ET3 phono stage

[ronenash]

Anyone has experience with the ET3 phono stage? I am considering adding the phono board to my ET3SE. I suspect that it will out perform my Audio Analogue Aria.

[Puma Cat]

I haven't heard one, but I've heard from those who know that it's really excellent. Based off the TEA-1 circuit design.

[ronenash]

I have read good reviews as well but I am looking for someone with real world experience. Until lately the CJ phono stages did not have enough gain for my Denon DL103R. Now that I have moved to using a step-up transformer I am using the low gain moving magnet inputs of my phono stage. This makes the CJ phono stage a viable option.

[Scott Marlowe]

Hi ronenash!

I'm the owner of ARIA phono preamp (but ver.1).
I was quite happy with it, but recently I've bought Benz-Micro MC Ruby 3H (0.7mv) cart and I don't know what resisters to use for setting the right gain (I suppose it should be 17db for this cart). I see you have ARIA ver.2 so you don't have to set internal resistors as I do, but there is not much info on setting the right resistors around. I would appreciate If you could help me with it or point me to the right direction.

Thank you in advance.
Scott.

[ronenash]

Hi Scott,

I am not sure what the correct resistor value is. I checked the Aria 2.0 manual which is available on Audio Analogue's site but it only states the gain values and not the resistive value assosiated with them.
You could try to call Audio Analogue for help.

What was the output of your previous cartridge? Are you trying to raise or lower the gain?

[Scott Marlowe]

I was having Audio Note IQ3 MM cart, internal jumpers were set to MM position.
I found this link: Step-Ups and MC Cartridges | The Secrets of a Successful Marriage | Vinyl Engine (http://www.vinylengine.com/step-ups-and-mc-cartridges.shtml)
Using formulas from this article I found that the gain for Benz-Micro MC Ruby 3h (0.7mv) should be 17db, but I don't know what resistors should be used for that gain.
I have sent an email to Audio Analogue - no answer yet.

[Masterlu]

Scott... Welcome! :wave:

[ronenash]

Are you talking about the gain resistor or load resistor. I have not heard that gain is set via resistors before. Try to move the jumper to moving coil and put a 200ohm load resistor. See if it works. No damage will take place doing this.

[chessman]

Scott, welcome aboard! :wave:

[jwhite613]

Scott Marlowe... Welcome To AA!!!

:welcome2.:

[Scott Marlowe]

Hi everybody! Nice to be here!

[Scott Marlowe]

Are you talking about the gain resistor or load resistor. I have not heard that gain is set via resistors before. Try to move the jumper to moving coil and put a 200ohm load resistor. See if it works. No damage will take place doing this.

I was talking about the gain resistor.
I've received the reply from Audio Analogue team. Along with owners manuals (for rev.1 and rev.1.2). I have rev.1. The advice was to read "Notes about how to obtain the necessary gain for a specific cartridge" from rev.1.2.
To make things clear I put rev.1 manual as attachment.
If you have any idea I would be happy to discuss.
I'll be away till Monday. Talk to you soon.

https://www.box.com/s/7536ad14caec7ceb9f8c

[ronenash]

Scott,

The MC gain is added to the 40db MM gain. I think you do not need more than 60db of gain for your phono cartridge which means you need an additional 20db of gain. Just solder in the 1.1k ohm resistors for J103 and J203 and you should be OK.

[rthomeint]

I put my Turntable and Phone Preamp back into my system after years of gathering dust. I quickly realized this setup is really out of date. I have a Sota Satellite with a AudioQuest PT5 tone arm (its 24 years old) and the first version of the Benz Micro Glider(17 years old). The phone stage is a Rotel unit that cost $200.00 in 1999. I might keep the turntable maybe upgrade it but everything else has got to go. This sound pretty poor. I am think of scrapping everything a starting over.I am think about an ET3SE with the phono stage. Does the phone stage in the SE have teflon capacitors? How would you break this in at 22 minutes at a time? If it does I see years of playing time on such low voltages as cartridges. I don't have that kind of patience to listen to these capacitors got their changes. I not a hardcore record person, I just want good sound out of the 1000 or so records I currently own.

