My suggestion where phono stages are concerned would always be Graham Slee - you can borrow one if you like.
The Linn probably needs a service and possibly a new cartridge .
The good thing about Graham Slee is their quality , the area that might put you off (but is why I bought mine) is that they make MM or MC only , they don’t make phono stages that do both in the same box .
They don’t often get mentioned on these pages , but I have never seen a bad user comment
Maybe too cheap but I liked the Creek OBH-8 Mk2 with vintage Naim amps and AT VM95ML.
Lejonklou Gaio or Slipsik.
Rega fono worked well when we had a 272, with a pretty basic (at the time) Rega deck and MM cartridge.
You can pick one up used for 100 quid, bargain.
Thanks for the replies.
The turntable was bought in 1989 by my father-in-law and hadn’t been used for 20 years until I got my hands on it last year. It does have a new belt now.
I was torn between the Stageline, Graham Slee, and Rega Fono before I posted.
So we have votes for them plus others added into the mix.
Say I went Stageline, would an old Flatcap, i.e. not a 2 or XS power it ?
There seem to be a few Flatcaps around, and not many of the i-Supply.
Would a older Flatcap sound better or worse than an i-Supply ?
I was also tempted by Graham Slee Gram Amp 2, because I could upgrade later with a PSU1 power supply.
I keep thinking will the Rega Fono, or the Creek OBH-8 be enough, or will I just end up replacing it.
I am currently using the phono stage of an old Creek 4040.
The turntable is currently plugged into the Creek 4040, with the line output for the tape deck into an Uniti Atom, so I have been using that as a phono stage, but want no add it to the other system and thought I’d better do it properly.
decision, decisions …
Yes. ‘Any’ Naim PSU can power a Stageline (via a SNAIC 5). But… you will need a 4-to-5 pin DIN lead to connect it to your 272.
I think it’s likely that you will want to put a new cartridge in your turntable to get the best from it. That K5 will be old now.
I used Linn cartridges with my LP12, and found the Rega Fono to be a poor match, although it works well with Rega turntables and cartridges as you would expect. Sort out the LP12 and cartridge first, and then choose a phono stage to match.
That’s a very good point. It will be quite tired now although might still sound OK’ish - I have a couple of old K9 stylii in a drawer and still use a K9 body on the Ittok, but with a much fresher sounding VM95ML.
Probably 
One option is to see if you can pick up one second hand, and minimise any loss, or perhaps make a few quid if you’re lucky.
Yes it would but remember to factor in the cost of a service as the original FC could be approaching 30 years old by now.
This is another voice suggesting you budget on a new cartridge and a turntable check-up first. Also you can get a phono stage second-hand, but probably not a cartridge.
The Stageline plus Flatcap approach should work well, but that’s 2 boxes to buy. For that money you could probably have a better phono stage - or a Rega Fono plus a Rega Exact perhaps.
Having said that, I am a Linn fan, but a Basik is not a cheap way to get an LP12 or even an Axis. It’s perfectly capable of out-performing (say) a Rega Planar 2 iirc, but can probably be beaten by the next rung up of turntables. That may well limit the maximum that you should spend if you expect to stick with it in the long term.
So we’ve heard Rega fono into 272 and now Stageline MM into 252…
The latter is better but with a basic deck and low cost cartridge I wouldn’t say the spend on a Stageline +PSU would be worth the cost compared to how cheaply something like the fono can be sourced.
We still haven’t invested in a SuperLine because there are some very very good phono stages for £1k or under, and vinyl is occasional listening only for us.
If you intend to really invest in vinyl playback a Stageline might not be what you need longer term either.
I’m a big fan of the Stagelines (I used one with my LP12/Ekos/Lyra cartridges for 15 years) but only if you have a Naim preamp with a powered phono input socket. Otherwise, after you pay for a P/S (please don’t use an i-Supply) it’s no longer cost-effective.
Still a big fan of the Naim built-in Phono boards here - which are similar to a Stageline, but inside the pre-amp.
Currently I am using the phono stage of an old Creek 4040 between the Linn Basik and the N272.
Using the tape out to provide the input to the N272.
I know the cartridge isn’t well used, my father-in-law hardly used it before we inherited it.
It sounds pretty good, far better than the Creek as an amp.
Streaming Ziggy Stardust (one of my wife’s favourites) and then when she left the room and I switched to her original vinyl. She didn’t notice when we walked back in.
It sounded pretty close. She couldn’t hear the difference. I think it can be improved.
We have tried a few of our old records now.
Anyway I picked up a Stageline N last week, and am in the process of sourcing a supply.
I may start with an i-Supply (Yes, I know) until a flat cap or super cap comes up.
Watch this space.
The Stageline was no overkill. More detail, more musicality (Pace, Rythem and Timing).
A little quieter so need to turn it up, it is a 2012 model, but overall very impressed.
Ziggy Stardust sounds better again
Consider getting it serviced, maybe…?
Supercap on a Stageline?
Did you mean Hicap?!
We’ve got a Stageline N with Supercap DR, but via 252. Phono stage is way behind amps, that’s another story.
Don’t think a Stageline justifies a Supercap, you’d need a Superline.
Stageline would be a good match with a 272 (as was a Rega fono) but a Supercap……
