There is no particular reason or advantage to own a Linn LP12 if one owns Naim. Any turntable should work now, and for what it’s worth I’m sure my Clearaudio can hold its own to many LP12 configurations.
Anyway back to phonostages. I’ll have the Boulder for another week or two. I’m also thinking about other candidates. Simaudio is an odd duck as they have a hole in the range where I am looking. The 310LP is $2K and the next step up is the 610LP at $8K. Nothing in between.
How is the Boulder sounding compared to your Herron? In the past, you have really supported the Herron with vigor 
Agree with the French rooster
The Tom Evans Mastergroove SR is in a different league to the Superline/ Supercap DR
lyndon
The Mastergroove SR is one I would like to hear for sure 
Unfortunately, near impossible here in the USA…
The Herron is a fantastic phonostage and a hard act to follow. It’s why I’m unwilling to buy the SuperLine sight unseen. If I can’t audition it then I can’t consider it.
What I really like about the Boulder compared to the Herron is,
What I am still unsure of is which one has better treble extension. The Herron might have more detail, and the Boulder might be sweeter/smoother. I’ll have to listen for a while and then connect the Herron again to see.
What I don’t like about the Boulder is,
Interesting… Sounds like you like it !
Can of black spray paint and Ramen noodles for a month and you should be good to go then
Thanks for the review,
Mark
I think it is definitely big bang for the buck. I’m actually not auditioning it to keep, as it’s more than I wanted to spend. My dealer mostly wanted me to have fun with it and give him feedback on it. He’ll use that to share with customers, as he respects my opinion and experience. Of course, he wants to sell it to me too, but I went into it telling him it’s out of budget. I was only supposed to have it until today, but with the Covid-19 shutdowns now it’ll likely be weeks longer. Dealer says to enjoy myself.
I need to find something a bit less expensive (in the SuperLine range), and will likely end up keeping the Herron, which is still fantastic in its own right. I’m really disappointed I can’t throw the SuperLine into the mix.
Hi Josquin, how about the Parasound jc3+ phono, us product.
Do you know it? It has good press. It costs 3 k in US.
When I originally bought my Herron, I was going to buy the JC3+ and my sales person – Chad Stelly at Acoustic Sounds – told me the Herron would smoke the JC3+. I know and trust Stelly’s advice. He’s forgotten more about turntables and phonostages than I could ever hope to learn. I appreciate the suggestion, but this I won’t pursue.
I might just wait until I have funds for the Boulder unless something else presents itself as a better alternative.
Hi mpw, a comment perhaps away from your main theme, but I was pleasantly surprised to see you are running the Lenco 75 with an Origin Live tonearm. I have Lenco L75 (with original arm) stored in the garage, which was my first ever turntable circa 1974. On reading your post, I dug it out and plugged it in and amazingly it still played (with a 1980’s budget Ortofon MM cartridge). Compared to my current Sondek/Ekos /Lingo 4, it lacked detail and sounded woolly, but I was amazed at how dynamic the sound was - possibly due to idler drive? so clearly some potential there. So my question is - is your deck in its original plinth and in these days of lockdown is it worth contemplating a DIY upgrade to fit a high quality arm and cartridge on this venerable old deck? Have you ever compared your Lenco to more modern decks and do you think this type of upgrade would be worth the effort? Finally, I owned one of the very early Lehmann “Black Cubes”. Excellent sound but had to go as it occasionally seemed to operate as a short-wave radio receiver late at night .
Don’t be shy; if you really like it and want it, make him an offer at your comfort point. He might want to turn it into cash. He can always order another 
He won’t take it personally!
There’s still a way . . .
hi @DaveSpart
Thank you - its a nice player this and if you want to see more details incl build and pics go to lencoheaven dot net and my handle is the reverse of what it is here and the thread is simple L75 build
Like many people here like a naim Supernait 2 bare - many people like the Lenco L75 with original tonearm - maybe they change the cart to something else to taste.
If you see i have re-plinthed the Lenco L75 but again - tastes differ
i did it as i wanted a thick plinth
i must tell you i did not listen to it bare and it was a huge mistake on my side as i dont have the listening reference for an original Lenco.
I was too eager to change tonearm and cart etc… and you know the audiofoolery… 
But come to think of it - in those days - the designer would have done the best design he could and it would have been an honor to listen to it as it was - but alas - i was hasty.
