The Bellari VP-129 Phono Stage

Years ago folks used to say "What this country needs is a good 10-cent cup o'coffee." (Now, of course, we have a Starbucks every 30 feet where you have the privilege of forking over your Rolex for a half-cream-half-Half-and-Half-half-Decaf-Mocha-Latte-with-sprinkles. Oy!) Then, just over 20 years ago, Sony and Philips tried to kill off the LP. It didn't work. All they really accomplished was force analog playback to get even better! Unfortunately, a lot of really great phono stages will set you back as much as the above mentioned Rolex. Then along came this little gem from Bellari. Let's make one thing clear: the VP-129 won't replace the more expensive, high-gain phono stage you'll need for good, low-output moving coil cartridges.However, for moving magnets and high-output (>2mV) moving coils, look no further! Made in the USA, the Bellari is an all-tube design (!) with RIAA EQ, a switchable rumble filter, a mute switch, and headphone output with output level control. Beyond all of the wonderful features, the Bellari sounds great and, best of all, it's only $250.00! Highly recommended!!