| BUYING GUIDE - PHONO STAGES - UNDER £500 |
| PRICES SHOWN ARE THOSE AT THE TIME OF REVIEW |
| Phono Stages |
£ |
Year |
Verdict |
| Creek OBH-8SE/OBH-2 |
£160 |
Nov 97 |
One of the best MC phono stages on the market at the price (also reviewed Oct 01) |
| Creek OBH-9/OBH-1 |
£110 |
Nov 97 |
Smooth and truly musical, exceedingly worthy entry-level phono stage. (also reviewed Oct 01) |
| Densen DP Drive/DP-02 |
£350 |
Sep 97 |
A beautifully made, fine sounding device that looks great too |
| Lehmann Black Cube |
£395 |
Oct 98 |
Capable of involvement, neutrality and insight usually the preserve of stages three or four times the price. |
| LFD Mistral |
£299 |
Sep 97 |
The most lucid and musical budget phono stage around - a true audiophile bargain. |
| Musical Fidelity X-LP |
£130 |
May 99 |
First-class inexpensive phono. MM and MC inputs catered for. Low on distortion, high on clarity. |
| Musical Fidelity X-LP2 |
£499 |
Feb 00 |
MM and variable-impedance MC monobloc phono amps with absolute clarity and limitless drive. In a class of their own for quality and value. |
| NAD PP1 |
£40 |
Sep 98 |
At this price the NAD is an accomplished all-rounder. Slowish bass will suit leaner systems though. (also reviewed Oct 01) |
| Pro-ject Phono Box |
£40 |
Dec 99 |
Very competent little MM & MC stage at an astonishing price. First-rate starter package (also reviewed Oct 01) |
| QED Discsaver |
£35 |
Jan 97 |
A bargain. Beguilingly musical presentation, with more than enough detail and power for a mere £35. (also reviewed Oct 01, now priced at £25) |
| Rotel RQ-970BX |
£130 |
Nov 94 |
Combine with a good cheap line level integrated and it will show you how good vinyl can be. |
| Sonneteer Sedley MC/MM |
£399 |
May 98 |
The Sedley combines transparency and fine dynamics with excellent rhythmic ability. |
| Trichord Dino |
£299 |
Jul 01 |
Punchy yet polished sound make this the best starter phono stage around right now. (also reviewed Oct 01) |
| PHONO STAGES - £500+ |
| Anthem Pre 1P |
£899 |
Aug 98 |
Despite a sizeable price tag the Anthem offers a smooth, lucid sound and superb build quality. |
| Audio Innovations P2 |
£749 |
Feb 96 |
Fantastic bass and super insight make this one of the best phono stages around. |
| Audiolab 8000PPA |
£800 |
Oct 94 |
Instruments can have a somewhat flat perspective, but excellent clarity |
| Clearaudio Symphono |
£740 |
Sep 00 |
Well specified MC phono stage with automatic load compensation. Sounds fresh and clean. Expensive. |
| DPA DSP 200SD |
£495 |
Oct 94 |
Could be too forceful for some, but with excellent detail and extremely powerful bass. |
| Graaf GM70 |
£2500 |
Aug 02 |
Not cheap, but sonically as sweet as a nut. Open, warm and highly detailed. |
| Kinshaw Perception |
£525 |
Oct 94 |
Extremely impressive results, especially with MM cartridges. |
| Linn Linto |
£850 |
Oct 97 |
Marries beautifully into the Linn family, but not too hot with other components. |
| Michell Iso |
£528 |
Oct 94 |
Gives a thoroughly cohesive picture of a recording with a very tight and rhythmical bass |
| Michell Iso HR |
£850 |
May 93 |
Perhaps too good for some record collections. Extremely revealing. |
| Michell Delphini |
£1895 |
Mar 00 |
The best phono stage at or anywhere near the price, bar none. |
| Plinius Jarrah |
£600 |
Feb 02 |
Musical, even handed and well built, this has much to offer. Only the highish price and stiff competition detract from this package. |
| Roksan Artaxerxes/DS5 |
£945 |
Oct 97 |
Doesnít worry about genre, it just gets on with the job of making music in an enjoyable way. |
| Sonic Frontiers Phono 1 |
£2000 |
Apr 98 |
Expensive, yes, overpriced, no. The Phono 1 is a superb all-round phono stage. |
| Unison Simply Phono |
£495 |
Mar 96 |
Liquid sound with great dynamics, but a little hissy and muddled too. Beguiling, but not perfect. |
