Phono Preamplifiers

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Hi-Fi Choice  |  Nov 23, 2018  |  0 comments
Bavaria-based Lindemann is perhaps best known as a purveyor of audio products aimed at the high-end hi-fi sector, but to mark its 25 years in business the company has launched a series of more affordable components. The Limetree range uses the same 120 x 120mm form factor and the moving-magnet and moving-coil phono stage is the first to be released in the UK through distributor Elite Audio. We’re told that a USB DAC, headphone amplifier and streamer components will follow in due course.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Sep 11, 2018  |  0 comments
Committed to vinyl replay long before the current popularity of the medium, Creek Audio’s OBH range of phono stages has been around for 25 years. The OBH-8mk2 is the latest iteration of the design and is the entry-level model in the range, sitting just below the long-running £300 OBH-15mk2 (HFC 407). The OBH-8mk2 is a straightforward moving-magnet phono stage with fixed loading and no user adjustments. The new design uses an integrated circuit for the gain stage powered by a 24V supply, which is something that has been present on OBH designs since their inception.
Hi-Fi Choice  |  Feb 05, 2015  |  0 comments
Getting a valve phono stage to work well is no easy task when you bear in mind that on the quieter parts of a record, the output from a moving coil cartridge may only be about a millionth of a volt. This needs to be amplified up to a standard line-level output of around 1. 2Vrms, so for a start the whole circuit and power supply needs to be as quiet as a mouse. Then the stage itself also has to be first rate and stable under all operating conditions.
Ed Selley  |  Jan 09, 2012  |  0 comments
Royal performance Creek has upped the ante with its first no compromise phono stage, Jason Kennedy puts the new Wyndsor through its paces Creek introduced the Wyndsor name with its fi rst turntable in 2010 (HFC 302) and now it has a phono stage to match. This is a two-box design with exemplary casework and a front panel interface that allows you to confi gure preset parameters for several different cartridges and have it remember each by name. This will be a boon to anyone who regularly changes cartridge and needs to set specifi c gain, impedance and capacitance for each. Another feature that we are beginning to see on a growing number of phono stages is balanced inputs, albeit not in conventional form.
Ed Selley  |  May 16, 2011  |  0 comments
The final frontier Primare's beautifully built, full-width phono stage is the perfect partner for serious vinyl systems says analogue addict Jason Kennedy Primare’s new R32 has got to be the biggest phono stage on the market for under a grand, In fact, you could fit a dozen Dynavector P75 MkII stages inside it! Size is not usually considered a bonus in such devices but it has two benefits: you get a component that matches the rest on your rack and it’s extremely well built. You also get plenty of space between the power supply and the internal circuitry. When you are amplifying the pitiful output of a moving coil cartridge you need the quietest environment you can get and this is one way of achieving it. Back in black In 2009, we reviewed Primare’s R20 phono stage (HFC 320), which was half the width of the R32 and nearly half the price, but had the unusual feature of variable gain for the MM input only.
Ed Selley  |  Apr 28, 2011  |  0 comments
Just for the record Can a humble cartridge-maker craft the perfect phono stage? Dynavector’s radical P-75 looks to invigorate Jason Kennedy’s LP collection In many respects you would expect companies that make cartridges to be the best placed to design a phono stage, but this is still quite a rare practice (van den Hul and Rega are notable exceptions). Dynavector is not just a cartridge maker of course, it has an electronics wing in New Zealand and used to make an amplifier with stereo- enhancing circuitry, there is also a discontinued head amplifier on its website. Its compact P-75 phono stage is now in its second generation and has something of a cult following, so we thought it time to investigate. Degrees of grain The P75 does a couple of things rather differently to most.
Ed Selley  |  Jul 02, 2010  |  0 comments
Bright and beautiful In this exclusive review Jimmy Hughes looks at Linn's new 'universal' phono stage and discovers a must-have tool for LP lovers It goes without saying that Linn’s Uphorik phono stage will have plenty of appeal to serious vinyl enthusiasts: those lucky individuals with a top class turntable, arm and cartridge, who are intent on making their precious collection of LPs sound as good as is humanly possible. Yet, the Uphorik will also appeal to record fans in general, proving once and for all that the vinyl LP is still very much alive and kicking in 2010. Which is pretty impressive news, given that its rival, the compact disc is fast approaching its 30th birthday. More importantly, vinyl is becoming increasingly popular among younger hi-fi enthusiasts born long after its heyday - see our feature on p84.

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