2. analog
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Phono Stage - The great analog tragedy

In the world of analog playback, there is an interesting observation. There has been tremendous innovation in the field of 
Turntable - Direct, Idler, Belt
Cartridge - MM, MC, MI
Tonearm - Gimbal, Unipivot, Linear Tracking

For all of the above designs we find some of the best reference components designed in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Most of the modern products are inspired from these extraordinary products of the past. But when it comes to phono stage, there is hardly any "reference component" from that era. They just standardized RIAA curve for sanity and left it. Manufacturers made large preamps and amps and allocated a puny 5% space for a small phono circuit even in their reference models, like a necessary evil. They didn’t bother about making it better. 

The result? It came down to the modern designers post 2000 after vinyl resurgence to come up with serious phono stages for high end systems. Unfortunately they don’t have any past reference grade designs to copy or get inspired from. Effectively, just like DACs, reference phono stages is also an evolving concept, and we don’t have too many choices when we want a really good one which is high-res and natural sounding. Very few in the world have figured out a proper high end design so far. And most of the decent ones have been designed in the past couple of decades. The best of the breed are probably yet to come.  

It is a tragedy that our legendary audio engineers from the golden era didn’t focus on the most sensitive and impactful component, "the phono stage"

pani

Showing 1 response by nubiann

nubiann
28 posts
 

I Think many so called "audiophile" integrated and standalone phono stages have flattered to decieve and done a disservice to what can still be achieved in the vinyl playback world.

One such design I can vouch for, is to be found within the truly great pre-amplifier designed by the late genius Tim De Pavaracini. One of his legacy products EAR 912 has an extraordinarily capable  phonostage.

Concieved in the late 90’s but brought to the maket in the mid 2000’s The 912 sports Transformer-Coupled Inputs for moving coil cartridges, it uses his custom step-up transformers, which preserve signal integrity and reduce noise as no active gain stage is needed at that point.

RIAA Equalization is achieved without relying on op-amps or digital correction, instead it uses hand-wound inductors for RIAA EQ,

It results in delivering a more natural, analog sound with huge headroom and low-frequency stability.

Dual Phono Inputs are provided so two arms can be plugged in at the same time and MM and MC inputs are fully supported, with switchable gain and impedance settings. That means you can fine tune on the fly to match your cartridge and sound.

Five PCC88 (7DJ8) Valves as used, three soley dedicated to the phono stage, these tubes are known for low noise and long life, contributing to my  EAR 912’s lush, detailed sound.

I love the Studio-Grade VU Meters not just for show, these let you visually monitor levels and optimize gain settings, especially useful when dealing with over-compressed or dynamic recordings.

I like that his design offers Balanced and Unbalanced Outputs, Transformer-coupled line stage ensures signal purity whether you’re running XLR or RCA.

There is something magical about my EAR 912 that  I believe comes from Tims deeper immersion into the recorded music world via his renown and respected innovation founded in studio environments. I always get the ferling I am having my music revealed to me as opposed to it being reproduced to me.

It isnt everyones elxir in the looks department but I have yet to hear a phonostage be it a standalone or integrated that bests the one inside this hugely capable pre amp.

 

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