Well, frankly this conversation is about nothing in my view as the way how the subject calculated there is no right and wrong in this debate. What is acceptable, what is reasonable, what is effective what is any another adjective to put in… phonostage? There is no answer to this question and there is no even sanity to ask it until some kind of rational coordinate system of evaluation might be set in place. Of couse we could rename this site into www.what_is_ the_best_if_I-am_an_idiot.com and exchange verbiage while demonstrate to each other penises and convince others to buy the penis the same enlargement that I did last week.  The really of Applied Audio is very far from that and thinking about acceptable and reasonable in audio we need to factor in personal objectives, reference points and factual assessment of the actual results. 

What phonostage is “enough” to play a record?   This is very big question and I would like to extend homework for the site visitor to think about the answer.  The key in the thinking about answer is to understand that there is no absolute answer but the answer vary with person’s objective and methods the person use to employ the phonostage.

Let me give you two examples. 

On one side we have the idiot that “Stitch” told he visited. That idiot has $600K playback and  dozens of high-flying cartridges but he was not able to identify Sonic difference between his cartridges without referring to audio publication where those cartridges were reviewed.  Ask that same person what he feel would be “acceptable phonostage”.

On another side let bring a virtual example.   Meet Walter. Walter is second horn player in his municipal orchestra. He is deaf, not even bone hearing when he blow his horn. However, some scientists figure out that if they record Walter play (of course on LP in our case) then they play it back to Walter by injecting some transmitters into his brain. Now, Walter can’t hear anything besides his ‘in brain” playback but he also need each week to play with his orchestra and to be completely conventional with other players of his horn section. So, Walter, can learn his lip techniques, moderation of tone by position of hands , tonguing, breathing , multi-pitching, trilling and anything else ONLY by listening his recording that pass across some kind of phonostage. Now, what would be an acceptable phonostage for Walter?

It is not about low voltage buttery power, tube version with 200 pounds power supply, CRL filtration, no-transformer gain or air capacitors. The topology that we might or might not admit to comply with the concept of “acceptable phonostage” is completely separate subject from the subject of actual phonostage performance. We read or look at how some specific phonostages made, we evaluate the sound of those specific phonostages and we attribute this or that sonic characteristic to this or that design topology. However, we do not know the sound of the topology but we know only the sound of that specific implementation, the implementation that might have sound not even remotely associated with the topology itself. 

So, I do feel that in most of the cases, unless you yourself test the topologies and you yourself evaluate the sonic consequences of the topologies applications. You can buy as many let say phonostages with input pentode as you want and you can run your mouth about benefits and contra-benefits of having the input pentode. However it all will be meaningless. The sound of a given input pentode would be on 90% dependant from the type and balance of the screen voltage supply. You need to move the screen voltage, provide different type of filtration, stabilization, damping and a few other things until you file that your pentode provide right sound in context of what you are looking in sound. That you will be the person who gets the grip with that very minor aspect of topology.

The very same is about low voltage buttery power phonostages. Of cause it is a great idea. I am absolutely sure that all of you, one time or other, have bought some of those $19. 95 buttery-powered phonostages with a secret wish that it might be sounding so good that it will get rid of the need of use multi-thousand dollars mastodons- phonostages. I did the same and all of those phonostages ended up in the same garbage can as yours did.  Does it mean that a good phonostage must be multi-thousand dollars? Absolutely not! However, it also does not suggest that any topology or technology is suitable for any phonostage or any price point.

The problem in all of it that most, or even any, phonostages out there, being made, being marketed, or even been spoken about, do not make any sonic claim. We spoke about technologies, parts, assembling techniques, and topologies but that is such a full of irrelevant crap from some perspective. Can you approach a manufacture or your dealer and request as phonostages with well formed sonic objectives? Can you request a phonostage that would make the last two movements of Brahms second pianos concerto as interesting as the first one? Can you request a phonostage that would make the meaningless sounds from woodwind of American orchestra to have the same aesthetic beauty as the woodwinds have in Czech, Austria and South Germany? I do not think that you can and this to me make any conversation “design objective” worthless, unless the awareness of the listener itself is plagued into a decision making processes. 

For sure, it would not be not a problem if the people who design and sell our audio were the individuals with proper mind set but we all know that it is not the case.

If anything, I have already laid out too much "background" or "context" including my likes, dislikes, whatever, at this long-suffering site.  The idea here has nothing to do with anything other than getting "acceptable" sound more often than I do "these days", because of bad electricity.  I happen to think this (presently) means battery power for phono, and I don't think this can happen without "designing for batteries" from the get-go.  Can it be done "successfully" with tubes?  Do certain "minimal" SS options better lend themselves to use with batteries?  If so, are "minimal", discrete circuits (etc) up to the task of making Music I can live with?  I dunno, and I do realize it will ultimately require listening.  At this point I am just developing ideas by way of dialog.

N-set, too true, but I have managed to find a hybrid phonostage, SS amps, and a battery-powered DAC, so now - as ever - I am curious to push it.



Paul S