I’m in the process of scoping out phono stages for my Rega Ania (MC 100 ohm). I’ve got a line a decent priced stageline S but it looks like an impedance mismatch. Is it feasible/desirable to modify or should I just be looking at something else. Options in terms of stock availability are pretty limited here on NZ at the moment so it’s really down to either a Rega phono MC or the stageline. An Aria would be double the price of a stageline + the cost of an interconnect so it’s probably not an option.
I use a Stageline S with my P6 & Ania. It needed a hicap to really shine though so you may want to factor that into the equation. Previously I powered it from the aux socket of my nac202. It was pretty good but much better with the hi cap.
I recently had an extended home demo of a graham slee accession MC and that beat the stageline hands down.
Hard to give it back. I too have a hankering for a rega aria.
That is the only demo I have managed as there is a loan system set up with the distributor. Over here in oz getting a home demo of anything is next to impossible. Just doesn’t seem to interest the dealers. Any Australian dealers listening who are willing to home demo feel free to call me a liar.
Wider presentation and much easier to hear the start and end of notes without being fatiguing. I wasn’t sure about timing out of the box but after a night warming up it was great the next morning.
I used the standard psu that comes with it but the dealer reckons the enigma psu upgrade adds a lot.
I like graham Slee stuff generally, I have a headphone amp I brought out from the UK with me but you just never see it for sale here or its absolute moonbeams money (ironic coming from a Naim owner LOL). The difference in cost between Stageline and an Aria would get me into P8 (currently have a P6) so its hard to justify as a good use of $2000 bucks.
I’ll be running the Stageline via a NAC202 if a go ahead with it so my experience will be similar to yours I guess. The other main contender here would be the Dyna vector P75 which is usually stocked as they are made locally.
It’s a funny thing but I was completely happy with the stageline until I swapped my NDX for an NDX2. Previously the vinyl replay had been better than digital but once I got the ndx2 I couldn’t stomach the stageline until I put a hicap on it.
Indeed. With the stage line/hicap the digital was better. It was evens stevens with the accession, some things better on digital, some better on vinyl.