Phono pre amp question

[long_island_audio_nut]

I am in the market for a phono pre amp.  I am seriously considering the Coincident.  Issue is I spoke to them and they do not offer any demo.  They sell direct.
I don't mind spending the money, and I have read reviews that praise the pre-amp, but spending 7k and not being able to hear it is another story. 
Can anyone sheard some light on this?
My email is peteolivieri@verizon.net

[GDHAL]

Hi Pete. Welcome to the forum. 

I know next to nothing about phono preamps, because I'm all digital.

However, as an owner of the Schiit Yggdrasil DAC, I do know about direct sales. Cutting out the dealer (A.K.A 'middleman") is really advantageous for you, because it winds up saving you money.

What I am a little skeptical and surprised about though, is that coincident doesn't appear to offer a restocking return option. At least not according to their website. You could call them and question that and say hey competitors in this space such as Schiit Audio, do offer a return option albeit you have 15 days to do so and a 15% restocking fee, so it isn't exactly cheap if you go that route either but it's better than being stuck with a brick.

I don't think it would hurt to call them or email them to inquire about that.

Best.

Hal

[long_island_audio_nut]

Thanks for the reply
I did call them,  You buy it you own it. 

Their reviews are great.  Reviewers compare it to $40K phono pre amps.  Just concerns me that they do not offer any kind of demo

They keep the price down by selling direct but........

[GDHAL]

Thanks for the reply
I did call them,  You buy it you own it. 

Their reviews are great.  Reviewers compare it to $40K phono pre amps.  Just concerns me that they do not offer any kind of demo

They keep the price down by selling direct but........

You're welcome. I hear/read you. Frankly I don't understand their being so adamant. At that price point it certainly is risky, but on the other hand, if you do extra due diligence , perhaps speak with existing owners in addition to reading reviews, at least you can make an informed decision.

Also, keep in mind, often is the case that if you go to listen, that too presents two challenges. One is that more often than not dealer showrooms are set up like crap from a sonic perspective. Secondly, unless you bring your own gear as in speakers, amplifier, turntable and other components that would go along with the phono preamp, you really can't get the best sense of how it's going to sound in your particular case anyway. System synergy goes a long way.

Lastly, I did send you an email directly at the address that you left in one of your posts and it bounced back as being invalid. I was curious whereabouts on Long Island you're from. I glean that you're from Long Island giving your username. I am in Freeport , zip code 11520.

Best.

Hal

[GDHAL]

Pete, if you're on Long Island, I just thought of a game plan for you

Are you familiar with Audio Breakthroughs?

They're located in Manhasset, and they've been in business for well over 30 years. The owner's name is Bruce so if you do call over there you can tell him I (Hal) referred you.

Conceivably you could get the dealer at audio breakthroughs to purchase the unit on your behalf. Of course, there's an upcharge for doing that, but at the price point we're talking about it's not going to be more than 2 or 300 bucks.

If they buy it on your behalf and then you have an issue you have an easier route and more clout to return it. And also you would have a second party to return it to, which would be audio breakthroughs for a store credit of some kind.

Just a friendly suggestion, thinking outside of the box. 

Best.

Hal

Edit: I'm thinking some more and in furtherance of this it's conceivable you actually could save money by going through a dealership, even though coincident doesn't deal with dealerships. The dealership just has to claim that you're interested in buying let's say 30k worth of other electronics/speakers from them and it hinges upon you getting this phono preamp that you always wanted that they don't carry. Sometimes , dealerships can get a courtesy discount from audio related manufacturers that only sell direct. So while coincident may charge you 7K, they may charge the dealership 6.8 k.

[long_island_audio_nut]

Thanks for the suggestions. 
I am out in Central Islip over by the Ducks Stadium
Always looking for others to share music listening with
Fixed my email

[S Clark]

Thanks for the reply
I did call them,  You buy it you own it. 

Their reviews are great.  Reviewers compare it to $40K phono pre amps.  Just concerns me that they do not offer any kind of demo

They keep the price down by selling direct but........

Sorry, that's a red flag to me.  Especially for something that pricey.  I've bought lots of phono preamps.  All were either a deal used, or new with a 30 day return policy. 

[GDHAL]

Hi Scott.

WhiIe I agree with you it's a red flag IMO it's still not a showstopper though.

Presumably if one needs to hear it that badly in order to make a purchasing decision, the manufacturer would have a demo room available for you to come to them, which is the case let's say for JBL speakers.

Best.

Hal

EDIT: and undoubtedly the case for other speaker manufacturers. Try and arrange an in home demo or trial period for the top of the line pair of Cessaro speakers. 3/4 of a million dollars or not it ain't happening.

[Nick B]

Thanks for the suggestions. 
I am out in Central Islip over by the Ducks Stadium
Always looking for others to share music listening with
Fixed my email

Hello and welcome to AN! I’m out of vinyl, but what’s your budget? Van Alstine has a very good reputation for phono.

[Jack]

If you're open to spending up to $7k and want tubes I would look at the latest version of the Modwright PH 9.0.  Give Dan a call and see if there is a dealer somewhat close to you.

https://tmraudio.com/vinyl/phono-preamps/modwright-ph-9-0x-tube-phono-stage-new-w-full-warranty/

[GDHAL]

EDIT : Never mind. I answered my own question. Yes, this is the same Dan Wright I'd give him a thumbs up for sure. I spoke with him once many years ago having to do with my Oppo UDP205. I didn't have the work done (thankfully and correctly so as his mods are not how I use the unit), but do believe he knows his stuff.

If you're open to spending up to $7k and want tubes I would look at the latest version of the Modwright PH 9.0.  Give Dan a call and see if there is a dealer somewhat close to you.

https://tmraudio.com/vinyl/phono-preamps/modwright-ph-9-0x-tube-phono-stage-new-w-full-warranty/

Jack - is that the same Dan Modwright as this one:
https://www.modwright.com/#

[Jack]

Yes it is and the same Dan Wright who started out strictly as a modder on AC.  Quality gear and a great guy to deal with.

[S Clark]

It would help to know what it will match up with.   Every phono preamp I have owned were different from each other, but none made as much difference as a cartridge upgrade or even a stylus upgrade.
What is your table, your cartridge, your tonearm, your tonearm cable, and the interconnects from phono pre to preamp? 

[P.I.]

+5 on Dan.  His gear is stellar and so is he!

[GDHAL]

It would help to know what it will match up with.   Every phono preamp I have owned were different from each other, but none made as much difference as a cartridge upgrade or even a stylus upgrade.
What is your table, your cartridge, your tonearm, your tonearm cable, and the interconnects from phono pre to preamp?

It is conceivable Pete has not turned on notifications, as he is new to the forum. I have since emailed him to let him know to do so, assuming he remains interested in the forum. In the meantime, this is his previous reply to me which answers the question put forth by S Clark.
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Classe A 200 watt power amp
Mcintosh C2600 pre amp
VPI Classic II table with Clear audio Mastro cartridge
Oppo blue ray player
Blue Sound Vault
Sonus Farber Olympia II Speakers
Samsung 80 inch 4K TV

I have a mixture of cables.  power cables and speaker cable sfrom Triode Wire labs Also running balanced cables from transparent from the amp to the pre-amp and RCA cables from the Turntable.  Running transparent coax from the Blue sound and transparent optical and RCA from the Oppo


I pretty much listen to every thing but grunge and head knocker (or whatever they call that screaming crap)

Will listen to classical but not big time listener