Description: Single box, balanced phono preamplifier with dual-mono linear power supply and optional line inputs (one RCA, one XLR). Other available options include two tubed output stages and two power supplies. Multifunction remote control included. Inputs: two stereo pair RCA, one stereo pair XLR. Outputs: one stereo pair RCA, one stereo pair XLR. Gain (user-selectable): 40dB MM, 65dB MC ±3dB, ±6dB, ±9dB. Resistive loading, RCA (12 options): 100k, 75k, 47k, 33k, 22k, 1k, 470, 220, 100, 47, 22, or 10 ohms + external load; XLR (8 options): 47k, 1k, 470, 220,…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: OMA K3, SAT XD-1 turntables; SAT CF1-09, CF1Ti-09, Schröder K3, Kuzma 4Point tonearms; HiFiction Xquisite ST, Lyra Atlas and Etna Lambda SL, Ortofon MC Century, Anna Diamond, Verismo, A95, A90, Grado Epoch3, Miyajima Labs Infinity (mono), Grado Epoch (mono) cartridges.
Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi One SACD player/DAC; Lynx Hilo A/D-D/A converter; Mac mini running Roon, Pure Vinyl, and Vinyl Studio software.
Preamplification: darTZeel NHB-18S line preamplifier; Ypsilon MC-10L, MC-16L, and MC-20L and X-quisite X-20 step-up transformers…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
As increasingly appears to be the case with high-end phono preamplifiers, the Gold Note PH-1000 is a complicated product. It has single-ended and balanced inputs, and one of the latter is capable of accepting a line-level signal. It has balanced, single-ended, and headphone outputs, with the option of either taking the output from the phono stage (Stage) or a preamplifier stage with a volume control (Preamp). (The latter appears to be the default for the headphone output.) Each phono input can be set to MC or MM, with gain adjustable from –9dB to +9dB in 3dB steps…
Jim Austin reviewed the iFi ZEN DAC Signature V2 and ZEN CAN Signature March 2022 (Vol.45 No.3):
When she reviewed two iFi ZEN Signature combos for our January 2022 issue—the ZEN DAC Signature V2 with two versions of the ZEN CAN Signature headphone amplifier, which include a custom-EQ curve for particular headphones—Julie Mullins was impressed by their performance. She wrote, "the ZEN Signature sets delivered highly resolved, clean, pristine, dynamic sound. The amplifiers are powerful. Backgrounds black as a new-moon nighttime sky brought musical details to the foreground." But there was…
Ken Micallef auditioned the Canton Reference 7K in March 2022 (Vol.45 No.3):
In his September 2021 review of the Canton Reference 7K ($6995/pair), Stereophile Technical Editor John Atkinson wrote, "The last Canton loudspeaker I reviewed was the Karat Reference 2 DC in 2003. Though I felt that the balance of that loudspeaker, which was then Canton's flagship, was somewhat forward in the treble, I concluded that it had 'powerful-sounding low frequencies, clean and grain-free highs, coloration-free midrange, high sensitivity and dynamic range, and stable, precise stereo imaging.' With the…
Tom Fine reported on the Pro-Ject Phono Box RS2 in March 2022 (Vol.45 No.3):
Julie Mullins's review of the $1999 Pro-Ject Phono Box RS2 in the August 2021 issue piqued my curiosity. The preamp, as described by Julie and measured by John Atkinson, seemed a good fit for my transfer-and-mastering studio.
In my work, I oversee and consult on vinyl releases, and I often remaster material originally released to the public on LP records; in such cases, I listen to the LPs in order to hear how the material was first presented. What's more, it has been an ongoing project to transfer my…
The Decca Curve
The Phono Box RS2 has a rather rare playback option: the mono-era Decca LP EQ curve.
Prior to the mid-1950s, different record companies used different recording EQ curves (emphasis) and expected consumers to use corresponding (de-emphasis) curves when they played back the LPs. Many mono-era "hi-fi" preamps—for instance, the McIntosh C8 "Audio Compensator"—offered a variety of EQ options. Around 1954, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) stepped in and convinced the various US labels to standardize on RCA's "New Orthophonic" curve, which became the…
One reason Stereophile publishes a FollowUp is when the original review leaves an issue unresolved. Such was the case with Julie Mullins's review of the iFi ZEN CAN headphone amplifier and ZEN DAC Signature V2 D/A processor ($599/pair) in the January 2022 issue. JMu had found that the pair's gain architecture was mismatched. She ended up using an attenuating cable between the DAC and the headphone amplifier to keep the volume manageable. The measurements didn't indicate why the volume was too loud, so Jim Austin took a listen. You can find his report here.
Audio engineer Tom Fine has been…
One privilege of being a Stereophile columnist is the opportunity to cover products from smaller, less well-known manufacturers, including those that don't have wide enough distribution to qualify for a full review. One such company is Victorville, California–based Paradox. I'd never heard of them until I received an email from Terence Robinson, the company's owner. The email included a description of a phono preamplifier that so intrigued me that I asked for a review sample.
The Paradox Phono 70 ($2500) and Phono 70 Signature ($3000) are identical except that the latter uses higher-…
The company supplied a large assortment of load resistors—their values written on blue tape—and a generous supply of easy-to-use RCA plugs featuring screw-down terminals that make them easy to swap out. It's easy enough to learn to read resistor color bands to identify the value, or to look it up on a chart, but it's good to have the values handy and to keep pairs together.
While the Paradox approach to loading is not as easy as flipping DIP switches, it is easy, and plug-ins give you the widest possible loading flexibility. That's especially useful for people for whom loading down to…