Have any of the forum members had any experience of Spartan, British made phono amps …….particularly the Spartan 15?
Spartan 15 Phono amp
- Thread starter Wylor
- Start date
Al ears
Well-known member
Hi Al ears,
No, I don’t need that mono switch but I have heard that it is one of the best sub £500 phono stages out there………any better suggestions? (and they are British made)
No, I don’t need that mono switch but I have heard that it is one of the best sub £500 phono stages out there………any better suggestions? (and they are British made)
Al ears
Well-known member
There are plenty to choose from.
I know little about Spartan products.
skinnypuppy71
Well-known member
Thank you skinnypuppy71…… thank you for your positive response and suggestion. I must amit, I hadn’t come across NJC before. I have had a quick look but will investigate further.
skinnypuppy71
Well-known member
Yeah...the lads at njc are great, every product is built to order and they keep you informed about the build, with the icing on the cake being your own name included in the owners manual...lovely personal touch from them......and the electronics are excellent amd I believe they pride themselves with their mm phono stage and separate step up transformer for low output moving coil cartridges, the way it's meant to be done!
DPD
Well-known member
The Spartan 15 by Michael Fidler has some very good reviews out there. You will not see him or his products mentioned in the mainstream " Hi-Fi" press !!
michaelfidler.com
I am looking to replace my Rega MM mk 3 with either the Spartan 15 or the MM pro. I am using a Dyna Vector high output MC cart.
Mind you, it does sound good with the Rega stage. The subjectivity of Hi-Fi kit !!
SPARTAN 15 Moving Magnet Phono Stage by Michael Fidler
Low noise phono moving magnet stage, with linear power supply, accurate RIAA equalisation, mono switch and low frequency crossfeed
michaelfidler.com
I am looking to replace my Rega MM mk 3 with either the Spartan 15 or the MM pro. I am using a Dyna Vector high output MC cart.
Mind you, it does sound good with the Rega stage. The subjectivity of Hi-Fi kit !!
nopiano
Well-known member
Funnily enough I just read about it in the January 2024 Hifi Choice, but a news item, not a review. It’s handmade in England and retails for £330 apparently.The Spartan 15 by Michael Fidler has some very good reviews out there. You will not see him or his products mentioned in the mainstream " Hi-Fi" press !!
SPARTAN 15 Moving Magnet Phono Stage by Michael Fidler
Low noise phono moving magnet stage, with linear power supply, accurate RIAA equalisation, mono switch and low frequency crossfeed
I am looking to replace my Rega MM mk 3 with either the Spartan 15 or the MM pro. I am using a Dyna Vector high output MC cart.
Mind you, it does sound good with the Rega stage. The subjectivity of Hi-Fi kit !!
Like you I’ve had excellent results with Rega’s MM phono stages. I had an early Mini and a later Fono v3 or 4. I can’t imagine the Spartan would be a big improvement, but maybe they offer sale or return?
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daytona600
Well-known member
Entrigo
Well-known member
Hi, have you bought it/tried it in the end? Reviving as very interested in the Spartan 20; the few reviews out there are glowing, but would love to hear from people who have tried it.
I tried the Rega Fono MK5, good but didn't feel such a massive improvement over the built in phono stage (of either my Technics sl1500c or Marantz amp) so keen to try something "better". And with MC as would love to dip my toes in that.
Al ears
Well-known member
Unfortunately, because they don't seem to have any distribution plan I doubt many in any have heard them.
You might have to suck it and see, as they say.
do they have a returns policy?
camcroft
Well-known member
I take my hat off to Michael Fidler he does everything himself which limits how many units he can make plus if he takes on more people he would really have to look after the quality control. He is exporting to the USA as he has built up quite a fanbase there but lets see if Trump spoils everything with his tax plans.
Entrigo
Well-known member
Well... Had a pleasant exchange with Michael Fidler, who's been great and responded to all my queries but...
First of all, I noticed he doesn't accept PayPal - and I love my "pay in 3" - allows me to buy more stuff "right now"/simultaneously, as I have no patience whatsoever... Then I stumbled across an ex-demo Simaudio Moon 110LP at £130 off and just pulled the trigger.
Apart from the cost and payment options, the Moon has more configuration options - I will probably not use many, but once I went down the gain, capacitance, loading etc rabbit hole, I felt I would be better off with more flexibility. I am keen to try MC cartridges and the Moon allows for more options.
I loved the idea of the Michael Fidler units, but the Simaudio just ticks more boxes - if just the Spartan had adjustable gain instead of the Mono switch for example (which is of absolute no use to me), I would have gone with it.
First of all, I noticed he doesn't accept PayPal - and I love my "pay in 3" - allows me to buy more stuff "right now"/simultaneously, as I have no patience whatsoever... Then I stumbled across an ex-demo Simaudio Moon 110LP at £130 off and just pulled the trigger.
Apart from the cost and payment options, the Moon has more configuration options - I will probably not use many, but once I went down the gain, capacitance, loading etc rabbit hole, I felt I would be better off with more flexibility. I am keen to try MC cartridges and the Moon allows for more options.
I loved the idea of the Michael Fidler units, but the Simaudio just ticks more boxes - if just the Spartan had adjustable gain instead of the Mono switch for example (which is of absolute no use to me), I would have gone with it.
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