upgrading from Cambridge audio 540p phono stage!

[trigun74]

Just if anyone can advise me on a decent upgrade on the 540p phono stage. I wanting to spend no more than 500 dollars. I was looking at the gsp gram amp special edition. Now i wandering first is it worth the upgrade and secondly should i spend more money and wait to upgrade? If anyone can help it would be much appreciated.

[andyr]

Just if anyone can advise me on a decent upgrade on the 540p phono stage. I wanting to spend no more than 500 dollars. I was looking at the gsp gram amp special edition. Now i wandering first is it worth the upgrade and secondly should i spend more money and wait to upgrade? If anyone can help it would be much appreciated.

Wait and save up more money to upgrade to a JLTi. I borrowed one recently from an SNA member and it is a very good phono stage - able to cope with both MM & LOMC.

Regards,

Andy

[jaspert]

Wait and save up more money to upgrade to a JLTi. I borrowed one recently from an SNA member and it is a very good phono stage - able to cope with both MM & LOMC.

Regards,

Andy

Better than your Phantom and Paris headamp?

[andyr]

Better than your Phantom and Paris headamp?

Hehe - yes, Jasper - better than the Phantom Audio. (I didn't use the Paris head amp with either.)

But I live in hope that the next build of the RIAA equalisation in my new battery-powered phono stage will beat the JLTi!!

Regards,

Andy

[jaspert]

Just if anyone can advise me on a decent upgrade on the 540p phono stage. I wanting to spend no more than 500 dollars. I was looking at the gsp gram amp special edition. Now i wandering first is it worth the upgrade and secondly should i spend more money and wait to upgrade? If anyone can help it would be much appreciated.

What cartridge (MM) are you using atm with your 540P and any immediate future change in mind (LOMC) ?
Keep an eye out for good second hand phono amp and this will widen your choice considerably.

Hehe - yes, Jasper - better than the Phantom Audio. (I didn't use the Paris head amp with either.)

But I live in hope that the next build of the RIAA equalisation in my new battery-powered phono stage will beat the JLTi!!

Regards,
Andy

I would be interested to hear it when you are done with the build.

What do you think of Hagerman Picolo headamp which is also battery powered for $399 built? Similar price to Paris headamp.

[cheekyboy]

Hgholden here had a GS Fanfare for sale only a few days ago for $400 and I've heard this in my own system in Adelaide and can recommend it.............only one problem though, it is for LOMC so it would mean a shift in cartridge.
I know at least one other SNA member using the GS Gram Amp SE and it is a very good performer too. What TT/tonearm combo are you using BTW?

Cheers,

Keith

[andyr]

What do you think of Hagerman Picolo headamp which is also battery powered for $399 built? Similar price to Paris headamp.

Sorry, don't know anything about it, Jasper. But why not buy Aussie??

Regards,

Andy

[trigun74]

i'am using ortofon blue 2m!

[trigun74]

Hgholden here had a GS Fanfare for sale only a few days ago for $400 and I've heard this in my own system in Adelaide and can recommend it.............only one problem though, it is for LOMC so it would mean a shift in cartridge.
I know at least one other SNA member using the GS Gram Amp SE and it is a very good performer too. What TT/tonearm combo are you using BTW?

Cheers,

Keith

i'am using at early 90's rega p3 deck with ortofon 2m blue cartridge, cheers

[handysteel]

Save a little more and make the upgrade worthwhile, the CA 540 is a very good performer for its price.

In my opinion you will have to spend more than $500.00 to have any significant improvement over the 540P ( A new one that is) second hand you should do o.k.

Cheers.

[trigun74]

cheers will take on this advice!!!!!

[josh0571]

What Aussie made phono stages do you suggest Andy?

Cheers
Josh

Sorry, don't know anything about it, Jasper. But why not buy Aussie??

Regards,

Andy

[andyr]

What Aussie made phono stages do you suggest Andy?

Cheers
Josh

Having been lent a JLTi by Antripodean, I would say this is one of the best phono stages I've ever heard. If you can get one second-hand, I believe you'd pay less than a $1,000 for it. The only other (commercial) one I've heard that I'd love to own is Hayabusa's (kilobuck!) "Audia Flight". But it's not Australian!

But I am in the middle of a DIY phono stage which I am hoping will sound better (than the JLTi) - but:
a) you'd have to be competent at DIY to have one, and
b) I still have to try out a new RIAA equalisation network, to see if this solves the unfortunate problem with the existing one. If it does ... then I have to listen to it! Then, I'll have to persuade Antripodean that it's better!

And Hugh Dean's JFET-based, battery-powered AKSA "Paris" for a head amp.

Regards,

Andy

[Antripodean]

Then, I'll have to persuade Antripodean that it's better!

happy to be persuaded Andy

[josh0571]

a) wouldn't apply to me as i'm not competent lol
b) sounds great - let us know how it goes!

Yeah, there doesn't seem to be many Oz-made phono stages...I wonder if Bill Crampton (Naquadria) in Canberra makes one? Does anyone know? I really wish Earl Weston would make one...!

