NHB-18NS phono section

hvbias

Well-Known Member
Jun 22, 2012
578
38
940
New England area
I'm considering this preamp, and had some questions about the phono section for the members.

How does it compare to other stand alone phono stages or ones built into other preamps?

From Stereophile John Atkinson had this to say

Both the ultrasonic tip-mass resonance of a typical MC cartridge and the ultrasonic content of record ticks will be emphasized compared with conventional RIAA equalization, with possible audible consequences depending on the downstream components. I wish this were a switchable option

Do owners feel the phono-section is more unforgiving of surface noise given its use of enhanced RIAA eq curve?
 

asiufy

Industry Expert/VIP Donor
Jul 8, 2011
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almaaudio.com
I'm considering this preamp, and had some questions about the phono section for the members.

How does it compare to other stand alone phono stages or ones built into other preamps?

From Stereophile John Atkinson had this to say



Do owners feel the phono-section is more unforgiving of surface noise given its use of enhanced RIAA eq curve?

I tested it against a Pass Labs XP-25 two-box phono preamp, and they were different. The internal pre is smoother, has a nicer, smoother midrange. I did not hear any emphasis on surface noise on the internal pre.


alexandre
 

Bill Hart

Well-Known Member
May 11, 2012
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I think Mike Lavigne compared his to various free-standing phono stages, including the Allnic, which I use. I'm sure Mike will weigh in when he sees this. (and don't worry about hurting my feelings, Mike, I'm pretty happy with the sound of the Allnic but gather than the Dart can hold its own). When you consider the cost of an alleged state of the art line stage and separate phono stage, the Dart can almost be justified as a bargain.
 

hvbias

Well-Known Member
Jun 22, 2012
578
38
940
New England area
Thank you whart and Alexandre, I will do a search here to see if I can find more info.
 

Bill Hart

Well-Known Member
May 11, 2012
2,683
174
1,150
Thank you whart and Alexandre, I will do a search here to see if I can find more info.

Some of Mike's comparisons may have been posted under his system thread on the 'Gon. But, he's an active member here, and I'm sure will give you his views once he sees this thread and gets time to post.
PS not discounting Alexandre's views in any of this.
 

rockitman

Member Sponsor
Sep 20, 2011
7,097
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Northern NY
the only downside is determining your best loading...you need to decide and solder in the resistor. Not very convenient especially when you are going back and fourth between loading values.
 

Mike Lavigne

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 25, 2010
12,471
11,368
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I'm considering this preamp, and had some questions about the phono section for the members.

How does it compare to other stand alone phono stages or ones built into other preamps?

From Stereophile John Atkinson had this to say



Do owners feel the phono-section is more unforgiving of surface noise given its use of enhanced RIAA eq curve?

you will need to go to the stand-alone $30k Yipsalon to surpass the 18NS in performance. there are other phono stages that are different sounding, as opposed to better sounding. matters of taste. there are a number of good phono stages to suit many tastes.

personally i'm a fan of natural neutrality in a phono stage and electronics. as far as any enhanced surface noise i don't hear that.

some of the advantages of the phono in the 18NS are that it's battery powered, and part of the line stage, so no additional expensive interconnects or power cords, it does not need it's own shelf space. i use 2 arms, one with a mono cartridge and one with a stereo cartridge. i have 2 phono cards in my 18NS and it is so elegant and simple to do. as far as changing values on the phono card, it is really quite easy if you are reasonably proficient with a soldering iron. and you can have as much as 77 db of gain. switches for loading are not the highest performing implimentation, although many things go into performance.

i have compared the 18NS over the years to a number of other phono stages, and owned the 2nd generation Alnic H3000 phono stage, which i think the 18NS easily surpassed, as good as the Alnic was.

the phono in the 18NS will allow the best of your cartridge to come thru without restrictions. it is amazingly quiet and very highly resolving. it has great believable dynamics, but especially great micro-dynamics.

if you are a darTZeel amplifier owner and can take advantage of the BNC zeel cables to enhance the whole performance at a reasonable cost it's hard to beat the 18NS as a preamp-phono.
 

hvbias

Well-Known Member
Jun 22, 2012
578
38
940
New England area
Thanks for the info Mike.
 

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