Pro-Ject Phono Box MM, Phono preamplifier with metal case and special low-noise ICs

Product Information

Sound quality is seriously talented and it comes bursting with texture and insight. It's a wonderfully clean and crisp sound, with more low-end weight and substance sitting alongside Cyrus’s traditional values of precision and speed. Phono preamps come in all shapes and sizes – consumers have never had as much choice as they do in 2022 regardless of budget and the availability of so many great options will only help keep new users in the fold. Vertere already had a great phono stage on its hands, but this updated version manages to deliver significant performance gains, thanks to some careful housekeeping and honing of the circuit board and power supply. The tidy little box remains the same; an orange power LED is the only addition to the design. We love the scale of performance and the way the Vertere delivers the seismic dynamic shifts of the recording with so much enthusiasm. As with the previous generation (also an Award-winner), our main takeaway after hearing this phono stage is that it makes listening to music interesting and, where appropriate, fun. There’s not much we can ask of any piece of hi-fi beyond that.

We have state-of-the-art testing facilities in Reading, London and Bath, where our team of experienced, in-house reviewers test the majority of hi-fi and AV kit that passes through our door – including phono preamps (or phono stages). The circuit is self explanatory, and can be integrated with any standard power amp for further amplification. Guitar Preamplifier Knopfler’s Fender seemed to have this percussive bite every time he dug into the strings, yet his tone was so sweet and lush. The expansive reverb started to produce an image I could almost see with my mind’s eye. The image specificity produced as big an improvement as the portrayal of the reverb’s decay. This gave the guitar as well as Knopfler’s voice much better spatial placement and solidity on the soundstage, which made for very involving listening.So why do you need one? Your stereo amplifier or turntable may not have one, in which case you won't be able to play records without this crucial component. Or you might just want to upgrade its sound beyond what's possible with the built-in phono stage found in amplifiers or some record players. Provided you keep it away from other mains-powered products and power cables, this phono stage will prove suitably quiet and hum-free. Features are basic but it's clear that Moon has focused on the bit that counts – sound quality. I am not a total audiophile who demands ultra-low noise and distortion, but I would be wishing for this buffer to be more-or-less ‘transparent’.

A growing number of turntables, including many of the best budget turntables like the versatile Sony PS-HX500, come with built-in phono stages but others, like the similarly excellent Rega Planar 1, do not.

The Dark Side Of The Moon

Entry-level products like the Schiit Audio Mani 2, Cambridge Audio Alva Duo, and U-Turn Audio Pluto did their best to not rob music of its pace and keep the sound relatively balanced. Is the performance gap that huge between the two units? No – but the dedicated phono stage has a little more presence overall, a deeper soundstage, and was less noisy than the stage inside the integrated amplifier. If you’re in the market for a quality affordable phono stage, this little Award-winning box is well worth auditioning. Having said that, currently there seems to be still one leftover issue: the gain of the circuit is zero. Automatic Gain Control Preamplifier Circuit

We've continuously been impressed with Rega's excellent (and rather affordable) Fono MM range, so it was something of a relief that the latest model, which featured a brand-spanking new look, didn't sacrifice style for sound. That same Rega DNA is still in there throughout the latest Fono MM Mk5 phono stage. This microphone preamplifier features automatic gain control, which maintains the output quality relatively consistent within a broad selection of input ranges. Cambridge Audio AXA 35, Cambridge Audio Edge A, Croft Phono Integrated, NAD C 316BEE, Naim Uniti Atom When you cut the built-in phono stage out of the loop, and replace it with something better, your vinyl will begin to reveal its true potential. A dedicated phono stage is easy to install: it sits in the signal chain between the turntable and any line-level input on your amp. A word of caution: Don’t take the output from your phono preamp and connect it to the phono stage on an amplifier, as that will double amplify the signal, resulting in catastrophic distortion (which isn’t as good as it sounds). Because we are always asked how to connect the equalization preamplifier or phono preamplifier, we would like to write a little guide.

T2 W

In numerous applications (audio, computing devices, aerospace amplifiers, communications, etc.) an exceptionally low-noise preamplifier stage becomes necessary, and just about any model strategy that could minimize noise by even 1 dB is welcomed with passion by everybody involved. R11 is = 6k8 Sound quality is first-rate: fantastically detailed, with the upper register particularly impressive. It’s difficult to imagine a more detailed presentation from a phono stage for the money. There are rivals with an equally wide soundstage, but they perhaps don’t shine the spotlight so intensely on each instrumental strand. Detail is where it stands out, but the Gram Amp 2 is also a dab hand at dynamics and timing – although perhaps not with as much bite and punch compared with the Rega.

If Freddie’s trumpet playing doesn’t have a palpable feel to it, you’re only getting part of the experience. The Croft excels at that in the right system. Cantaloupe Island: An ARP Odyssey synth without any reverb or effects was the first instrument through the speakers. Cleaner, more defined—and dare I say with deeper bass—and texture that somehow seemed to make my subwoofer better get along with my speakers and room. This may well prompt you to ask: if it’s already built-in, why do I need to buy another one? In truth, you don’t. Yes, this is a buyer’s guide for something you don’t need to buy.But that doesn’t mean you won’t want to buy one. Here’s why…The circuit demonstrated below provides a fundamental design concept, although not quite ideal, the final results to date are encouraging. New Tubes: Whether you want to buy brand new or NOS, tube rolling is definitely the way to go if you want to fine tune to your specific tastes your system’s synergy. This is done to boost the gain of the circuit, which as explained earlier, needs to be about ten times higher for a low impedance microphone. Zero Noise Preamplifier Circuit