Rob

[ronenash]

I put my Turntable and Phone Preamp back into my system after years of gathering dust. I quickly realized this setup is really out of date. I have a Sota Satellite with a AudioQuest PT5 tone arm (its 24 years old) and the first version of the Benz Micro Glider(17 years old). The phone stage is a Rotel unit that cost $200.00 in 1999. I might keep the turntable maybe upgrade it but everything else has got to go. This sound pretty poor. I am think of scrapping everything a starting over.I am think about an ET3SE with the phono stage. Does the phone stage in the SE have teflon capacitors? How would you break this in at 22 minutes at a time? If it does I see years of playing time on such low voltages as cartridges. I don't have that kind of patience to listen to these capacitors got their changes. I not a hardcore record person, I just want good sound out of the 1000 or so records I currently own.

Rob

Breaking in the phonostage will be a pain. You can connect an MP3 player to the phono inputs and run it in continously for a couple of weeks. Just make sure you put the MP3 player at a very low volume so you are not saturating the phonostage and driving it to distortion.

Or you can have patience and enjoy the ride for a few month.

[Myles B. Astor]

Breaking in the phonostage will be a pain. You can connect an MP3 player to the phono inputs and run it in continously for a couple of weeks. Just make sure you put the MP3 player at a very low volume so you are not saturating the phonostage and driving it to distortion.

Or you can have patience and enjoy the ride for a few month.

You're better off buying an inverse RIAA burn in device.

There's the Frybaby, both in one:

http://www.hagtech.com/frybaby.html

Or just the circuit and you can plug your CD player in and something like the Esoteric disc:

http://www.hagtech.com/iriaa2.html

Or:

http://www.kabusa.com/preconlp.htm

Personally use the Thor inverse RIAA but that's long out of production.

[rthomeint]

Breaking in the phonostage will be a pain. You can connect an MP3 player to the phono inputs and run it in continously for a couple of weeks. Just make sure you put the MP3 player at a very low volume so you are not saturating the phonostage and driving it to distortion.

Or you can have patience and enjoy the ride for a few month.

I thought about connecting a receiver running an FM station at a low volume for a few weeks I just want to make sure I wouldn't damage a brand new unit. doing something like that.

[Puma Cat]

You really want to run either the CD phono stage burn in disc that Myles recommended, and something that outputs with an RIAA equalization curve. I would not use "straight" sources like CD, DAC or FM for burning in a phono stage. Myles comments are spot-on about this...the guy knows what he's talking about.

[rthomeint]

You're better off buying an inverse RIAA burn in device.

There's the Frybaby, both in one:

Hagerman Technology LLC: FryBaby Compact Burn-In Generator (http://www.hagtech.com/frybaby.html)

Or just the circuit and you can plug your CD player in and something like the Esoteric disc:

Hagerman Technology LLC: iRIAA Filter for Phonostage DIY Kit (http://www.hagtech.com/iriaa2.html)

Or:

KAB GREAT SOUND ESCORT PRECONLP AT KABUSA.COM (http://www.kabusa.com/preconlp.htm)

Personally use the Thor inverse RIAA but that's long out of production.

Thanks something like this might be the ticket. I was wondering if such a device existed.

[MyPal]

You really want to run either the CD phono stage burn in disc that Myles recommended, and something that outputs with an RIAA equalization curve. I would not use "straight" sources like CD, DAC or FM for burning in a phono stage. Myles comments are spot-on about this...

I've been reading up on Hagerman's products too. Given the fair prices for his products when compared to the cost of a decent cable I think it is a worthwhile investment. You can even use his products to burn in power connects. Now when it takes some 800 hours to burn in a Shunyata Zitron product, Hagerman's solutions make sound economic sense.

The positive feedback also suggests that the burn in electronics does a better job than the slower conventional waiting way too.

Great product suggestion, Myles. :thumbsup:

[Puma Cat]

Stu Hagerman has been around a long time and really knows what he's doing. He makes an excellent little phono stage you can build for yourself for cheap called the Bugle, IIRC.