Six Acoustics York Review (phono pre-amp)

[amirm]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Six Acoustics York moving magnet/moving coil stereo phono stage. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $437.

I like the form factor and clean look of the unit. Nice to see a variable gain control as well. Back panel shows the usual connections:

There are loading selection from resistance to capacitance underneath (dip switches).

Six Acoustics York Measurements
Let's start with our MM mode using the default center gain level:

Like the absence of distortion spikes but noise level is high enough to place the unit below average compared to its rivals:

For MC, I lowered the gain to 60 dB:

I was impressed with the in-band flatness of the RIAA equalization:

Sadly there is no rumble filter so that extra bass response may come back to haunt you if your LP is not dead flat/centered.

Another miss is lack of headroom:

The low power supply voltage is likely responsible for early clipping. Above is at 1 kHz. Testing at higher frequencies shows even earlier clipping:

Conclusions
The York gets a lot of things right from nice looking case and form factor to well implemented RIAA equalization curve. Major miss is higher than wanted noise floor and early clipping.

Since there are better implementations in this price range, I am not going to recommend the Six Acoustics York but it is a marginal decision.

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As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

 

[Chester]

Nice to see more phono stage reviews. It still seems to be an area where performance varies quite widely.

 

[GWolfman]

Thanks!

 

[Zinger]

You should try to review the iFi Phono. It's a phono preamp someone may actually want to buy.

 

[amirm]

You should try to review the iFi Phono. It's a phono preamp someone may actually want to buy.

You should buy it and send it to me then.

 

[Ralf Stocker]

Why is there still MC? The noise is about 20 dB higher than MM. Does MC have advantages over MM?

 

[DSJR]

That's not good you know. The ultrasonic response rise and very low margins up at those frequencies don't take into account of the HF rises over 20kHz that any MC cartridge and a few MM types do as well (MC's often go out to 50kHz and are very good at reproducing cutter ringing on vinyl pressings, probably until these frequencies get shaved off by repeated playing ).

I'd still like to see HF overload over 100mV for MM's and maybe with soft clipping too. Phono stages I've used with this level of overload performance (and with standard input impedance and moderate capacitance) do subjectively sound 'quieter' at HF as they don't splatter and 'fizz' so much with the 'effects' of surface noise..

 

[Lambda]

Why is thd+n now given in % and not dB?

Little bit of mains leakage and most noise at Lowe frequency where hearing sensitivity is low.
Maybe dB(A) noise rating would tell a better story for Phoneo preamps!

Distortion below -110dB sounds good to me but 400$ for this box don't

 

[AudioSceptic]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Six Acoustics York moving magnet/moving coil stereo phono stage. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $437.
View attachment 199536
I like the form factor and clean look of the unit. Nice to see a variable gain control as well. Back panel shows the usual connections:
View attachment 199537

There are loading selection from resistance to capacitance underneath (dip switches).

Six Acoustics York Measurements
Let's start with our MM mode using the default center gain level:

View attachment 199538

Like the absence of distortion spikes but noise level is high enough to place the unit below average compared to its rivals:
View attachment 199539

For MC, I lowered the gain to 60 dB:
View attachment 199540

I was impressed with the in-band flatness of the RIAA equalization:

View attachment 199541

Sadly there is no rumble filter so that extra bass response may come back to haunt you if your LP is not dead flat/centered.

Another miss is lack of headroom:
View attachment 199542

The low power supply voltage is likely responsible for early clipping. Above is at 1 kHz. Testing at higher frequencies shows even earlier clipping:

View attachment 199543

Conclusions
The York gets a lot of things right from nice looking case and form factor to well implemented RIAA equalization curve. Major miss is higher than wanted noise floor and early clipping.

Since there are better implementations in this price range, I am not going to recommend the Six Acoustics York but it is a marginal decision.

-----------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

*For MC, I raised the gain to 60 dB:" surely?

 

[AudioSceptic]

You should buy it and send it to me then.

If I was in the US I'd send my Pro-Ject Phono Box S2 Ultra, but postage from the UK would be ridiculous.

 

[AnalogSteph]

Why is there still MC? The noise is about 20 dB higher than MM. Does MC have advantages over MM?

I am pretty sure that this measurement is limited by output noise of the AP's generator, and is not a reflection of actual input noise performance. A low-impedance passive attenuator may prove a useful addition to the test setup.

Theoretical noise performance actually is slightly better for MC compared to MM, but inputs with voltage noise levels equivalent to or better than something like 8 to 20 ohms are few and far between. We are talking 0.36 to 0.57 nV/√(Hz), preferably better. Think multiple pairs of low-noise BJTs in the input and sufficiently low feedback network resistance. You'd probably have to use relays for MM/MC switching to keep contact resistance low enough.

Both resistance and inductance for MC cartridges are much lower than for MM, which easily enables frequency responses well into the ultrasonic range with little effect of input capacitance - a requirement for the CD-4 quadraphonic system. By contrast, cable + input impedance is a hot topic in the world of MM cartridges, to the point where a phonopre is arguably best installed in the turntable itself and requires an input capacitance (+ ideally resistance) selection.

That's not good you know. The ultrasonic response rise and very low margins up at those frequencies don't take into account of the HF rises over 20kHz that any MC cartridge and a few MM types do as well (MC's often go out to 50kHz and are very good at reproducing cutter ringing on vinyl pressings, probably until these frequencies get shaved off by repeated playing ).

