Rating of the best phono stage 2020-2021

A phono stage with a British passport and Russian roots — the notorious Alexei Nikitin «had a hand» in its development at one time, who, however, later left the staff of Creek Audio. The second generation model (Mk2) supports MM and MC cartridges, and for the second, the input stages are assembled on discrete transistors, and the input characteristics are configured with a set of DIP switches. The updated circuit has a low level of distortion, and when paired with MC cartridges, it has become noticeably more interesting in sound.

Compared to most modern semiconductor phono stages, this one is deliberately large and heavy — under 3 kilograms, and this is when using an external power supply. He has no pronounced genre preferences — he works out both complex parts, saturated with «lower classes», and solo parts that go to the brink of ultrasonic sound.

At the same time, it is assembled completely “by analogy” — if you want to output sound to “digital”, you will have to use an external ADC. In this regard, the Thorens, which is comparable in price, looks more preferable, as for the nature of the sound, the difference between these models is at the level of personal taste preferences.

The history of this company, founded in the early seventies in London, and now moved to Canada, is not necessary for sound lovers to retell — for example, it was they who at one time created the first cassette deck with support for Dolby technology. Nowadays, they offer a solution that conveniently «crosses» archaic vinyl with modern digital technologies — PP 4 not only allows you to bring the corrected and amplified signal from MM and MC pickups to the «line», but also directly digitize vinyl with output to USB in standard CD quality (16 bit/48 kHz). By the way, there is also an input for a cassette deck.

For a phono stage, the RIAA response accuracy factor is extremely important — the accuracy with which the frequency response “restoration” curve of the original sound coincides with the “anti-RIAA” reference curve. In this case, for all supported types of pickups, the accuracy is plus or minus 0.3 dB with a THD of no more than 0.03%.

If the corrector is not connected to an amplifier, but to a PC, then the distribution kit AlpineSoft VinylStudio that comes with the kit will come in handy. This program will allow you to not only listen to audio recordings without any problems, but also save digitizations, process them at a basic level, and burn CDs.

As for the purely sound capabilities of the phono stage, it can definitely be called pleasant to the ear, despite the “soulless figure”. Of course, seasoned audiophiles will go looking for at least a discrete transistor circuit (not to mention the “lamp”), but we have to “ride” with you, not “checkers”, right?

This phono stage is designed only for the most popular MM pickups and is made purely outwardly, perhaps even deliberately rude. Like the NAD PP 4, it has a built-in ADC that makes it easy to convert your favorite recordings to digital. However, even the manufacturers of these two correctors have a lot in common — both companies were founded in England with a gap of only a year, both have been repeatedly awarded in their history. Moreover, Rega Research at one time even produced one of their «turntables» commissioned by NAD. And, whatever one may say, his five stars from the editors of What Hi-Fi? this nondescript externally phono stage received deservedly.

Nevertheless, we note the obvious accentuation of the sound — here the manufacturer (quite possibly, on purpose) deviated somewhat from the reference “anti-RIAA” curve in the low-frequency region: the energy and biting bass are noticeable in the sound with slightly harsh “tops”. This is not to say that this spoils the experience — rather, it can be called the «character» of the phono stage, but, of course, before buying it, you should test it for compliance with your musical tastes. If we approach from the standpoint of pure mathematics, then it is worth noting the very low coefficient of non-linear distortion, even at the peak of only 0.012%.

A fairly budgetary phono stage, which is not surprising, also works only in tandem with MM cartridges. His “stuffing” is purely analog and, even despite his hands immediately itching to replace electrolytic capacitors, it’s very worthy for such a price — yes, in terms of harmonic distortion, Pro-Ject turns out to be an outsider (0.52% at the peak), but it’s true we are not talking about audiophile equipment: they buy such phono stages for turntables and amplifiers of the corresponding class.

On the other hand, one cannot fail to note the minimum imbalance of the channels, and the exact correspondence of the RIAA-curve in terms of frequency response. If we compare the Phono Box MM with more advanced phono stages, then we feel some loss of detail, the sound lacks air, the scene (especially in complex parts) is simplified, but this is exactly what in comparison. And now we take, say, a blues record and start the sound again — and we note a good study of the bottoms, decent dynamics and a generally pleasant presentation, especially if we remember that we have a rather simple phono stage on operational amplifiers. With a limited budget for the purchase, it will not be the worst choice, and besides, it is not difficult to find it on sale.

The winner of the «silver» in the «Golden Ear Stereoplay — 2019» award, the phono stage is assembled according to a discrete circuit on two ECC83 lamps — each is responsible for its own channel. The input stage in the name of noise reduction (especially if an MC cartridge is connected) is made on field-effect transistors. Adjustment of the input characteristics, like the Vincent, is performed by microswitches on the underside of the case.

The input amplification is designed with step adjustment, and implemented somewhat in dissonance with the lamps brazenly sticking out — switching is done by two buttons (more / less), between which there is a row of LEDs. An analog regulator would have looked more logical — but this is the personal opinion of the author. Yes, and this section of the circuit itself does not fit into the “fully discrete circuit design” promised by the manufacturer, the shift register is clearly used there.

The phono stage is well matched to the RIAA curve, has low levels of distortion and noise. The sound on standardly installed lamps is quite interesting, without a pronounced (except for the “warming” of the midrange) coloration, worked out and with dynamics that are pleasant to the ear. Well, for its price, it becomes very interesting at all, if you really want to, and albeit not quite “honest”, but still a “lamp”.