Plinius Koru Phono Preamp

When Julie Mullins mentioned seeing some cool Plinius gear in the system utilized for a Kuzma demo that she attended and reported on in Part 2 of her AXPONA 2023 show recap last week, it reminded me that we needed to see what’s being going on with the vaunted New Zealand-born company that was also exhibiting at the show — and thus, here we are, with our eye firmly planted on the Plinius Koru phono preamp.

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Indeed, one of the cooler pieces of gear in the system used in the Kuzma demo that took place in the Elite Audio Visual suite in Room 1533 at AXPONA was said Plinius Koru phono preamp, which sports a Ross Stevens-inspired curved chassis. The company further clarifies it as being a two-in-one chassis, which is said to allow physical separation of the power supply from the amplification circuitry.

The power supply boasts a virtual battery approach with over 100,000μF of capacitance and two-stage regulation, said to ensure the lowest impedance and extreme accuracy of power delivery to the amplification stages.

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Low-output moving coil (MC) cartridges as well as higher-output moving magnet (MM) cartridges can both be used with the Koru, as there is a full range of user adjustments available on its rear panel. Both single-ended and balanced output signals are catered for, with passive high-frequency and active low-frequency EQ.

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Finally, the Plinius Koru phono preamp has an SRP of $3,450.

For more about Plinius, go here.
To find an authorized Plinius dealer near you, go here.

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PLINIUS KORU PHONO PREAMP
($3,450)

Specs

Distortion: <0.01% THD (below clipping)
Hum & noise: –80dB (at rated input level, A-weighted with 5mV input)
Input: RCA unbalanced
Outputs: RCA unbalanced, XLR balanced
Power/current consumption: 10W, 0.03A (7W) idle/standby
Input capacitance: User adjustable, 100pf, 570pf
Adjustable gain: 50dB, 56dB, 60dB, 66dB
Adjustable load: 47kohms, 22kohms, 1kohms, 470ohms, 220ohms, 100ohms, 47ohms, 22ohms
Dimensions (w/h/d): 17.75 x 3.5 x 15.75 in (450 x 90 x 400mm)
Weight: 15lb (7kg)

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COMMENTS
vinyl listener's picture

Wow, surprised to see this is still in production.
The Koru was released back in 2006.
It must be the oldest product in the current Plinius line ?

JACK L's picture

Hi

So what ?

From the angle of an audios amp designer for decades & vinyl addict like yours truly, I would not give it my blessing.

The most important part of an audio amp is the music signal procession part which determines its musical quality, not the power supply which is only some "icing on the cake", IMO. This is particularly crucial for phonostage !!!!

The critical signal procession circuitry of this phonostage is built of many OP-amps IC chips which are comprised of many bipolar junction solid state devices, e.g. transistors/FETs with loops of feedback built in each.

I would never employ any OP-amps ICs to build any audio amps, let alone phonostages for sonic reason !!!!

That said, such affordable price of $3,450 for a brandname phonstage, it is surely a good deal for those don't mind musicality compromise.

Listening to discrete audio devices is believing

JACK L

Anton D's picture

If you haven't heard it, you can't whine about it's sound.

JACK L's picture

Hi

If you know electronics as much as yours truly, you would not "whine" about my post above. FYI, my electrical engineering background plus decades' career involvement in the relevant industries help me to differentiate facts vs sales pitches.

May I suggest you to study more about the design & primary functions of an op-amps before you start to fall in love with them ! This is physics !

Not many audiophiles got super musically picky ears like mine to tell the sonic difference between discrete active devices, like triode tubes vs ANY bipolar junction devices, e.g. transistors, FETs & & OP-amp ICs. FYI, I am a vinyl addict & I know too well the sonic difference !

For such lowly $3,450, OP-amp design is the way to go to save the manufacture cost ! No free lunch !

When someone tells you pungee jumping is very dangerous & could be fatal, would you challenge that someone by saying "If you haven't try it, you can't whine about it" ??

Knowledge helps to find out the facts !

JACK L

Anton D's picture

The Onans of the hobby are so good, they know how gear sounds without ever hearing the actual gear.

My sympathy for your solipsistic existence.

Go listen to stuff!

JACK L's picture

Hi

Wait until you got enough live musical performance before you start to fall in love of IC chips, pal.

Ever got the chance to audition some decent musical audios let alone owning some, e.g. USD140,000 Kondo Audio Note M10 all-triode line preamp & USD125,000 (sale price) Kegon 17W+17W all-triode stereo power amp ???
I have auditioned them in depth.

God bless yr "solipsistic" love in IC chips.......

JACK L

JACK L's picture

My fingers move faster than my brain !

JACK L

Anton D's picture

Yes they do.

volvic's picture

Nailed it.

BillBr's picture

This is a joke account, right?

ivansbacon's picture

Excellent, thank you for that.

barfle's picture

It’s very sad to see comments like I see for this article and others this week. Trolls and thise who feed them are as unwelcome as smokers in a theater. I believe the comments section needs a moderator.

Ortofan's picture

$3,450 as shown on this page, or $4,620 as noted in this show report:
https://www.stereophile.com/content/analog-and-plinius-matters

Moore2's picture

The Plinius Koru Phono Preamp stands out for its exceptional build quality, advanced RIAA equalization, low-noise and low-distortion design, adjustable gain and load settings, user-friendly operation, and elegant aesthetic. These qualities, combined with Plinius' renowned reputation for audio excellence, make the Koru Phono Preamp a standout choice for audiophiles seeking a high-performance phono preamplifier to enhance their vinyl listening experience 2 player games.

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