DIY Phonostage

[jayants]

Hi!!

Pardon me for my ignorance but one of my fellow FM here was speaking very highly of the DIY Phonostage which he is getting from Sachin.

I would love to know though I have a PHONO IN in my Integrated Amp and I play my TT using that,what difference will this create in my entire setup so far as the audio is concerned.Will it give more warmth to the sound,more gain,more punch.............

Will appreciate inputs from experts here to know more about this as accordingly I will decide on one.

 

[Record Player]

Here's all the information you need on the CNC Phonostage. Tons of information, reviews, builds and much more on this thread:

http://www.hifivision.com/phono-turntables/20115-batery-powered-diy-cnc-phono-stage.html

 

[rsud]

Hi!!

Pardon me for my ignorance but one of my fellow FM here was speaking very highly of the DIY Phonostage which he is getting from Sachin.

I would love to know though I have a PHONO IN in my Integrated Amp and I play my TT using that,what difference will this create in my entire setup so far as the audio is concerned.Will it give more warmth to the sound,more gain,more punch.............

Will appreciate inputs from experts here to know more about this as accordingly I will decide on one.

The differences will entirely depend on the quality of your integrated amp (and its built in phono stage) and the quality of the DIY phono stage in comparison to the built in phono stage and then the quality of the rest of your system (cables, etc included).

And finally, the greatest difference (or ability to hear differences) will depend on your listening habits, attention to detail on what you are hearing, and experience with other systems that you have heard.

So, there is no "pat" answer here with the limited info about your system and your listening bias and experiences.

Best route if it is cost effective is to try it and if you hear differences lets talk....

 

[reubensm]

Just to add on, with inbuilt phonostages, you get what the manufacturer gives you (usually good stuff). With a DIY phonostage however, you have options for customizing what you hear by changing the integrated circuits, circuitry, etc. Of course, a bit of electronics know how is necessary to take it to that level. If you have the funds to invest in expensive phonostages, these are likely to outshine standard in-built ones and DIY ones. However if you can get enjoyable music for a few 100 bucks, why spend 1000s on expensive ones which could probably improve performance by a few percentile. I built my CNC phonostage with el-cheapo components with a total spend of Rs.238/- including batteries. Sachin's version is built professionally with high quality components. I was able to achieve outstanding performance from my el-cheapo version, so good that it beat my legendary 3020's phonostage easily. Sachin's version will definitely sound a few notches better due to its design, build quality and quality of components.

 

[jls001]

The CNC has adjustable impedance loading and adjustable capacitive loading. These are two very important parameters to extract the best that a cartridge is capable of giving. Most in-built phono stages in integrated amps do not have this adjustability.

Also, as per many who have built it, the sound betters many entry level dedicated phono stages. I say go ahead and build it. It is cheap, comes with very good parts Sachin had selected from across the world, and sounds phenomenal for the modest outlay. The only pain point you may face is in sourcing a reasonably good cabinet. Raghu or Bibin may still have cabinets.

 

[jayants]

Thanks a lot for the inputs.

After reading all the posts here is it worth investing in a Nighthawk or Nataudio or maybe a Nagra Phono Stage.Will that give an output which will be several notches higher than this DIY Phonostage? Is it worth the investment?