Having been lent a JLTi by Antripodean, I would say this is one of the best phono stages I've ever heard. If you can get one second-hand, I believe you'd pay less than a $1,000 for it. The only other (commercial) one I've heard that I'd love to own is Hayabusa's (kilobuck!) "Audia Flight". But it's not Australian!

But I am in the middle of a DIY phono stage which I am hoping will sound better (than the JLTi) - but:
a) you'd have to be competent at DIY to have one, and
b) I still have to try out a new RIAA equalisation network, to see if this solves the unfortunate problem with the existing one. If it does ... then I have to listen to it! Then, I'll have to persuade Antripodean that it's better!

And Hugh Dean's JFET-based, battery-powered AKSA "Paris" for a head amp.

Regards,

Andy

[andyr]

happy to be persuaded Andy

Hi Roger, I hope to get back to the phono stage in a few weeks. Just have to get a couple of other (non audio) things out the way first.

Regards,

Andy

[ophool]

I have not directly compared but would expect the GSP Gram Amp 2 SE to comfortably outperform the CA 540.
Worth noting that decibel currently offer free postage and 14 days moneyback if not satisfied on this particular product.

[Joe Rasmussen]

Having been lent a JLTi by Antripodean, I would say this is one of the best phono stages I've ever heard. If you can get one second-hand, I believe you'd pay less than a $1,000 for it. The only other (commercial) one I've heard that I'd love to own is Hayabusa's (kilobuck!) "Audia Flight". But it's not Australian!...

Regards,

Andy

It isn't???

It is Australian.

The JLTi phono was designed in Australia and the first two versions Mark 1 and Mark were made in Australia by... me. In fact I coined JLTi as meaning Just Listen To It.

In fact the very one you must have listened to was made right here in this workshop (as I type). You can tell if it was black.

Indeed here in Australia you can still approach me privately and buy the Mark 2 directly, only in Australia. It will not be sold in the shops (some Mark 2 were sold by Pymble Hi-Fi here in Sydney) since the Swiss made one has been made available. There were two Swiss versions, Mark 3 and Mark 4 - they are the same except I specified that it ought to have the Loading Plug facility missing in Mark 3 (but not in Mark 1 and 2), so that made it Mark 4.

The comparison should be between Mark 2 and Mark 4. As others have testified, one is not necessarily better than the other even if there is a small difference in flavour, but the overall character is identical. Some prefer one and some the other, but rarely complain about the difference.

Just to set the history right. I was with Allen Wright in 2004 when he discussed with me the concept. He was busy with relocating his entire business to Schafffhausen, Switzerland and that took many months. When I came back to Sydney I pretty much designed the Mark 1 from scratch - and Allen has credited me as co-designer on his website. His concept, I made it into a reality and there were such things as the DC servo to sort out (it is direct coupled, so no coupling capacitors in the signal path), but Allen was fully in the loop. Only 11 Mark 1 were made and they were hard-wired (and also very sought after as some say it is the best one - only an opinion, that I don't necessarily agree with). Mark 2 was made in larger quantities and much easier to put together and keep labour costs down. After that the American/International manufactured version went over to Vacuum State in Schaffhausen.

But the Mark 2 is still privately available (only) here in Australia from yours truly.

Cheers, Joe

[andyr]

Joe, sorry, my post was only 90% clear (not 100%) - and you chose the 10%!! I was saying the Audia Flight was not Australian.

Regards,

Andy

[CJCC67]

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Andy what is the gain of Paris. I have a simple 10 dB gain head amp i use. I'd like to compare it to Paris

[Upfront]

But I am in the middle of a DIY phono stage which I am hoping will sound better (than the JLTi)

Hi Andy.

What are you building?

[andyr]

Andy what is the gain of Paris? I have a simple 10 dB gain head amp i use. I'd like to compare it to Paris.

The Paris I have, has a gain of x20 ... ie. it turns the 0.28mV of my Benz LP into 5.6mV, to match a MM phono stage.

But I'm sure Hugh would change the value of the resistor which sets gain, if you only wanted x10 or x15.

Regards,

Andy

[andyr]

Hi Andy.

What are you building?

Hi Upfront,

gamve (who posts here) sent me a schematic about this time last year, for the one he'd built - which he said sounded terrific. I was later told by Hugh Dean that it came from some Silicon Chip article in the 80s?

So I decided to give it a whirl.

I built it with cost-no-object caps etc., in the hope that it would at least sound better than my current phono stage (which was best by the JLTi ! ). I listened to it and indeed it did sound good ... but, when I measured its RIAA equalisation, I found this wasn't very good.

So, as I'm "that sorta guy"! I spent about 6 months finding out why the RIAA could be wrong (contacting various "phono gurus" that I found around the world) and rebuilt it a couple of times - each time, unfortunately, not completely solving the RIAA problem! But now think I know why it's measuring wrong and just have to get around to taking it apart again. But, as this time I'm basically doing a complete circuit component value redesign and rebuild, it's gonna take quite a few weekends! And as I've just finished another project which had junk strewn over the living room table for a couple of months, I need to go easy on this one, to keep wifey happy!

Regards,

Andy