But other friends tell me - the upgrade is worth the effort and i took the right call.
On LH - you will see so many Lencos that my effort is minuscule…in comparison
People enjoy the Lenco kit and there is a reason why…
you need to find out your reason
I love the drive - it feels like a diesel loco engine pulling thru…
Ultimately its a combo of the turntable type + tonearm + cart and phono thats important
the phono is sometimes an overlooked piece of gear.
I have seen people having excellent TT and cart but not a matching phono.
Previously i have owned
technics SL23 - a gem of a TT - regret selling it
technics SL 1200 - i thought it was OK OK
Akai - direct drive - beauty
Kenwood belt drive - OK OK
The Lehmann Audio SE2 PWX is an excellent phono - no trouble for me.
In the past i have used MC carts as well but have settled on Nagaoka MP110 or MP 30 sometimes i use.
Hope you like the build story on LH and you see many more and get inspired - i think its worth the effort - it wont be a smooth ride but - if you have access to woodworking then you might be onto a great way to spend your time.
Its an excellent TT - IMO.
Very good point. When looking for a step change improvement on a Dynavector P75 mk II, I auditioned a fair number of phono stages here in the UK to go with our Dynavector XX-2. I was looking at around a £2000-3,500 budget range, plus or minus.
The previous generation Sim Audio 310LP with 320S external power supply jumped out above all the others that we tried as sounding so effortlessly revealing and naturally musical. All the others sounded tremendous in one respect or another, yet none of them sounded natural. This applied to the Whest (one at £2,500 and one at £4,000) ones, Trilogy 907, the Vida and so on.
The bare Superline, powered by the 52/Supercap, was only a bit better than the P75. The improvement was not remotely sufficient for us to want to buy it. It was only when the Superline had the 453R Airplug (note, not the 470R or standard 500 Ohm) and a Supercap DR powering it, that it became a thing of wonder. However it was then a £7k+ phono stage, while the Sim Audio Moon 310LP/320S offered 90+% of the performance for £2,500.
One day, a 610LP or 810LP may be on the audition list but not for a long time to come. A Dynavector XV-1S cartridge (like yours) would come first, as would a new rack and several tweaks to the streamer. The Audio Republic in Leeds (UK) stocks both Naim and Sim Audio and rates the Sim Audio phono stages very highly. Apparently, 90% of their customers who audition a Superline versus a Sim Audio phono stage walk out with a Canadian box under their arm.
Happy auditioning, BF
Had you tried the Nagra VPS? It’s a tube one but nice and dynamic sounding. Around 4k.
Hi FR,
No, we didn’t try the Nagra VPS.
That Farad Super3 power supply of yours looks interesting.
I look forward to hearing about it with a degree of trepidation, as I could use one for an ER (when I get round to buying one), one for the OpticalRendu and one for the M Scaler. This might start to get expensive…
Best regards, BF
Perhaps you can find a ps with 3 outputs? I don’t know if they exist. Hdplex seems to not produce anymore…
Sean Jacobs?
Hi @anon93526344, thanks for the information, I’ll certainly visit the Lenco site, which I didn’t know existed and lookout for your deck. I agree that when new, the deck had no doubt been designed to perform to the best of its capabilities, but I’m sure the flimsy screened lead and phono plugs don’t help with sound, let alone the play and slack in the arm bearings. However, there is an unmistakeable sense of dynamic drive to music played on this turntable, with a real ‘kick’ to the bass notes which I hope I can fully reveal with some judicious modifications. I may search for an arm which would work well with a Decca London Export Gold cartridge which I’ve had sitting in a cupboard for some years, but have not dared to try in my Linn Ekos. Finally the reason for reading this thread is that I currently own a Trichord Dino pre-amp which my dealer recommended at the time I purchased a NAC202 back in 2006. Has anyone else come across this Trichord device? However, I think it is now due for an upgrade and have been reading the comments on this thread with interest.
your observations regarding the Lenco are correct
If the designer had made a thicker plinth - which is why people replinth - then it would have been an even better machine. The top plate is thin so there are vibrations transmitted to the cart and them downwards to the music.
My plinth is 5 inch thick.
I do not know your woodworking skills and having said that as a caveat i might suggest you to look at a Jelco or something similar as your test case or for cheaper learning - a Rega RB 300 maybe with Nagaoka cart maybe.
Its important that your final Lenco be perfect for long term use and hence this suggestion.
Good luck !
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