The Vinyl Anachronist: The State of the Union (Phono Preamp Edition)

by Marc Phillips

December 2008



Dynavector P75 mk2

Rega Ios

Over the last year or so, I've been listening to phono preamplifiers... a lot of phono preamplifiers. I've reviewed nearly a dozen since the beginning of the year that range in price from US$700 to US$7000. Some of them were as large as an average high-end power amplifier, while others could fit comfortably in the side pocket of your jacket. Some were powered by tubes. Some were battery-powered. Some could be used as stand-alone preamplifiers and connected directly into a power amp (a feature I'm seeing more and more of these days) and some were actually hiding in the innards of a high-quality full-function preamplifier or integrated. All of them were “flexible,” meaning that they could be used with almost any MM or MC cartridge on the market.

Many of these were downright outstanding. Not a single one was a “dog” or not worth the asking price. I wound up buying one, and wishing I could buy at least two others.

Phono preamps or phono stages have certainly come a long away since the advent of the compact disc necessitated their creation as a market segment over the last 20 years. I'm intrigued with the fact that while a winning phono preamp design may often be little more than a printed PC board in a small case, huge sonic improvements can be made with outboard power supplies or by swapping a stock 6922 tube with a NOS Mullard or Telefunken. Several years ago I felt that these “little black boxes” were the least interesting part of the analog chain. Now I get truly excited when a new phono preamp is dropped on my doorstep.

Affordable phono stages under US$1000

I realize that most audiophiles consider US$1000 a lot of money to spend on a phono stage, but the majority of products I reviewed this year were in this general price range. This market segment has been very, very active in the last couple of years, and I'm surprised by the sound quality you can achieve with these relatively modest units. These preamplifiers may be overkill for products such a Rega P1 or P2 or the lesser Pro-Jects, but they can also be the missing ingredient that pushes the performance of a new Rega P3-24 into the stratosphere.

At the lower end of the spectrum, I truly enjoyed both the Dynavector P75 mk.2 and the Lehmann Black Cube. The Dyna was reviewed in the last issue by Michael Wong, and I agree with his assessment. I loved the earthy and organic yet transparent of the P75 and consider it a great value. My only caveat was the deep bass performance, which was a little anemic compared to more expensive products. The Lehmann Black Cube is a slight updating of the original unit that was once a benchmark in the mid-priced phono preamp market about a decade ago. I found it a little grainy and lightweight but that it still delivered an astonishing amount of detail for such a modest (and downright homely) little box.

The Lehmann Black Box SE, however, is an entirely different animal. The SE is a Black Box with a hefty, well-built outboard power supply that nearly doubles the price. The result, however, is a phono preamplifier that sounds much more expensive than it is. I honestly could find no fault with this phono stage, other than the fact that it lacked that last bit of “magic” (more on that later) that most mega-buck products possess. I had to go all the way to the new Rega Io (at nearly three times the cost) before I heard a marked improvement. This is the phono stage I wound up buying for myself.

Not-so-affordable phono stages (around US$3000)

Speaking of the Io, this new Rega phono stage is really something special. If you haven't noticed, Rega is slowly trotting out a new premium line of products. They introduced the Io phono stage a few months ago, and they just released the Elicit integrated amp in the last few weeks. Both products are quite remarkable. While the casing of these two products may resemble lesser products such as the Brio integrated, you'll feel the difference when you pick them up. These are hefty, substantial components and represent Roy Gandy's latest design philosophy regarding the state of the art. Remember how audiophiles used to say that Rega was a great choice for those audiophile who loved the British sound but couldn't quite afford Naim? Well, the new Rega line is very competitive with Naim's middle range.

The Io, at US$3000, is the least expensive phono stage I've heard that delivers the “magic.” I know this sounds pretty flowery, but for me “magic” indicates something intangible, when everything just sounds right. Sam Tellig of Stereophile used to talk about having the music “lit from within,” and I know what he means. A “magic” component shuts you up, sits you down and makes you listen to your entire record collection. You hear deeper into the recording than ever before. It's not about deeper bass or clearer highs or a realistic midrange. It's about everything making sense and doing what it's supposed to do – provide unlimited enjoyment. The Io accomplished this easily.

Since I brought up Naim, I do have to mention the new Stageline as well. I've only a had a few hours of experience with this one, but it's at least the equal of the Io. The basic unit costs about the same (US$3300), but if you know Naim, you'll know that you'll have to buy a power supply. I heard the Stageline with both a HiCap and a SuperCap (which pushes its price much higher), but I suspect that this may be the finest phono stage I've ever heard. I'll get to spend more time with the Stageline after the end of the year.

State of the Art

I've been lucky enough to play with the expensive stuff as well. The conrad-johnson TEA-1, Audio Research PH7 and Nagra VPS phono stages all spent time in my system this year. Every one of them exceeded my expectations and took my system to places it had never been before. I'd spend more time talking about each unit, but when you get to this level of performance, you have to start talking about your entire system and whether or not it's the limiting factor. I have a fairly impressive system at my disposal right now, but these are products that may be more suited for 'tables such as the Continuum Caliburn or SME 30 than my relatively modest Michell Orbe SE. But if I won the lottery tomorrow, I think I'd buy the Nagra, which truly stole my heart.

But for now, the Lehmann Black Cube SE is really making me happy.

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