Listen up, because this is important. If you want to listen to vinyl – you need a phono stage. Yes, we know it doesn’t seem necessary. And yes, we know it’s hardly the most glamourous topic in the hi-fi realm – especially not if it’s overshadowed by its considerable more glamourous partner: the turnatable – but trust us when we say that you can’t have one without the other. Some turntables come with them built in, but if you’re serious about your vinyl collection, you will want to keep things separate.
But what the heck does a phono stage even do?! It’s a very fair question. Basically, it’s a unit which takes the minute signal developed by the cartridge and works as an extra amplification stage. It’s essentially a turntable pre amplifier. Turntables operate at a much lower ‘line level’ than other formats. In order to get it somewhere near line level signal for you amplifier, the signal must pass through one of these. Some turntables have them in-built, but anything mid to higher-end will require a separate one. And those that don’t should.
The Project Phono Box E is our best value phono stage. At £39, it’s incredibly popular too!
The stage built into your existing amplifier may well be good. but lets consider this
1) You bought it as an amplifier, not a phonostage
2) A dedicated phono stage will not share its power supply
3) The signal is so minuscule keeping continuity is key, no matter the level you are at
The (fully assembled) Trichord Dino Mk3 is much more high-end – better for the high-end turntables!
When you choose a dedicated phono stage for the job they are often user-tuneable, which means they’re not limited to just MM or just MC. If properly implemented, a separate phono stage will improve the sound quality and therefore your enjoyment of your collection – which means it is worth the extra investment.
There’s far more to the science of it than that, we assure you. But know that a phono stage isn’t just an audiophile add-on, it’s a completely necessary piece of the analogue puzzle, working as a pre-amp for your turntable which can then be connected to a power or integrated amp. And then, away you go.
Still confused? Give us a shout. We will be able to talk you through it – and see which is the best one for your job.