Home / SPL AUDIO Phonos The RIAA Phono Preamplifier
Product Overview
Bringing Mastering-Studio Authority to Your Turntable
The tiny electrical voltage produced by a turntable cartridge is incredibly fragile. Standard phono preamplifiers use off-the-shelf integrated operational amplifier ICs operating on low voltage corridors, which instantly squashes micro-dynamics and raises the background noise floor during the high-gain equalization process.
The SPL Phonos completely rewires this blueprint. Built on custom high-voltage circuitry, it acts as a silent, powerful vault that scales up minute cartridge currents to hot line levels without adding color, grain, or phase smear. With its user-friendly front-panel switching parameters for both MM and MC systems, it empowers audiophiles to perfectly tune their cartridge load on the fly, uncovering hidden tracking details and three-dimensional room spacing across every record pressing.
Product Description
120V VOLTAiR High-Voltage Headroom:
The heartbeat of the Phonos is SPL’s proprietary VOLTAiR technology. Operating on an internal plus/minus 60V DC linear network, it provides a continuous operating ceiling four times higher than conventional hi-fi components. For vinyl playback, this structural headroom is crucial: it allows the high-gain circuits to handle sharp, unpredictable transient pops, crackles, and heavy orchestral swells without overloading the input electronics. Music sounds deeply relaxed, wide, and remarkably life-like, maintaining complete structural focus even during intense musical movements.
Premium Cartridge Tailoring Matrix:
Vinyl setups are completely dependent on accurate cartridge matching. The Phonos provides highly accurate front-panel parameter toggles to match any reference cartridge perfectly:
Moving Magnet (MM) Stage: MM cartridges carry high inductance and impedance. To ensure a linear frequency and phase response, the Phonos offers a multi-stage capacitance selector providing Off, 150 pF, 220 pF, and 330 pF choices.
Moving Coil (MC) Stage: MC pickups generate a very low output voltage (often just a few hundred microvolts) requiring ultra-clean gain boosts. The critical adjustment parameter here is impedance, which can be dialed into six positions: 100, 220, 470, 2.2k, 4.7k, and 10 kOhms to flatten cartridge response instantly.
Douglas Self RIAA Equalization & Variable Gain Execution:
The internal RIAA de-emphasis filter is meticulously designed following the design parameters of renowned British audio electronics expert Douglas Self. By stacking multiple small, high-precision capacitors in parallel rather than relying on a few large components, the circuit charges and discharges at higher speeds, preserving the micro-timing and edge detail of acoustic instruments.
To sync up comfortably with the rest of your hi-fi system, the Phonos includes a 3-position Gain Control switch:
Norm Position: Applies standard high-fidelity gain architectures (+46 dB for MM / +67 dB for MC).
-10 Position: Drops the gain threshold by 10 dB, perfect for preventing clip overloads on standard consumer receivers.
+4 Position: Boosts the output signal up (+50 dB for MM / +71.5 dB for MC), perfectly level-matching your vinyl deck with modern high-output digital-to-analog converters.
Key Features
120V VOLTAiR POWER PLATFORM: Operates on high-voltage DC audio rails for massive input headroom, low distortion, and an incredibly quiet background.
DOUGLAS SELF RIAA DESIGN: Implements an ultra-fast, discrete de-emphasis filter configuration to reconstruct vinyl tracks with precise phase and frequency response.
FRONT-PANEL MM/MC SWITCHING: Instantly toggles between independent internal operational amplifier stages optimized for Moving Magnet or Moving Coil pickups.
6 SWITCHABLE MC IMPEDANCES: Fine-tunes your Moving Coil load through 100, 220, 470, 2.2k, 4.7k, and 10 kOhm settings.
4 CAPACITANCE OPTIONS FOR MM: Optimizes Moving Magnet response via Off, 150 pF, 220 pF, and 330 pF parameter options.
3-STAGE GAIN LEVEL SELECTOR: Level-matches your turntable seamlessly across three settings, pushing up to a powerful +71.5 dB of MC gain.
SWITCHABLE SUBSONIC FILTER: Attenuates harmful low-frequency drive-mechanism rumble below 20Hz, protecting your amplifier and bass drivers from over-excursion.
GOLD-PLATED RCA TERMINALS: Equipped with premium input and output RCA blocks to ensure clean, low-resistance analog signal transfer.
BANANA PLUG GROUND CONNECTION: Solid, versatile chassis ground post that accepts bare wire, spade lugs, or 4mm banana plugs.
SHIELDED INTERNAL LINEAR PSU: Employs a custom linear power engine with a shielded toroidal transformer to completely block magnetic hum from reaching the high-gain stages.
