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Vinyl Asylum: REVIEW: Promitheus Audio phonostage Phono Preamp by foomh@simedarby.com

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REVIEW: Promitheus Audio phonostage Phono Preamp

60.54.28.48


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Model: phonostage
Category: Phono Preamp
Suggested Retail Price: $600
Description: mm/mc phono stage with transformers
Manufacturer URL: Promitheus Audio

Review by foomh@simedarby.com on November 14, 2008 at 19:18:54
IP Address: 60.54.28.48
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for the phonostage


I have used the EAR834p for many years and the Holfi ellipse before for a couple of years so I do have a bit of listening experience. In addition I have been a frequent crawler of hifi shops and hifi showers for many many years!
I am a customer of Nicholas having bought his TVC Signature which is his ultimate expression of his tvc models. I was thus able and lucky enough to be given a long loan of Nicholas phono stage with transformers as my EAR was out for repair.

Let me now try to describe the sound of the promitheus phono. First it is a solid state with transformers and so it doesn't have the usual tube type of sound. So if you want a tubey sound you are out of luck here. However it has a sweet bloom to it that approximates quite closely to the tube sound and in this sense is quite surprising since it is solid state. Nicholas is a tube fan so I asked why not a tube phono stage. It all boils down to cost as to do a tube phono stage to his exacting level of low noise, it would cost quite a bit. So Nicholas did the next best thing which is to use transformers to provide the bloom and sweetness. The phonostage thus has the speed and attack that you get from solid state plus the sweetness and bloom that one gets from analogue. Another aspect of the sound is the quietness which is Nicholas trademark. So music is just clearly served on a very clean background rendering vocal nuances easily absorbed and appreciated. Words are that much more intelligibly heard. Compared to the EAR834p, the main areas where the promitheus is better are quietness, dynamics and vocal clarity. The EAR is more bloomy(by a small degree), perhaps slightly more natural. The Holfi to my memory is outclassed by both the EAR and promitheus.

However once you compare the prices, the promitheus becomes a no brainer to me . The EAR now sells for USD1500 I think and the promitheus a fraction of that. I didn't buy the promitheus cos I already own the EAR and I did not try to sell it in the current economic climate. If I did I definitely would go for the Promitheus. In fact writing this review makes me miss the promitheus in my system cos there are some things it does I would prefer for some types of music like rendering certain singers vocals into clearly heard words.
I would also highlight also a very important aspect of the Promitheus which is its extreme flexibility in matching cartridges. You can change loading for mc and compliance for mm as well as changing the gain to suit low to high output cartridges. I have found that this allowed me to find a setting for each of my cartridges to an optimum and when you get it the sound is wow! Not many phono stages have this and those that do, come with price tags that seem more like car prices!

The unit on loan to me never went back to Nicholas cos I was so convinced by it that I recommended it to a friend of mine and who is now wondering what crap phonostages he was listening to in all his previous years!

The phonostage takes a bit of running in to begin to give the sound that I described above so buyers do have to be patient. I think it takes some 30 hours for some sweetness to come in and perhaps a further 20 to get the bloom and bass. And yes the phonostage is very transparent to the source. Different cartridges sonic signatures are clearly heard and dirty records will sound dirty. So the unit doesn't hide any weaknesses in your turntable or cartridge or the cleanliness of your records.

At the price point there is in my view nothing that can touch the promitheus, but then Nicholas has been delivering quality at the affordable level for almost all his products and so no surprises then. The buyer will find that he is getting 2 hefty boxes for the price, one is the power supply and the other the actual phonostage. Some other manufacturers will charge just the USD600 for the power supply! Overall a great product.


Product Weakness: None
Product Strengths: Clarity, low noise, outstanding sound, well built and very good value for money. Ultimate flexibility


Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Mcintosh Mc402
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Promitheus Signature TVC
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Marantz SA11S1, Technics Sp10 mk2, Linn LP12
Speakers: Magneplanar 3.6
Cables/Interconnects: Promitheus silver cables, Acoustic Zen satori
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Jazz, vocals, piano, guitar
Room Size (LxWxH): 35ft x 20ft x 15ft
Room Comments/Treatments: none
Time Period/Length of Audition: one month
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Powerware regenerator
Type of Audition/Review: Home Audition




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Topic - REVIEW: Promitheus Audio phonostage Phono Preamp - foomh@simedarby.com 19:18:54 11/14/08 ( 5)