Munich 2018

Boulder Debuts New Compact Phono Preamplifier At High End Munich 2018

Michael Fremer  |  May 12, 2018

Boulder introduced at High End Munich 2018 a new, compact phono preamplifier. The 508 is said to contain much of the circuitry of the company's 1008 phono preamp while retaining an even larger percentage of the 1008's sonic performance.

There's a pattern here: the former flagship was the 2008, which went out of production, followed by the 1008 that cost about half as much as the 2008. The 508 costs around half the price of the 1008. Can the less costly 254 be far behind?

The new 508 priced at "approximately" $5000 will start shipping shortly. The unit shown here was a static display. More details as soon as they become available. Boulder's Rich Maez told me that the new 508's feature set and sonic performance will approach that of the 1008.

COMMENTS
Ortofan's picture
Submitted by Ortofan on Sat, 2018-05-12 02:11

... Rich Maez or John Curl (or Graham Slee)?

nagysaudio's picture
Submitted by nagysaudio on Sat, 2018-05-12 07:43

without a doubt!

Roy Martin's picture
Submitted by Roy Martin on Sat, 2018-05-12 12:09

...I'm on a fixed income. Guess I'll have to wait for the 63.5.

BillK's picture
Submitted by BillK on Wed, 2018-05-16 23:50

I wonder how it will compare to say the ARC Ref 2 Phono SE. If good enough, it might mean the end of tube anxiety to many.

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