Neuphono – MC/MM hybrid phono stage

There has always been a tendency to flawlessness, to perfection: it is an abstract concept, a continuous search for improved goals. Today’s technology offers many opportunities to achieve to these targets and Audiozen apply constant commitment to rediscover the pleasure of listening to a vinyl record: while on one hand the analog sources are quite improved, especially in the choice of new materials, on the other the preamplifiers for analog cartridges are designed to obtain more details from the smooth information received.

Audiozen has an analog heart, it never stopped investing in the design of increasingly accurate creations.

Neuphono is the result of this commitment, it’s the proof of search for perfection in each stage of which it is composed: six FETs and a pair of fine NOS vacuum tubes.
FETs and tubes are also “matched”, they are selected in pairs to have identical electrical characteristics for left and right channel.

For the best audio signal decoupling, Audiozen chose the CSA series by ClarityCap, objectively excellent polypropylene capacitors. The CSA Series incorporates unique CopperConnect technology that reduces signal path resistance and capacitor ESR to achieve new levels of audio performance.

The excellent RIAA stage, defined according to the parameters of Audio Engineering Society, is the result of calculations and consequent laboratory tests and it meets the specifications on all frequencies.
The elegant aluminum knob on the front panel allows you to choose the circuit to be switched, for Moving Coil (MC) or Moving Magnet (MM) cartridges.

Neuphono is equipped with a separate power supply unit supplied with three oversized toroidal transformers connected to three metal body bridge rectifiers, normally used for power amplifiers. Innovative high efficiency low drop out integrated circuits are used together with Jantzen polypropylene bypass capacitors to stabilize the voltage of tube heaters, in order to drastically reduce the hum and improve the signal-to-noise ratio.

The input impedance of the two MC and MM stages is managed by two RCA sockets (one per channel) located on the rear panel of the Neuphono: two pairs of RCA connectors are supplied, one 47 KOhms pair (average load for MM cartridges) and a 100 Ohms pair for MC cartridges; other values can be requested.

8 mm thick Asian doussié solid wood sides, transparent perspex cover, solid machined aluminum knob, 10 mm thick aluminum front panel, first class RCA connectors: all of that complete an Audiozen creation conceived without compromise.

Neuphono has a characteristic sound: it is fast and transparent like a solid state preamplifier and it is also deep and enveloping as the best tube sound can be. Bass frequencies are controlled and present, with the correct immanence, and then proverbial silence, such as to make you forget that inside it there is a pair of NOS vacuum tubes of the best worldwide production.

Paraphrasing the writer Karl Kraus, Neuphono lacks some flaws to be perfect.