The Special Edition MkII JAN 6418 Phono Preamp is shown below. I also used a piece of copper clad board for additional shielding. Cost significantly less than most high-end tube preamps but still a costly preamp for casual vinyl spinners

Balanced and unbalanced connections are often referred to as pro and semi-pro respectively, and can at times have a dramatic effect to audio performance. Generally speaking, balanced connections on phono preamps are rare and are normally found in the high end market examples (mostly as a three-pin XLR outputs). Are they important? Very much so. To avoid another massive tech jargon tangent let’s just say that balanced outputs offer an impedance balancing between the individual wires within the connected signal cable, resulting in a better transference of the audio signal - better in terms of signal to noise ratio. Balanced circuits may be indicated by a sign: +4dB, unbalanced ones, by: -10dB. In the real world, spaces with lots of wiring and/or light dimmers (commercial buildings, offices and the like) are notorious for causing ground loops and hums to audio equipment. These are the cases where balanced outputs can come handy and act as effective hum-destroyers. Often, it appears as a curve on a graph describing how a device responds to sound in a specific frequency range. On the chart, the “x” axis is for the frequency response in (Hz) hertz, while the “y” axis is the sound pressure level in (dB) decibels.Even with high-quality circuit components, the phono stage only works with a top-notch power supply. Apart from powering the system, the PSU unit of a phono stage also eliminates all hums. In my opinion, it offers the feel of high-quality tube amplification for a fraction of the price of what most high-end tube preamps cost. For additional tube amplifier design and construction tips, see the design and construction tips and suggestions for vacuum tube amplifiers. Also, I have posted some suggestions for a tube amplifier wiring color code that you can use during construction.

Honesty, I am not sure if this product is good value or not, but my research didn’t make me confident that it is.

Power Supply - Tube RIAA Phono Preamp

The PS3 MkII MM/MC Standard comes with a David Shaw brown base tube, 4 Asian ECC88 tubes and less expensive/standard caps. I'm pretty new to the whole phono pre-amp thing. I've got a NAD PP1 which I've had for years, although I only started playing vinyl again a few months ago after over 10 years of just playing CDs. Earlier in the summer I bought an internal phono board for my Arcam Alpha 10, but I'm keen to try different alternatives. Had the Fosi for over a week now and pleased with it so far. however I'd like to do a proper test with different options. The DS2 essentially utilize the same signal-path circuitry and has very similar key specifications as the S2. The phono preamp technology remodels intentional rich sound after it leaves your favorite vinyl record. So whether you’re starting out or just upgrading your sound system, investing in a good phono preamp is delivering the promise of excellent sound. Besides, you don’t have to break the bank to get the best.

Moreover, the transition of amplification is smooth rather than abrupt. This quality is the reason why many guitarists and studio artists prefer these amplifiers. Advantages of Tube Preamplifiers The Pro-Ject Tube Box S2 Phono Preamp portrays the ideal sound quality alongside the trend-setting innovation. You can make this gadget fit in each place and still get a good sound quality with its minimized size component. This gadget is an updated form of the Tube Box S, as indicated by its attributes just as external appearance. Regardless of whether you own simple phono sound frameworks of some other propelled adaptation, you can utilize this preamp anyplace as it has expansive compatibility. Features Passive RIAA equalisation, but which is split into two separate networks, each handling a separate part of the spectrum; Alright, enough intro, here is my complete list of recommended tube phono preamps for those of us that cannot afford the overpriced high-end stuff. #1. Best overall: Pro-Ject Tube Box S2I employed DC on the heaters. The 8.5 volt winding on the transformer was rectified by a full wave bridge and filtered. Then it is routed through a single solid state rectifier (to drop the DC voltage by approximately 0.7 volts) and a 1.5 ohm resistor to a second filter and then applied to the tube heaters. The value of the resistor shown on the schematic is 0.5 ohms and the actual value can be in between those values. It is somewhat dependent on the rectifiers, filter capacitors and transformer. You could of course use a 6 volt regulator like the 7806. It would need to handle about 1.5 amps and require a heat sink. The heater circuit MUST NOT be grounded. I apply a positive voltage to the heater circuit of approximately 80 volts to protect the SRPP tubes from excessive cathode to heater potentials. They will fail if you don't do this. The positive voltage is obtained from a divider string originating from the B+. Two stages of filtering were necessary to reduce the noise level to satisfactory levels. Do not omit the poly caps in the divider string and it is unnecessary to use larger values. There is virtually no current drawn by the divider string (over the small amount used by the dividers themselves) and there is no return path from the heater circuit. The voltage only provides a reference for the heaters. The photo below shows the power supply. Note that the power supply is contained in an additional aluminum enclosue and the cover is removed in this photo. The PCB in the photo is from another project. Testing this preamp has been a challenge. I tried many ways to verify that the RIAA standard was met and actually what was the S/N and such. I don't know that what I present below meets "industry standards" but it should give you some feel for the overall perform The phono stage is an absolutely necessary thing in the economy of a true fan of “vinyl”. By replacing it with a model of a higher level, it is possible to modernize the audio system. By choosing a specific phono stage model, you can give the sound of the system personality. ASIO-consistent driver for Windows is given. High exactness, low-jitter timekeepers take into consideration excellent detail goals This article essentially sums up the research and selection process I went through when buying a good tube phono preamp for personal use.