FONOBRIO™ - PRECISION PHONO AMPLIFIER (MM/MC).

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• phono amplifier (RIAA equalized)
   

• ultra-low noise, high resolution
   

• separate inputs for MC and MM cartridges
   

• externally switchable impedance loading
   

• two gain stages for MC
   

• super stable and fast power supply with practically no ripple
   

• line level output (gain internally adjustable)

‘One of the best (and least intrusive) phono-stages available‘ (R. Gregory, 2009)

The FONOBRIO is radical and without compromise, taking things right to the technical limits and phono reproduction to a new level. It blows away the ground level mists that still blurred a last layer of information sitting in the ‘grooved landscape’. Spurred by the accolades the predecessor model FONOVIVO had received, the quest was on to unlock the last secrets of vinyl.

Taking leave from standard voltage regulators, the ultra-precise power supply is more than a thousand times quieter than a very good standard regulated design, ie hum and ripple are at the edge of the measuring range of even the best test equipment. The power supply further couples to the phono stage with an impedance so extremely low no accu-based design could ever have, making it ultra-fast and stable at the same time.

In addition, the MC stage as part of an equally uncompromising amplification design, consisting of three discrete, mirror-symmetrical, ultra-linear stages, has discrete ultra-low noise transistors, surrounded by ultra-precision, low-noise resistors.

The architecture consists of two separate boards, one for each channel. They are mounted decoupled from the chassis and are shielded from the power supply by a partition. The medical class isolation transformer is further screened by a substantial stainless steel cap mounted on dampers.

The sonic result is stunning. The room that opens before the listener immediately provides a new feeling. It is spacious and filled with crisp air, every object in it has a close-to-touch naturalness, and sounds emerge that must have been covered by a floor of noise before. All of a sudden things begin to move. The rhythm is intoxicating because every little inflexion can be followed. The energy released is incredible. Transients are lightning fast. The music is flowing without a sign of fatigue. And all this from a piece of vinyl…

The FONOBRIO is easy to operate, even though it is rich in features that will prove very useful. There is a separate (switchable) input for moving coil (MC) and moving magnet (MM) cartridges, and for the former there is a 4-pole dip switch accessible from the outside, allowing the configuration of 16 different load impedance values (for unusual cases there is even provision for a dedicated resistor to be inserted in the load circuit).External switches give the choice of doubling the output level in MC operation. Even the level of the output stage can be adjusted internally in three steps.

The FONOBRIO is a declaration of love to the gramophone as a guardian of musical treasures that stand little chance of becoming accessible again in today’s music market.

The totality of the many superlative technical features summarized below situate the FONOBRIO in a position apart from pure tube designs on the one hand and pure IC designs on the other, let alone designs using a step-up transformer for MC.