NAD PP-2 phono preamp

A no-frills analog winner

By Michael Wong

January 2004

NAD PP-2 phono preamplifier. $249

What's small, green and doesn't cost a month's pay? NAD's PP-2, a simple, easy to use phono preamplifier for the fiscally prudent or impoverished audiophile.

Based on the earlier, highly praised PP-1, the PP-2 incorporates an improved circuit layout, using closer tolerance parts like metal film resistors and film type capacitors, with improved overload margins and dynamics courtesy of a beefed up power supply and can amplify low output moving coil cartridges.

It is housed in a diminutive, well built metal case in the traditional NAD grey/green. The front panel is simplicity itself with only the NAD logo and a green indicator light. The rear features three sets of firmly affixed, good quality goldplated RCA's for moving magnet and moving coil input, a single set of outputs, a metal earthing post, moving magnet or moving coil input selector and a socket for the power. There's no power on/off switch.

The only fly in the ergonomic ointment is that the vertically arranged RCA's are a little crowded. Not a problem for most users but it does make use of interconnects with large barrelled RCA's a bit of a squeeze.

The moving magnet input offers 35dB of gain with a 47Kohm load/ 220pF capacitance. For moving coil use you get 60dB of gain with 100 ohm/180pF loading.

Although the moving magnet gain is on the lowish side, most cartridges with a medium to high output should have no problem with this preamp.

A high output Sumiko Blue Point Special moving coil cartridge fed the NAD's MM input. The rest of the system was my regular Well Tempered, Krell and Magnepan setup.

Music used included Springsteen's The Rising, The Beatles Let It Be...Naked, Norah Jones' debut album, The Classic Film Scores of Bernard Herrmann (auteur of film scores for Citizen Kane, Psycho, Taxi Driver), Brubeck's Take Five and Kabelevsky's The Comedians.

What does $249 worth of phono preamplifier sound like?

Surprisingly good! From the moment the stylus hits the groove, this phono stage impresses with its good behaviour. There is no extraneous hiss or hum, just music.

You get a smooth, powerful sound with a sense of ease that doesn't shout "budget gear". Tonally there's some roll-off at the extremes (which also handily keeps the NAD out of traditional budget audio trouble zones) but the midrange is pleasingly natural sounding with just a touch of richness.

With appropriate recordings, the soundstage is wide with modest depth. Images are portrayed with realistic size, not shrunken or bloated out of proportion. There's plenty of punch and though not ultra transparent, the NAD is revealing enough to show up all the manipulations that have made the new Beatles Let It Be...Naked   album such a sonic disappointment.

Where it stumbles is with dense, complex music like the Herrmann scores where the NAD lacks the resolution to separate out all the elements and can't quite capture the recorded ambience. With simpler music the NAD sings sweetly.

Music is presented in a no-nonsense manner, so while the NAD may not reach the sonic heights of more expensive phono stages, it gets to the heart of the music and that's what ultimately counts. To paraphrase a Whittaker's advert, this is good , honest music making.

The new kid meets an old classic

To see just how far NAD's budget phono design has improved   over the years an old 3020i integrated amplifier was drafted into the listening sessions. This iconic budget piece was the first serious amplifier for many audio enthusiasts and featured a very good MM phono stage.

The 3020i had a lean, brightish sound with tinkly toy-like highs, good dynamics and a fair amount of transparency and dimensionality. The PP2 was fuller in the bass, a wee bit less dynamic and a little less transparent but better behaved with none of the mechanical and electrical noise that haunted the 3020i, a larger soundstage, smoother tonal balance and overall was much nicer to listen to.

Cheap need not mean nasty

This little NAD proved to be most enjoyable and capable beyond it's modest price.

It shows that the earlier PP-1 was no fluke and that you don't need frivolities like on-board power supplies or multiple user options to build a good sounding phono preamp. It may fall short in several areas, but none of the compromises made to bring the NAD to the market detract from the unit's intrinsic musicality.

If you are looking for a high peformance phono stage at a bargain price, this is a great place to start.

Recommended.  

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