Boozhound Labs JFET Phono
Ok, so I've been playing records pretty much not stop since getting it setup. It's got a good 15 hours on it now at least. I'm giving it a listen through my Bottlehead Crack OTL headphone amp with Speedball upgrade, and my Sennheiser HD600 headphones. My turntable is an Audio Technica LP-120-USB (integrated phono removed) and my cartridge is an Audio Technica AT440MLa.
Checked the tracking force and reset it to 1.40g and we're going to listen to Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon.
First... there is no hum at all. Yes if I turn everything on and turn the volume to max there is some 60hertz hum but at listening levels it's dead quiet. If there was any noise I would hear it through my headphone rig.
This thing is fantastic, I haven't done any A B'ing yet with my former phono stage, that will come later, but I'm certain this BHL phono has a bigger sound stage, more clarity and separation. Highs are wonderfully clear and crisp without being harsh or shrill. Bass sounds full and natural and from the samples I've played is not lacking at all.
One thing I really look for is tonal balance because none of my gear has tone controls. I don't want to have to boost the treble or bass or fidget with it. I want it to sound good all by itself just like it was the day it was mixed and laid down. Vocals should sound full and lush without being thin or weak. The BHL totally delivers, I've been listening to it all day, I'm not tired of listening to it either. I think I will be hard pressed to improve upon its sound without laying out quite a bit of cash.
Speaking of cash, this kit cost me roughly $90 for the BHL board and parts, $35 for the GlassWare PSU board and parts, the transformer was $20, probably $10 for misc jacks and connectors, and the chassis was $35. I think you would have a hard time spending less for a phono stage that sounds as good as this one does, and I would bet that the BHL sounds as good as phono's costing much more.
I spent the better part of the day reading about how some guys have rolled countless boutique caps and different parts through the BHL and ultimately a few of them said for all the tweaking... they felt it was best off as it was out of the box. I also found several people who after a crazy amount of testing stated that they felt the sweet spot was best achieved when feeding it with 18vdc. I measured the supply voltage after initial power up and had a few minutes to settle in and I was seeing 18.17vdc.
I can not find any fault with the BHL phono, and as good as it sounds, I don't see it going anywhere either. I am very happy with my results, I would highly recommend one to anyone with the DIY bug who listens to vinyl. Unless you already have a phono stage costing hundreds more, you're not likely to be disappointed.
Enjoy the Music my friends.