opinions on the cambridge audio 540p phono stage?

Who heres got one of these babies.

I've been reading rave reviews about it for while, so i've decided to pick one up to replace the low grade built in phono inputs i'm using at the mo.

I'm talking for sampling, more than listening. My gear is entry-level hi-fi, a dual cs-505 4 turntable with an ortofon super om-30 (well regarded combo), so i'm hoping it will complement the setup for some crispy sampling.

only negative thing i'm worried about is some people say the 540p or even 640p is a little bass shy and more upper frequency focused, whereas others say the response is flat and its an accurate reproduction of what the cart feeds it.
The ortofon cart is already known for being quite low on bass, so is the Dual turntable so i'm hoping the 540p will at least be as accurate as possible.

So whats your opinion on this thing if you've got one, or any other options in its price range of 60 quid (i believe about 100$ US).

In reply to my own question, i picked one up today from richer sounds. Very pleased.

I hear it takes a while to break it in to get optimal perfomance, like most phono stages, but its already pretty brilliant.

Now time to cop some samplage!

Shhhh, be quiet. It's good.

I'll be quiet now,
(much like the noise level on this thing)

I was having a problem with the 540 because it does not have a subsonic filter like most phono stages (switchable on the 640). My samples were picking up too much rumble from my building, despite having my stuff set on concrete blocks. I am using 1200s with a variety of carts.

I made some shock absorbers out of 1 1/2" sections of round pvc drain pipe wrapped with rubber bands. Some people use empty tuna cans or duct tape rolls for this too (old disco console trick). Anyway, works great. If you are getting too much rumble in your samples eating up your headroom and have to HPF everything, you might try this trick.

540 sounds great for the money... it's much nicer than the pres in even an expensive DJ mixer. It has more thermal noise (hiss) than some preamp designs because of the passive RIAA eq stage, but it sounds very natural for the same reason. I think this is only a problem for sampling if you grab a very quiet sound and try to boost it up.

yeah, i agree with you on that, i'm picking up the very low frequency rumbling to. Might give your little trick a shot. out of interest, how long have you had yours?
Have you noticed any improvement of sound over time?

I've had mine for about 3 years. It sounds the same as it did when it was new. It doesn't contain anything that would benefit from "burn in" if that's where you're going. I have built a few solid state phono preamps from brand new parts and I haven't noticed this effect on any of them. In my experience, brand new speakers and tubes are the only things that can noticeably "burn in".

cool, i've been lurking in too many 'audiophile' forums i think.