Phono Stages

The Vinyl Reference: It is our Reference and for good reason. Multiple inputs, one for MM and one for MC. Or you can special order one for you with two MC inputs to accommodate your two tone arms. Complete with a beautiful Chrome face plate and Gold or optional Wood knobs. Leave it to reviewer Stephæn Harrell of www.6moons.com how says it best:

"To wrap this up, I'll return to where I started when speaking of sonic impressions: "...It became instantaneously evident that sliding the VR into the signal corridor had created what appeared to be an elongating of measures in the music..." In the end, that's what I keep coming back to but now my heart and body understand that effect at a deeper level. It's about phrasing . Look at some sheet music and notice the ligatures between notes and across bars. They instruct the musician to convey the flow and nuance that embody the intent of the composition. This is much different than hitting the rights notes in the right order at the right time. Those are simply details when it comes to adept musicianship. Details (like selective sounds that some people listen for in their recordings and mistake for resolution) are simply fleeting events. Genuine resolution is a process. Real music doesn't happen. It unfolds.


Normally, I might complete a review with three words to describe the overall character of a component. In this case, I would use words like organic, accomplished and nourishing. Today, I'm compelled to also say, "I want one."

MSRP is $5,500

The Vinyl 1: This is also a piece to fall in love with. We have used it for a long time in our reference system at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. Very simple and wonderfully musical with transparency and resolution. "... The Art Audio Vinyl One phono amplifier is an outstanding musical component straight out of the box. If music is a passion that runs deep, if you seek to serve the music in an honest, respectful way, you may find the perfect tool in the Vinyl One. There are more great phono stages available today than ever before (perfect sound forever indeed!). The Vinyl One is among the greatest, and it's the best I've heard..."

MSRP starting at $3,300

Graham Slee Amp 2 Special Edition

The Gram Amp 2 Special Edition ($399.95) is different from most phono preamps available today. It captures both the essence and magic of music. Its soundstage is bigger and so are the dynamics, and this brings real life to the performance. No wonder, it has earned a roster of "stars" with reviewers and a multitude of end-users. It has garnered glowing reviews in the USA (where this British product was first launched), in the high-end magazines - The Absolute Sound (issue 134 and 138), in Stereophile (June 2002), on the Internet's EnjoyTheMusic.com review magazine, and in the European TNT-Audio.com Internet magazine. Most recently, it has become a Class C Stereophile Recommended Component (October 2002) and a Best Buy Recommended Product in The Absolute Sound (Issue 138, October-November 2002).

Graham Slee Era Gold Mk. V

The Era Gold Mk V phono preamplifier is unlike any other phono preamp. It throws current thinking to the wind, and concentrates on its singular and only critical mission - that of reproducing music the way music sounds. The result is what we call the listener's phono preamp. Michael Fremer in the Stereophile January 2004 issue (Vol. 27 No. 1) calls it the "miraculous phono preamp" for its ability to change and dramatically lift an entire system's sound quality and make music sound real! Subsequently, Stereophile in the April 2004 issue (Vol 27 No. 4) and October 2004 issue (Vol 27 No. 10) awarded Class A $$$ Recommended Component rating on the Era Gold MK V thus making it the least expensive component within this very exclusive class of superlative achievers. Others cost US$1,500-US$15,000!

MSRP: $924.90