Tagged: phono stage

Turntable earthing fixes most phono hum problems. Here's how grounding actually works, why it fails, and how to track down a noisy connection.

Priya Anand on why vinyl systems reward front-end spending over amp wattage, and how to split a hi-fi budget so the stylus does the heavy lifting.

Overhang and tracking force get all the attention, but azimuth and VTA are where a properly set-up turntable actually separates itself from a mediocre one.

Tracking force outside the maker's range doesn't just risk your records — it quietly wrecks the detail and channel balance you paid for. Here's how to get it right.

Cartridge, phono stage, isolation, platter mat — the order you upgrade a budget turntable in matters more than the total you spend.

A protractor and twenty minutes will do more for your vinyl sound than most cartridge upgrades. Here's how to actually get alignment right.

Cork, felt, acrylic, rubber or nothing at all — I pulled apart what turntable mats and isolation feet genuinely fix versus what's marketing.

Most phono stages ship set to 47k ohms and most cartridges never get properly matched. Here's what loading actually does and how to hear it.

A turntable that isn't level throws off tracking force, anti-skate and bearing wear. Here's how to check and fix it properly, not with a marble.

Gain and loading settings on a phono stage aren't optional extras. Here's what they actually do to your cartridge's signal, explained without the mysticism.

A former record shop owner on the real spending order for a turntable system, and where extra dollars stop buying you anything.

Phono stages range from $50 to $5,000. Dave Okafor cuts through the hype to show where the money genuinely matters — and where it really doesn't.

Building a vinyl system means making four spending decisions that compound on each other. Here's where the money actually moves the needle — and where it doesn't.

Resistive loading and capacitance aren't just set-and-forget specs. Marcus Vale explains how they reshape your cartridge's frequency response and why the numbers matter.

Phono stage gain and loading decide whether a cartridge sounds thin, dull or right. Marcus Vale explains the maths, the settings and the listening tests.

The Audio Note Oto SE 35 arrives at £5,950 / $5,950 with a new power supply, in-house mains transformer and a reworked phono stage for the EL84 integrated.

McIntosh's MA2375 is an all-tube integrated with 75 watts per channel, a built-in MM/MC phono stage and headphone amp, and no digital inputs at all.