Superphon Revelation Preamp/Phono Stage Vintage Review

[sam_adams]

It is enough now, why not post something interesting . Is this forum dying?

Maybe one of these is a better choice for you:

1

2

 

[JSmith]

It is enough now, why not post something interesting . Is this forum dying?

JSmith

 

[375HP2482]

considering the relatively bad crosstalk measurements at ~60dB, that sounds like a pretty legitimate 'fad'.
Heard about (and even tried) much worse fads

Not a great number, but certainly good enough for vinyl.

 

[egellings]

considering the relatively bad crosstalk measurements at ~60dB, that sounds like a pretty legitimate 'fad'.
Heard about (and even tried) much worse fads

With cartridges typically having crosstalk figures of 35dB of so, 60dB seems more than adequate for the job.

 

[MacCali]

Please don't use that term. If you need explanation as to why, use the forum search function.

Well I’m unaware if that is a derogatory term or not, I have plenty of hifi products produced in China and find amazing performance at killer value. My reference system is compromised of 60% Chinese developed and manufactured products. I’m just putting forth the term which is bringing change to audio industry. I don’t think “Chinese hifi” or Chinese audio equipment would sum up to anything else besides that term in one’s head unless they find it that term derogatory

 

[sam_adams]

Well I’m unaware if that is a derogatory term or not, I have plenty of hifi products produced in China and find amazing performance at killer value. My reference system is compromised of 60% Chinese developed and manufactured products. I’m just putting forth the term which is bringing change to audio industry. I don’t think “Chinese hifi” or Chinese audio equipment would sum up to anything else besides that term in one’s head unless they find it that term derogatory

This is from the boss:

Let's Avoid the Term Chi-Fi

I often see the use of the term "Chi Fi" to describe audio products from China. I see the intention and don't think anyone is trying to be racist and what have you. Still, I like us to show the highest respect to products from around the world. As avid readers of this forum know...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Angsty]

There exists a quiet, subsurface industry that refurbishes vintage audio equipment. Such refurbished gear may not be one's choice, but this (and this ) proves that such a path does have legitimacy.

Jim

I have a few components that were “resto-modded” by Peter at Quirk. I’m confident that each is now capable of at least another 20 years of duty.

 

[Angsty]

It is enough now, why not post something interesting . Is this forum dying?

I personally love to see the testing of vintage gear as a comparison to what is being produced today.

 

[Jim Taylor]

I personally love to see the testing of vintage gear as a comparison to what is being produced today.

I wouldn't mind it, either. However, I doubt it will happen here. It's a niche market within a niche market, and Amir is already struggling to keep up with the load of reviewing gear that is current and economically competitive to the great majority of people.

Jim

p.s. - You might want to check the reviews in the old Audio magazine. Some of them had a good set of measurements, and some didn't. The archive is here.

 

[Angsty]

I wouldn't mind it, either. However, I doubt it will happen here. It's a niche market within a niche market, and Amir is already struggling to keep up with the load of reviewing gear that is current and economically competitive to the great majority of people.

Jim

p.s. - You might want to check the reviews in the old Audio magazine. Some of them had a good set of measurements, and some didn't. The archive is here.

I was a subscriber to Audio before it went defunct. I reveled in the measurements of Audio and to a lesser extent, Stereo Review. I appreciate the spirit of ASR as a successor to those periodicals.

What I like about ASR doing these vintage reviews is the direct comparison of measurements using the AP devices and the matching testing protocols.

Audio is a niche hobby anyway, so I don’t see the diversion of a few resources to vintage components as a loss. HiFi News does something similar. The perspective it offers is useful to see the hobby as a continuum across time, not just a consumerist present. Besides, vintage audio often presents great bargains!

 

[DSJR]

Ha, nice to see that the performance more or less holds up well. In the circles I ran in back in the day, the Superphon was definitely the go-to 'midrange' pre-amp. i.e. more than good enough until you were ready to sell a kidney for an ARC or Conrad-Johnson.

Late reply, but just to say that an ARC or Conrad Johnson preamp would likely have been orders of magnitude WORSE than this offering...

 

[375HP2482]

So much fuss about the performance of earlier electronics, which back then were mostly about vinyl.

My homebrew amplifier needed a phono preamp, so I did what a lot of solderers did. I opened up the thick National Semiconductor applications book, complete with performance measurements, and used their IC-based circuit. Done.

 

[JSmith]

Conrad Johnson preamp would likely have been orders of magnitude WORSE than this offering...

PV9 - July 1988

Conrad-Johnson PV9 preamplifier Measurements

Sidebar 2: Measurements

www.stereophile.com

PV10 - March 1989

Conrad-Johnson PV10 preamplifier Measurements

Sidebar 2: Measurements The output impedance of the PV10A at its line output measured about 690 ohms, give or take less than 10 ohms depending on the channel, the setting of the level control, and whether the balance control was in or out of the circuit. The line-level input impedance varied...

www.stereophile.com

JSmith

 

[Paweł L]

I wouldn't to more pieces from from the past, say Erno Borbely designs. Let's see how 'bad' the 30+ yrs old designs are

 

[ElJaimito]

Re oldies and goodies, I am still using my circa 1982 (rebuilt) Luxman Integrated amp with a Thorens TD160, SME arm and Ortofon MC elliptical cartridge (with Ortofon transformer matching) when I really have to transcribe a vinyl record (rare - I'm digital through and through). It's possible to get better, but there's no point as any improvement is unlikely to be audible as such. I have a Pioneer 3-head CT-A9 waiting for new drive belts and alignment for transcribing cassette material, owned since '86, together with an A77 Mk IV - the B77 was no better, except for editing. As with many of you I have owned lots of decent gear, Quad 22/II, 33/303, 405, RCA Orthophonics (capable of 'negative' output impedance) used in the studio with bi-amped Tannoy Golds, as well as all the usual Leak and Radford and similar '70's stuff. Most (not all!) of them were more than adequate in quality terms, but almost all were sold as the power amps had insufficient output for increasingly hungry modern LS systems. Now I only use studio monitors with built-in power amps and crossovers (main system with sub well over 1.5kW peak output - gosh), so all the preamps would have done the job of feeding them. I do have some old Lowther Acoustas and elderly rebuilt JBL semi-monitors for comparison purposes, both of which do obviously like a power amp to feed them. Interestingly, just about all of the equipment named was capable of producing engaging and professional-level reproduction, despite undoubted flaws. Recent Class D amps are indistinguishable to my ears from Class AB amps, so I am happy to use them... of course when they (or the digital crossovers) go wrong they do make very nasty noises! Older gear just died, usually...

 

[Yifu]

hello amirm. It seems that the FFT of Phono isn't particularly bad, but the SINAD is only 59dB. Is there an A-weighting involved?