Lyric Audio PS 10 - MC/MM tube phono stage. German high end. $4,500 MSRP

The PS10 phono stage from German high end audio manufacturer, Lyric Audio, is a delightful piece of audio gear that will give the vinyl user great delight. First off, it is tube based where it uses four 12AX7 tubes and one 12AU7 tube internally. So for the tube rolling phono guys, the PS10 will give endless hours of tube rolling pleasure. The PS10 will also accept TWO turntables - one using a MC cartridge and another, using a MM cartridge. So if you have a two turntable setup and like to switch your listening sessions between a MC and MM cartridge, the PS10 will offer this convenience via a switch in the front. When listening via MC, you can adjust the impedance on the PS10 through the two control switches on the back to best match the impedance of your cartridge. There are six values starting from 50 ohms to 1000 ohms. In MM mode, it is a fixed 50 ohm. Power supply is housed in a separate chassis to keep electrical noise away from the sensitive boards inside the main unit.

We had this hooked up to a Michell Gyrodec 25th Anniversary turntable with a Koetsu Rosewood MC cartridge and the system was just heavenly. Vocals were holographic with a tight bottom end, smooth mids and highs. String instruments came out clearly defined where not many phono stages have the ability to cleanly delineate from the record. At $4,500 MSRP, the PS10 is definitely beyond the realms of budget or mid-fi. But in the category of high end phono stages, it is quite a bargain considering the sonic quality you get out of it and how some others can cost twice as much for the same returns. Now under $3,000, it is an excellent partner to a turntable that cost within $5,000 - $10,000.

The unit is in excellent shape with original box, manual and factory supplied tubes. One owner since new with very light usage.