Gemtune MS23B upgraded version of MS22B 12AX7B X2 Stereo Tube Phono Stage

Now I had played with the idea of buying this for quite a while but reviews seem mixed. I bought this via Amazon Prime at a great price which swung it for me so it arrived the following day. It arrived well packaged and in good condition. I have a linn sondek lp12 with an Akito arm fitted with an at95ne stylus which is a replacement for a k9 stylus which fits the cartridge. A Cambridge audio Azur a640 integrated amplifier with Mordaunt Short MS914 floor standing speakers so nothing too fancy. I had done some research on these phono amplifiers and reliabilty cropped up. One thing I have noticed is that the phono amplifier has a switch that says 110v to 220v on the back of it. A hand written note inside the packaging saying suitable for 240v so who do you believe. The UK mains is 230 volts so to be on the safe side I had a power surge protector which I plugged the phono amp in to it to prevent power surge spikes which can damage electrical equipment. It’s simple to set up so just plug the phono leads from the turntable in to the input leads of the ms23b and then plug phono leads from the output of the ms23b in to the back of the amplifier in my case the dvd line which is line level, make sure the ground lead of the turntable is attached to the earth as well. Easy ! Then switch the power on and enjoy. It was a marked improvement on the amplifiers phono input which was only a cheap add on. It had a better soundstage , more detail and a much tighter base in fact better all round. It’s got a smooth open sound which I am more than happy with. I might consider rolling the tubes for better ones which will improve it again. If you have an integrated amplifier with a cheap moving magnet phono amplifier you are going to see a marked improvement. I did not see any way of changing the gain for different cartridges but in the case of mine it works well. Let’s pray for no breakdowns and burn the valves in and away we go. I would recommend this but take in to consideration the system you are buying it for and compatibility but it worked for me. Spin the black circle !

First one died within a week. Replacement was open box, secondhand, covered in greasy fingerprints with no power lead. Dont waste your time ! (Potential buyers note; this is the same product as the Yaqin branded MS23b)

When I searched for this item, it had only one review, and that was 1 star. That review was undoubtedly an accurate reflection of the reviewer's experience, but related more to the delivery of faulty items rather than the performance of the phono amp itself. Mine was delivered in new condition as you would expect, and works perfectly. It is a good price for a valve phono stage, and has that fabulous smooth and clear sound that only valve amps seem able to deliver. Mine is teamed with a valve power amp; the NAD deck has an Ortofon Super OM10 cartridge. I am delighted with the performance and can unreservedly recommend this amp to anyone who wants to get the best out of their vinyl.

Needed a preamp for second turntable, tried the Little Bear ( sounded great) but did not like the styling.So went for this ( I am listening to this as I write this) brilliant sound, well worth the money, will not get into rolling the valves yet, but if you do will sounds even better.This pre amp keeps getting better, changed the supplied tubes to Tesla gold pin ( although lower output than supplied tubes) the sound is stunning.