Phono Preamp Reviews

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Phono Preamp Reviews
Manley’s Magical Chinook MC/MM Phono Preamplifier
Ken Micallef  |  Aug 22, 2022

The Manley Chinook MC/MM phono preamplifier is one of the most highly regarded, favorably reviewed phono stages on the market. A true hi-fi bargain in audiophile terms — a veritable giant killer, you might even say — we think it’s a perfect candidate for an AnalogPlanet review. So, just how good is the Chinook? Read on to find out. . .

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Phono Preamp Reviews
Marchand Electronics LN112 MC Phono Preamp
Ken Micallef  |  Dec 27, 2023

Built and manufactured by Dr. Phil Marchand of Rochester, New York, the Marchand Electronics LN112 moving coil (MC) tube phono preamp is a compact unit with a big, tube-generated sound. Read Ken Micallef’s review to find out just how musical sounding the LN112 is, and how it stacks up in its price class. . .

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Phono Preamp Reviews
Nagra BPS phono preamplifier
Michael Fremer  |  Sep 24, 2009
This tiny, lightweight, battery-powered jewel is loosely based on Nagra's VPS phono stage that I reviewed in October 2008 but uses bipolar transistors instead of tubes. The bottom of the company's familiar brushed-aluminum case has a grippy rubber material die-cut to spell Nagra. It's intended to keep the preamp from sliding, but stiff cables will have the BPS hanging in the air if you're not careful. The BPS costs $2399.
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Phono Preamp Reviews
Nagra VPS phono preamplifier
Michael Fremer  |  Sep 17, 2008
Not that many years ago, it seems, every sound crew in Hollywood and around the world recorded production sound using a compact, open-reel analog tape recorder made by Nagra. The first iteration of the Swiss-made machine appeared in the early 1950s. Shortly thereafter, with the addition of an inaudible recorded tone that allowed easy syncing to picture, the Nagra recorder became the industry standard, and remained so through the 1980s. To this day, Nagra's line of audio products retains the look of those early recorders.
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Phono Preamp Reviews
Parasound Halo JC 3 phono preamplifier
Michael Fremer  |  Oct 24, 2011
According to Parasound's founder and CEO, Richard Schram, the Halo JC 3 began as a phono-preamp retrofit for the JC 2 line stage, with separate small circuit boards for each channel. The smaller the board, the better, Schram says, so as to attract less noise than do larger boards, whose many copper traces can act as antennas.
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Phono Preamp Reviews
Parasound Z Phono XRM MM/MC Phono Preamp Offers A lot For $595
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 27, 2020
Parasound’s $595 ZPhono XRM is a compact, versatile MM/MC phono preamplifier that offers flexibility and features not usually found at this price point including gold-plated balanced XLR outputs (and gold-plated single-ended RCA outputs), a mono switch, an 18dB/octave rumble filter and for its MC input, continuously variable loading from 50ohms to 1050ohms.

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Phono Preamp Reviews
Parasound's New JC3+ MM/MC Phono Preamplifier Offers Feature and Sound Refinement
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 16, 2014
Parasound's new $2995 JC3+ is a significantly upgraded version of the already high performance original JC3 phono preamplifier, though outwardly it looks identical to the handsome original.
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Phono Preamp Reviews
Pass Aleph Ono phono preamplifier
Michael Fremer  |  Nov 06, 2005
If compact discs are so damned dynamic and vinyl is so dynamically limited, why do they sound just the opposite? Why do LPs sound so "live," so explosive, so "there," and CDs so dead? Even the best CDs usually sink to second-rate when you switch to their vinyl versions. I've heard it, you've heard it. Only those in deep denial, those who refuse to listen, don't. They'd rather read the published specs and consider the actual listening some kind of mass delusion among Luddite LP fans.
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Phono Preamp Reviews
Pathos In The Groove MM/MC Phono Preamp
Ken Micallef  |  Feb 21, 2023

We’re always on the lookout for good — if not certainly great — phono preamps to get our hands on to review here for the AnalogPlanet faithful, and Pathos’ In The Groove MM/MC phono preamp certainly fits the bill. Read Ken Micallef’s detailed review to see if this well-crafted solid-state phono stage is right for you. . .

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Phono Preamp Reviews
Phono Preamplifier Voting Results and Files Identified!
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 15, 2014
On January 2nd analogplanet.com posted five 96/24 bit files, each containing the same minute’s worth of John Williams’ “Liberty Fanfare” performed by the National Symphonic Winds conducted by Lowell Graham excerpted from the album Winds of War and Peace originally issued in 1988 on Wilson Audio Specialties Records (W-8823) and used with permission.

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Phono Preamp Reviews
Precision Transducer Engineering MMMC Phono Preamplifier
Michael Fremer  |  Feb 13, 2012
The phono preamplifiers reviewed this month are both affordable ($400–$1960) and highly accomplished, and the most expensive of them offers versatility that's unprecedented in my experience. Three of them are designed to be used only with moving-magnet, moving-iron, and high-output moving-coil cartridges, so I installed Shure's V15VxMR cartridge in VPI's Classic 3 turntable and listened in MM mode to all of them, beginning with the least expensive.
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Phono Preamp Reviews
Pro-Ject Tube Box DS3 B Phono Preamp
Ken Micallef  |  Dec 02, 2024

Into the hi-fi audio fray strides the dual-mono Pro-Ject Tube Box DS3 B tube phono preamp — yet another high-value, smartly priced product from the brain of Pro-Ject founder Heinz Lichtenegger. Read Ken Micallef’s review to see if the DS3 B punches above its weight class. . .

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Phono Preamp Reviews
Pro-Ject's Tube Box S2 MM/MC Phono Preamp Beats the Built In
Caleb Attaway  |  Mar 13, 2020
Pro-Ject Audio Systems is undoubtedly the king of budget friendly, entry-level, high performance analog components. A definite go-to for sub $1000 turntables and bang for your buck phono preamps. Founded in 1991 by Heinz Lichtenegger during the evil reign of the CD, they fought their way to vinyl success and made it!
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Phono Preamp Reviews
Pro-Ject's Versatile DS2 USB MM/MC Phono Pre Sounds Good And Digitizes Too
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 24, 2019
Pro-Ject’s DS2 USB combines in one chassis a versatile MM/MC phono preamplifier and a high resolution A/D converter capable of digitizing at up to 192/24 bit PCM or 128 DSD (A/K/A “double DSD”). It’s a feature-packed unit that includes 2 independently adjustable phono inputs and a line input and both USB and optical TOSlink digital outputs as well as an analog output. An outboard 18V “Wall Wart” powers it.

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Phono Preamp Reviews
Pro-Ject’s MM/MC Phono Box RS Is A Chronic Overachiever
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 23, 2016
You might be skeptical about electronics products from a company best known for its mechanical ones but Pro-Ject’s extensive Box-Design electronics series has gotten rave reviews over the past few years. The company has assembled a skilled electronics team to design and build a full electronics line in both the analog and digital domains.

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