Croft Riaa or Vincent PHO-700

Hi guys.

I hope some of you will be able to help me out. I'm about to buy a new phono stage and the choice lies between the Croft Riaa (£500) and the Vincent PHO-700 (£350).

Has anyone experienced them both and can tell me about the differences? And which do you think the best?

I got:

Rega P3-24 with Bias 2

Sony HAP-S1 with SS-HA1 speakers

Thanks a lot!
 
Because I'm looking for a valve phono stage in that price range which is good compared to the price and because I'm able to get a decent discount on them.
I've read the link you posted before and the Croft do sound promising, but I wonder if anyone have tried the Vincent and what they think about it?
 

BigH

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Mathias Frøslev said:
Because I'm looking for a valve phono stage in that price range which is good compared to the price and because I'm able to get a decent discount on them. I've read the link you posted before and the Croft do sound promising, but I wonder if anyone have tried the Vincent and what they think about it?

I see, I don't the Vincent, I did find this review: http://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=81843
 

BigH

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Mathias Frøslev said:
Because I'm looking for a valve phono stage in that price range which is good compared to the price and because I'm able to get a decent discount on them. I've read the link you posted before and the Croft do sound promising, but I wonder if anyone have tried the Vincent and what they think about it?

I see, I don't know the Vincent, I did find this review: http://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=81843

Of course you can change the tube. The Vincent is made in China, some say the tube is no good.

I would be looking to change the cartridge as well or first.
 
BigH said:
Mathias Frøslev said:
Because I'm looking for a valve phono stage in that price range which is good compared to the price and because I'm able to get a decent discount on them. I've read the link you posted before and the Croft do sound promising, but I wonder if anyone have tried the Vincent and what they think about it?

I see, I don't the Vincent, I did find this review: http://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=81843

Of course you can change the tube. The Vincent is made in China, some say the tube is no good.

I would be looking to change the cartridge as well or first.

Ditto about the cartridge. Good though the Croft is and the Vincent is getting some good reviews I would seriously look a upgrading that Bias. This would give you more for your money and make a future upgrade to the phono preamp more viable.
 
Mathias Frøslev said:
So what carts can you recommend for my TT? I guess the tonearm is a RB300 but I'm not sure. I prefer musicality and warmth more than clinical accuracy.

I would say that will depend on your budget for the cartridge. That tonearm is quite capable of taking quite expensive models.
 

stevebrock

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For that money id be looking to a Nagaoka MP150 - would be a massive improvement over the Bias - or the best Audio Technica you can afford
 

jamesrfisher

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completely agree with getting a new cartridge before getting a phono stage.

Steve is right here, i went from a Bias to the MP150, a big step up and worth every penny, very, very musical
 
Thanks for the reply guys.

The thing is, my current phono stage is no good at all, so it needs to be upgraded. Though I've actually been looking at the Nagaoka carts and the choice should be either mp-150 or mp-200. I'm living in Denmark and the shops charge £290 for the mp-150 and £360 for the mp-200, which is really expensive I think. Where would you guys buy it for a cheaper price but still a reliable company which ships to Denmark?
 

BigH

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Nagaoka MP150 would have been my suggestion but prices have shot up, even in UK cheapest is about £230 and this is import from Germany via Amazon trader. Not sure about Denmark but it may be worth a try, if you look at Amazon uk site.
 
BigH said:
Nagaoka MP150 would have been my suggestion but prices have shot up, even in UK cheapest is about £230 and this is import from Germany via Amazon trader. Not sure about Denmark but it may be worth a try, if you look at Amazon uk site.

Quite agree the new pricing for the Nags has pushed the MP200 off my best buy list. For your budget I would look at Audio Technica AT440 MLb.
 
So, there's 3 possibilities. One of the Naga's mp-150 or mp-200. Would the SQ difference between the two be worth the difference in cost?

Then the AT440 MLb and last a Grado Platinum reference.

How do these 3 differ from each other in characteristics? And which one would you say is best for the money?

Thanks!
 
Mathias Frøslev said:
So, there's 3 possibilities. One of the Naga's mp-150 or mp-200. Would the SQ difference between the two be worth the difference in cost?

Then the AT440 MLb and last a Grado Platinum reference.

How do these 3 differ from each other in characteristics? And which one would you say is best for the money?

Thanks!

In the UK the Grado is £265 which I believe is outside your budget.

Nobody can tell you which is actually better in your system you are going to have to sort your budget and understand you get what you pay for.
 

BigH

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A word of caution some Rega users who have fitted Grado carts have had hum problems, Grado blame the Rega earthing design. From reviews I have read Grado are nice sounding but not the most detailed, AT is probably the opposite, lots of detail but some find a bit bright. If you want something that does not give the most detail but does not pick up a lot of surface noise the Denon 110 is worth considering, its high output moving coil so can be used on a MM phono stage, they are about £150 in uk.

For cartridge reviews I would check out Needledoctor and VinylEngine.
 

Troy62

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Never had the hum problem, may be something to do with the 24v motor or the TTPSU *unknw*. certainly didn't feel that it lacked detail. The one downside is that you can't change the stylus yourself but my plan was always to upgrade the stylus to the next one up when it was time to send it away for rebuild
 

BigH

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Troy62 said:
Never had the hum problem, may be something to do with the 24v motor or the TTPSU *unknw*. certainly didn't feel that it lacked detail. The one downside is that you can't change the stylus yourself but my plan was always to upgrade the stylus to the next one up when it was time to send it away for rebuild

You have to send it to the USA for a rebuild?
 
BigH said:
Troy62 said:
Never had the hum problem, may be something to do with the 24v motor or the TTPSU *unknw*. certainly didn't feel that it lacked detail. The one downside is that you can't change the stylus yourself but my plan was always to upgrade the stylus to the next one up when it was time to send it away for rebuild

You have to send it to the USA for a rebuild?

Not if you live in the USA. :)

However it is one big disadvantage over the Nag.
 
I think the Technica might be too bright on my system as it is not on the warm site. However I think my Croft Phono will change that a bit. After demoing the Vincent I decided on the Croft and hopefully have it tomorrow.

Regarding the Grado as I live in Denmark might prove to troublesome in the long run, sending it in for replacement of stylus and I'm not willing to take the chance of getting hum.

The Nags sound very promising but shouldn't I go for the mp-200 and go a bit over my budget as the price difference doesn't seem that much?

A last question, do you know the Goldring 1042 and how would you compare it to the Naga mp-200?

Thanks
 
Mathias Frøslev said:
I think the Technica might be too bright on my system as it is not on the warm site. However I think my Croft Phono will change that a bit. After demoing the Vincent I decided on the Croft and hopefully have it tomorrow.

Regarding the Grado as I live in Denmark might prove to troublesome in the long run, sending it in for replacement of stylus and I'm not willing to take the chance of getting hum.

The Nags sound very promising but shouldn't I go for the mp-200 and go a bit over my budget as the price difference doesn't seem that much?

A last question, do you know the Goldring 1042 and how would you compare it to the Naga mp-200?

Thanks

Good choice on the Croft. The Goldring is a good all rounder but not as good as the Nag in my option, some consider it too 'laid back'. It might suit your sonic requirements though. With the Croft the AT should be fine also.

Ideally you need to know there are dealers in your area even if you then purchase over the internet.
 

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