I won't be too surprised if the effective peaking actually turns out to be a flattening of preamp response, colloquially termed a "Neumann pole". While the theory behind this has generally been disproven, it remains useful in keeping undue capacitive loading away from the opamp's output, as it is implemented by including a series resistor in the feedback loop. A 0.5 dB deviation by 20 kHz seems an easily acceptable tradeoff and isn't an awful lot compared to incorrectly loaded MM shenanigans anyway.

 

[Bob from Florida]

Why is there still MC? The noise is about 20 dB higher than MM. Does MC have advantages over MM?

Two types of MC - low and high output, with low at typical 0.3 - 0.5 mv and high at 2 - 2.5 mv. High output MC are aimed at MM phono stages but due to the higher output have more turns of wire and perhaps a stronger magnet - this equals higher mass versus low output MC. Low output MC have very low resistance - some very low are 3 ohms. Hana SH - high output - is 130 ohms and Hana SL - low output - is 30 ohms. Fewer wire turns equals lower mass for better response, tracking - other variables apply also, and good frequency response - if resistively loaded correctly. The lower output has lower noise which is a wash by the time you amplify it. The lower inductance of a MC makes capacitive loading largely not relevant. MM cartridges combination of inductance and capacitance of the cable and phono preamp, can have a resonance peak in the audible range. MC avoid this issue with low inductance. There are plenty of reasons to go either MM or MC - it basically boils down to your budget and desire to experience the choices available.

 

[sergeauckland]

Why is there still MC? The noise is about 20 dB higher than MM. Does MC have advantages over MM?

Yes, almost total immunity to loading. MMs are very sensitive to capacitative loading, such that the RIAA response of the phono stage is swamped by errors in the cartridge's frequency response, which vary with loading. MCs don't care much as long as the input impedance is more than 5x (ideally 10x) their DC resistance. Furthermore, MCs are less sensitive to hum pickup due to their low impedance.

The great benefit of MMs is the almost universal user replaceable stylus, which also allows upgrades if the manufacturer provides stylii at different levels. MCs require remanufacturing or retipping if the cantilever and suspension is still sound. They also generally are better trackers than MCs, although decent MCs are adequate in that regard.

I've given up with MMs for the reasons of variability with loading.

S.

 

[JDS]

Nice to see more phono stage reviews. It still seems to be an area where performance varies quite widely.

Agreed.

There is some schadenfreude in seeing snake oil cables and such being debunked, but anyone who is a regular here already knows that such claims are bunk. I think the place where Amir is providing huge value is in separating wheat from chaff in categories of products that can be good but frequently aren't -- DACs, speakers, and most of all, multi-channel home theater equipment.

 

[beagleman]

York, ...Did they not make in the 80s and 90s, low cost 3 part stereo systems?

 

[Chester]

You should try to review the iFi Phono. It's a phono preamp someone may actually want to buy.

I have heard a lot of people say that. I’ve just returned one as, in my system at least, it had higher noise floor by 6-8dB than both the Pro-ject DS2 phono and Cambridge Audio Duo. All set at 60dB.

 

[EarlessOldMan]

You should try to review the iFi Phono. It's a phono preamp someone may actually want to buy.

I bought an iFi Zen Phono and loved it for a couple of months.

And then it simply died.

I bought a Parasound Zphono. That unit sounded good, but it had higher noise than the iFi Zen Phono. I traded it in on a Parasound Zphono XRM, which has less noise and two levels of gain (or three if you have a balanced output). The Zphono XRM also has variable levels of loading.

I like the Zphono XRM. But I found a good price on a Cambridge Audio Duo, which has even less noise than the Zphono XRM. I like it a great deal, especially with a moving-coil cartridge. But I'm continuing to use the Zphono XRM with moving-magnet cartridges.

I didn't get to A/B the iFi Zen Phono against the Zphono XRM or the Cambridge Duo. My no-doubt-fallible memory tells me that the iFi Zen had less noise than the Zphono XRM and maybe a tiny bit less than the Cambridge Duo.

The iFi Zen sounded brighter (in memory) than the Zphono. The tone of the Cambridge Duo is closer to that of the iFi Zen (again, from memory).

Of the units that I've tried, I think that the iFi Zen Phono and the Cambridge Audio Duo were tied for sound quality, with the Zphono XRM very close. And it could be that the Zphono XRM has a flatter response than the Zen and the Duo. But I'm not equipped, either intellectually or in terms of equipment, to make that call.

I wish that someone would come out with a decent moving-coil preamp with infinitely variable gain (i.e., a pot) that doesn't introduce significant noise. I bought a cheap Douk Audio phono preamp with a pot for gain, but it's quite noisy. It's all right for moving-magnet cartridges. But it's noisy with a moving-coil cartridge.

Let me emphasize that these are my untrained observations.

 

[amirm]

*For MC, I raised the gain to 60 dB:" surely?

No. If you toggle the switch to MC, the gain jumps to 61 db. I lowered it to 60.

 

[Bob from Florida]

You should buy it and send it to me then.

Whomever buys one for you to review probably should have it drop-shipped to you before trying it. In my case, I liked it enough - it has to stay in the system for a while. Possibly a long time.

 

[Bob from Florida]

I bought an iFi Zen Phono and loved it for a couple of months.

And then it simply died.

I believe the Zen has a one year warranty. Hopefully, you can get it replaced. I also hope for my benefit, yours failing was a one-off and mine will keep on working.