Sparky-Since you are so enamoured with ARC gear in general and your ARC SP-11 and D-250 in particular, I'm surprised that you don't like the phono stage of the SP-11. And I'm further suprised that if you don't like the phono section of the SP-11 that you didn't buy an ARC phono stage.
HI mep,
Sharp observation on your part. Actually, I loved the phono stage on the SP-11. It's the best I had ever heard. But there was a lingering doubt in my mind that caused me to want to experiment. In the SP-11, the first amplification stage in the phono portion is an FET. The FET was one of the reasons the phono section was so dead quiet with low output cartridges. While I had no reason to not like it, I wanted to see if an all tube design would be better.
I had read a lot of good things about the Rhea and I was very impressed with its features. I had a need for two phono inputs and the SP-11 only had one. So, one way or the other, I was faced with having an outboard phono stage. Why not a Rhea? All that I had read indicated that its signature might go well with the SP-11. But you never know until you try.
So, I jumped on Audiogon and found one at a very reduced price. The price was good enough that I knew I could sell it with no trouble if I didn't like it and get my money back.
Well, things worked out very well. I liked it a lot. I liked the sound, and its flexibility was what all phono preamps should have.
Comparing the Rhea to the SP-11 was interesting. The Rhea was better but not by much. It was not as quiet. But its basic presentation was first class and noise was not a problem. The biggest surprise was how well the SP-11 stood up to the comparison. As I had always thought, the SP-11 phono stage was world class. In truth, if it were not for the fact that I needed an outboard phono stage, I would not have kept the Rhea. It was not that much better and I could have used the money elsewhere.
So, that's it. Now I want to know if the Rhea Signature upgrade is worth the money. The reviews have pretty much been raves.
But here is the real reason, I whisper. By not selecting an ARC phono stage, I was simply trying to demonstrate to you that I'm not dogmatic with my tastes.
Sparky