VP130 Mm Tube Phono Preamplifier With Headphone Amplifier

I struggled with this amp for several years. Dabbling in vinyl really. Then recently got serious with a Yaqin MC13S tube amp and a new turntable, so got down to business. The power supply that came with the Bellari failed recently, so I got an el cheapo replacement on Amazon. Here is my story reprinted from another group. Thought I'd pass this along. Not saying this is the best way to go, but man this thing is beautimous now! I did roll the tube, but that didn't make near as much difference in sound as the following did. Oh, and a dedicated on/off switch would be nice, and now I have one! QUOTE: "This post isn't necessarily Yaqin related, but since my MC-13S is in the chain of command, I thought I'd post up. I received a very nice (compared to what I had been using--as deftly pointed out by some members here!) Audio-Technica AT LP120 USB turntable recently. For those unfamiliar with a certain modification many owners of this turntable make, you can quite easily completely disable the built in preamp, even if you are not using it. By doing so, you bypass a few built in caps that can alter the higher end frequencies (even when it is not in use). Or something like that. This mod requires opening up the turntable and unsoldering the preamp, and adding a new set of RCA outputs (there are various ways to do it). But I digress... I made the modification, and did notice a fuller sound. While I was in there, I added a ground wire (from turntable main ground) so I could ground my Rolls Bellari VP130 phono preamp. Before this, the preamp was not grounded using the ground terminal on the back. It absolutely needed this grounding wire after the surgery. However, I had a lot of background noise. This noise was mainly evident during quiet parts of songs being played at high volume. On a whim, I moved the turntable ground wire from the back of the Bellari to the chassis of the Yaqin itself (Yaqin to turntable direct grounding). Wow! Much better in the noise department. However, there was still a "buzz" going on. Having just recently purchased a replacement power supply for the OEM Bellari that had developed a short, I began to suspect that my noise issue was emanating from the new power supply. So I brought in a very high-end supply from my astronomical observatory, and hooked it up. A Powerwerx SPS-30DM. Viola! Noise gone. So what many have said is true of the Bellari: it requires a nice (read better) supply than comes stock. Unfortunately, the one I am having the best luck with costs nearly as much as the preamp itself! Curiously, now my Bellari appears to run with just one power terminal attached to it. And, it does not seem to care whether that terminal is positive or negative. Not sure what this means except that it does not seem to care about polarity, even though the polarity is clearly marked on the top of the preamp. Ground loop? Anyway, adjusting the position of the ground to the Yaqin chassis and using a nice very clean power supply has made a vast difference in my sound output. I was going to lose the Bellari in favor of the Yaqin MS22B, but reviews of the Bellari seem to be on par with the latter. Time will tell! CG

I used to collect records when I was younger because I grew up with them. I always had a record player, but more recently I fell into a 70s audiophile table and used it briefly. I buy records from garage sales when I can find them for dirt cheap. Fast forward 10 years, I decided to revive my player and put it in a simple setup in my office with some extra speakers I don't use or upgraded from my main home theatre setup. Since initially I bought a cheap 2 channel amp for my iPod and use of these speakers, I hooked up my record player and an Onkyo Eq35 I had spare and bought a 15 to 20 dollar preamp from Pyle. I was in record bliss and amazed at the sound quality my old records sounded and it really brought me back. Now that I'm all in converting and researching to improve the sound quality, I wasn't thrilled with the hiss at high volumes. Everyone swears by tube preamps and having owned a tube guitar amp, I can relate to the warm sound it produces. Let me tell you, this preamp is unbelievable and will bring out details you haven't heard or noticed before. I've only listened for about 8 hours so far, but I'm sold and excited to hear some other tubes recommended by others. The power supply issue is indeed true, it looks like it'll start a fire and you could probably crush it if you squeeze tight enough. Get the enercell 15v with the M tip and the him/low frequency subwoofer noise will disappear. This thing is silent. I have the preamp dialed in around 2:00 and music from Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, vision of disorder, Nirvanas 20th anniversary edition, Miles Davis remaster sound incredible. I honestly felt like during Freddie Freeloader that the guy had the clarinet two inches from my face and if I turned around I'd see someone playing a standup fretless bass. The tube is a little bit brighter than I'm used to hearing, but it is worlds better then I was originally listening with. The warmth and detail is great once you get a new power supply. I do now notice some surface noise, like you can hear the platter echoing a little, you can almost feel the needle travelling through the grooves if you listen close enough, but I haven't adjusted my EQ yet either. I would have ultimately went to the higher model with the riaa filter cut but really couldn't justify the price. The beautiful part is changing tubes should alter the sound, a cheaper way to continually upgrade the sound. Build quality is nice and all the details are there. Looking at the case makes me want to wax it to protect the finish but even I have my limits... Get this and the power supply and stop thinking about the other ones. EDIT: I replaced the factory tube with a JJ 803S which improved the sound but took away some of the dynamic range. I replaced that with a Tung-sol 12ax7 and cannot believe the sound. The Dyanamic range is unbelievable on good recordings, and now I keep at the output at 12:00. It truely sounds incredible. Buy this preamp already!

Pros: Great sound at a fraction of the price, looks great, Made in the USA Cons: The included third-party items (Power Supply and Tube), No off switch on the unit Rolls built one hell of a nice pre-amp at this price point but they made the mistake of bundling it with a crappy power supply and a mediocre tube. The included power supply doesn't provide enough current for stable output. It should be replaced immediately with a proper 15v supply. The Enercell 15v power supply from Radio Shack and the M size tip (Radio shack part numbers 273-332 and 273-344) have already been recommended here and work well. The included tube is a Ruby 12AX7 which is flat compared to other tubes I have tried. I'm using a JJ Electronics 12AX7 / ECC83 Preamp Vacuum Tube in mine right now and it is much better. The price is a bit lower than retail here on Amazon which I feel helps to make up for some of the lackluster items in the bundle. I'm still giving it five stars because it really does deserve it. If you're willing to spend the additional $50 for great sound, buy this pre-amp you wont regret it. It produces warm, smooth sound that makes my friends jealous.

great little unit for price point. sound is great. tube seems decent but power pack looks and feels cheap considering quality and feel of the whole unit overall. only 4 stars as it does not have an on/off switch. i have to unplug it after each use to save tube life. this sucks. WTF?