Phono stage recommendations

Actually I was only half joking. I’m aware that component quality-and-type is critical to the Kondo sound, but I’m, prolly never going to have the cash for one, wheras building something like this is within my grasp - to the extent I’ve dropped the seller a line about getting a PCB-only purchase sorted.

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There is nothing new about Kondo clones, or anything particularly unusual about the circuits.
The circuit diagrams have been online for years.
One of the best I heard was the two box M7 clone that Dom had, now owned by Rabski (saved him having to build his own).

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I had that as well, it was amazing, comfortably better than Phil’s M7 in many ways. It has very good components in.

Be nice to have four of them in a digital active system :sunglasses:

For my next go at building one of these I’m going to Foo it up a bit. Also @pmac and I bought kosher fake cases!

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Haha, yes. Mine’s still at Pete’s house.

I really need to get it up here before I can start the build.

Wasn’t that the Gordon Welford thing?

there are plenty of internal shots online, you can built it v nicely without a pcb

one unusual feature of the upper level Kondo stuff like the M77 is the dual mains tx which run out of phase, I understand this makes quite a difference to the sound, quite interesting and not an approach that crops up too often.

@coco style copper sheet for the panels will also bring a nice benefit to the sound

Intredasting about the dual mains trannies, ta. But PCB-based will suffice - they look fairly well laid-out, and mean I will actually finish them one day…

Please to ask Nob san if he will be producing a clone with a built in Schumann? Perhaps if enough of us ask he might consider it? Caps need Schumann love too you know…

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I’ll just deal with this sudden, unexpected erection :wave: and then get right on to it.

We can but pray Nob-San will honour our humble request… :pray:

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Just shows how tastes differ or how important system synergy is.or how expectation bias works.
I had the option on it before Dom sold it to Rabski and in my system side by side the Audio Note M3 was much better which disappointed me, as I was hoping I could have bought it, flogged the M3 and trousered a lot of money!

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Yeah it was the Gordon Welford thing.

It was much more transparent than the Kondo, but the latter did the Kondo thing. You pays yer money…

I wonder if he’s still making stuff or gone into one of his hibernation periods.

The Welford is an M7 copy, but with different parts - V-caps and such.

It was a nice bit of kit, it was the phono stage in particular that didn’t compare with the M3.

Is/was he in the North East ish or am I thinking of someone else?

Last time I saw him he had just moved into a house in Newton Aycliffe

I never really tried that

To which he’s responded with a “yes” - albeit at a cheeky £70 - anyone else want a PCB-only of this glorious Kondo/Nobsound hybrid so I can try and get the price down?

Sure.

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