Vinyl Asylum: REVIEW: NAD PP-1 Phono Preamp by Kun

NAD PP-1 moving-magnet phono preamplifier is a small (1-1/2 inches high by 5-1/4 wide by 2-3/4 deep), black, metal box with a green LED on the faceplate. There is no power switch or ground. She sports a wallwart/DC input, a one foot shielded cable with gold-plated RCA connecters and gold plated RCA inputs. My first impression of this Chinese-made NAD that it is rather plain and cheap looking. Fortunately, itâ€™s so small you can easily hide it.

For 100 greenbacks she does sing a pretty song. The overall sound is clean and balanced: highs are detailed but not too bright, the midrange is warm and the bass is strong but not bloated. The sound stage is reasonably wide and 3D. In terms of sound, the NAD is nearly on a par with the Creek OBH8 for $75 less. However, I prefer the slightly more defined sound of the $200 Creek OBH8 and like having a power switch and ground.

The NAD suffers from the same RFI problem as the Creek OBH8 I tried out. I live in downtown Honolulu, a high-RFI area. There are a half dozen TV and FM transmitters towers within a couple miles of my home. In fact, there is one less than two blocks away! I'll get to the point: the unshielded wallwart power supply of the PP-1 is really an antenna in disguise. As I move the connecting cord around the hum, buzz and classic rock radio station (!) becomes louder or softer, but never goes away. At its worst, the hum is louder than the music. I have been able to reduce the RFI noise considerably by plugging into a Monster HTS2000 power conditioner, placing four radio shack RFI chokes on the power cord, moving the power cord into the least receptive position and wrapping foil around the power cord. (connecting/disconnecting the ground didn't make much difference). However, I canâ€™t sit too near the speakers or Iâ€™ll hear the hum. This preamp worked RFI-free at a friendâ€™s low-RFI neighborhood.

If you live in the sticks or anyplace away from radio/TV transmitters this is a fine preamp for mid-fi systems if you can live without a power switch or ground. However, beware inner city dwellers.

REVIEW: NAD PP-1 Phono Preamp Review by Kun at Audio Asylum