Spartan 15 Phono amp

[Wylor]

Have any of the forum members had any experience of Spartan, British made phono amps …….particularly the Spartan 15?

 

[Al ears]

Have any of the forum members had any experience of Spartan, British made phono amps …….particularly the Spartan 15?

Why do you ask?
Do you need that mono switch?

 

[Wylor]

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)

 

[Al ears]

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)

There are plenty to choose from.
I know little about Spartan products.

 

[skinnypuppy71]

NJC audio are in Cornwall area...good reliable gear...I have the dac and headphone amplifier, I'd have bought the phono stage also, had it not been for the pandemic.

 

[Wylor]

NJC audio are in Cornwall area...good reliable gear...I have the dac and headphone amplifier, I'd have bought the phono stage also, had it not been for the pandemic.

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]

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.

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]

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

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]

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

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 !!

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.

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?

 

[daytona600]

UK made Phono Stages Graham slee , Talk edwards , Rothwell & many more

MM carts sound best into MM 47k phono Stages
HOMC like the dyna into a MM 47k stage + 1.5/1.10 SUT step up transformer to match load/impedance
LOMC carts sound best into MC phono stage

 

[Entrigo]

Have any of the forum members had any experience of Spartan, British made phono amps …….particularly the Spartan 15?

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]

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.

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]

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?

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... 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.

 

[Entrigo]

Now, while I wait for the the Moon to arrive, I fixed the slightly askew azimuth on my tonearm and my oh my, hasn't sound improved!

Go figure - a stylus going in at an angle doesn’t sound as good as one going in straight 😬😂

Just hope I haven't done too much damage to my precious records in the last year.

 

[Entrigo]

Little update after two hours with the Moon.

Started the "soundcheck" with two records I have known and listened to countless times in the past 25ish years (Seventeen Seconds by The Cure and The Bends by Radiohead).


Now. I never really believed that "I heard things I hadn't noticed before" you hear/read all the time in hifi gear reviews.

Well I'll be damned...

Obviously nothing smack in your face but tiny little details here and there - and in general the feeling of listening to the songs afresh.
Truly energising!

Even my good (and long suffering) wife, who normally replies with a "don't know" whenever I try asking her if she likes the sound of this or that component, agreed that music had a bit of sparkle and engagement.

Well done Simaudio!

Now, I keep hearing these are not as good with MC carts. Have an Audio Tecnica AT 33 PTG/II waiting to be taken for a spin. Obviously I have no yardstick as it is my first MC but will compare it to the AT-VM540ML I also have on the way. The 33 should by all means be superior I think.

If it weren't, well, there might be a case for a swift return to the initial favourite - the Spartan hahah

For the time being, going to really enjoy the Simaudio.

 

[Al ears]

Little update after two hours with the Moon.

Started the "soundcheck" with two records I have known and listened to countless times in the past 25ish years (Seventeen Seconds by The Cure and The Bends by Radiohead).


Now. I never really believed that "I heard things I hadn't noticed before" you hear/read all the time in hifi gear reviews.

Well I'll be damned...

Obviously nothing smack in your face but tiny little details here and there - and in general the feeling of listening to the songs afresh.
Truly energising!

Even my good (and long suffering) wife, who normally replies with a "don't know" whenever I try asking her if she likes the sound of this or that component, agreed that music had a bit of sparkle and engagement.

Well done Simaudio!

Now, I keep hearing these are not as good with MC carts. Have an Audio Tecnica AT 33 PTG/II waiting to be taken for a spin. Obviously I have no yardstick as it is my first MC but will compare it to the AT-VM540ML I also have on the way. The 33 should by all means be superior I think.

If it weren't, well, there might be a case for a swift return to the initial favourite - the Spartan hahah

For the time being, going to really enjoy the Simaudio.

Glad you like the Simaudio. Interesting to hear your thoughts on it as I have never heard any Simaudio gear.
The AT33 is a great cartridge for I money, I owned one in the past and I feel sure you will love it.
Let us know.