the Cat's Audio Site

In the Forum: Analog Playback
In the Thread: Where are our good phonostages?

Post Subject: Rowland Cadence with Battery PSPosted by Stitch on: 10/19/2013

Last year I had the chance to listen to the Vitus SP-102 Phono Stage. When I remember right, it was ok, some of the better modern Phono Designs. It wasn't as thin and dead as Pass Phono for example, but it was also not able to go out of the way in reproduction. The Soundstage was good but it can not give a sonic "Gestalt" (but most of the modern units fail here anyway). It is something about 40k when I remember right, for that I expect a little bit more knowledge about reproduction of the real thing. But, for the readers here who want to spend big money, it is sonically much better than a Boulder 2008.

I listened by accident to a very interesting Phono Stage when I was visiting an Audiophile. It was the Jeff Rowland Cadence, he used it with an external Power Supply and Batteries. That one really creates a room (soundstage with real hight, depth and proper size of instruments). I was impressed from that sonic quality from a more or less "mass-market" Producer. It showed no sonic coloration, the voices had Power and "Gestalt" and it was able to show the different tonal colors of classical instruments (normally they are all reproduced with the same kind of volume, no separation). Gain is 64 and 74dB, with a matching cartridge it is a reliable and good sounding unit. Or, let's say it diplomatically, there is worse out there.

Rerurn to Romy the Cat's Site