What does a phono preamp do?
A turntable's cartridge puts out a tiny signal, far too small for an amplifier's ordinary inputs. Records are also cut with the bass turned down and the treble turned up, to the RIAA curve. As Cambridge Audio explains, a phono preamp raises the signal and reverses that curve, so your records sound as they were mastered. Every turntable needs one, built in or separate.
Is a phono preamp the same as a preamp?
No. A preamplifier selects your sources and sets the volume. A phono preamp, or phono stage, does one job: it gets the cartridge's signal up to line level with the RIAA curve undone. Some preamplifiers and amplifiers have a phono stage inside, and the Primare MM15 is a phono stage made to fit Primare's I15 amplifier.
Do you need an external phono preamp?
Not if your amplifier or turntable already has a phono stage and it suits your cartridge. An external phono preamp makes sense when your amplifier has no phono input, when you move to a moving coil cartridge, or when you want to set the gain and load to match your cartridge.
MM or MC: which turntable preamp?
A moving coil cartridge puts out far less than a moving magnet one, so it needs more gain. The phono stages here show the gap:
- Moving magnet (MM) only: Cambridge Audio's Alva Solo.
- MM and MC: Cambridge Audio's Alva Duo (39dB for MM, 60dB for MC), Primare's R15 (up to 45dB and 65dB) and R35 (up to 50dB and 76dB), and Audia Flight's Phono (up to 54dB and 74dB). The Primare MM15 takes MM and high-output MC cartridges.
- Adjustable loading: the R15 and R35 adjust capacitance and resistance. Audia Flight's Phono sets MC impedance in eight steps and MM capacitance in twelve. Kora's Phonostage lets you program gain, impedance and capacitance for each of its four inputs, and also takes variable reluctance cartridges.
See turntable cartridges.
Tube phono preamp or solid state?
- Tube: Unison Research's SimplyPhono runs four ECC83/12AX7 tubes in pure Class A, with no global or local feedback. Its PhonoOne uses five, handles MM and most MC cartridges, and has about 54dB of gain. Thöress's Phono Enhancer is a single-ended, zero-feedback vacuum tube design that amplifies MC cartridges without step-up transformers.
- Solid state: Audia Flight's Phono uses ultra-low-noise transistors in both input stages. Michell's Apollo has Class A gain stages, a passive RIAA circuit and a separate MUSE power supply. Primare and Cambridge Audio complete the solid-state range.
High-end phono preamp features
- A separate power supply, to keep noise away from the signal: Audia Flight's Phono, Michell's Apollo (MUSE) and Primare's R35.
- Balanced XLR outputs, on Primare's R35 and Kora's Phonostage, which also has XLR inputs.
- A mono switch, for mono records: Audia Flight's Phono.
- A headphone output and a subsonic filter, for private listening and warped records: Cambridge Audio's Alva Duo.
- Three phono inputs, each with its own loading: Thöress's Phono Enhancer.
Phono preamp brands
- Cambridge Audio, from London, has made hi-fi since 1968.
- Primare, from southern Sweden, has designed hi-fi components since 1985.
- Audia Flight was founded in 1996 in Civitavecchia, Italy, and builds its electronics around its own current-feedback gain module.
- Michell was founded by John Michell in the mid-1960s and assembles its turntables by hand in its Hertfordshire workshop.
- Unison Research, near Treviso in Italy, was founded in 1987 and is known for its tube amplifiers.
- Kora, from Toulouse, France, builds most of its range around its Square Tube® circuit, in which four tubes form a single amplification stage.
- Thöress, in Aachen, Germany, hand-builds triode tube electronics with transformers wound in-house.
Why buy phono preamps from ODSY
- Talk to Kellen, ODSY's co-founder, before you buy. Share your room's size and what you listen to, and get a recommendation that fits.
- Design and installation. ODSY can plan the system and put it in.
- Free shipping. Every phono preamp here ships free.
- A new unit if it arrives defective. Tell us within 30 days and we replace it with a brand-new one, so you don't wait for a factory repair. If we ship the wrong item, we send the right one.
Phono preamp FAQs
Can I return a phono preamp? ODSY sells mainly on a final-sale basis, so check the fit with us before you order. Defective units and shipping errors are covered, as above. Opened items and preorder deposits can't be refunded. Read the full policy.
What makes a good preamp for a turntable? One that matches your cartridge: enough gain for its output, MC inputs if it is a moving coil, and a load you can set to its specification. Tell us the cartridge and we can check the match.
Can I listen to records on headphones? Yes, with Cambridge Audio's Alva Duo, which has a headphone output.
Complete your phono preamp setup
Turntables · Turntable Cartridges · Preamplifiers · Integrated Amplifiers · Turntable Accessories
