Ear Yoshino Phonobox MM/MC

New in the Box the award-winning EAR Phonobox Phono Preamp. Supports both MM and MC Cartridges and comes with volume control in black finish.

 Excellent Choice for the Audiophile who wants a one-piece small form factor phono stage preamp in a tube and solid state configuration that supports both Moving Magnet and Moving Coil.  Designed using three 13D16 tubes this phono preamp sounds outstanding.  Provisions for using 12AX7 tubes as well. Designed by the world-renowned Tim de Paravicinis.

Even the normally complex, input-matching arrangements for a Moving Coil cartridge are forsaken. In this case, they are not required to the same degree as traditional active designs. The Phonobox uses matching transformers to obtain the increase in level required when using a very low output MC cartridge. Other aspects of the design, which have Tim’s signature style written all over them include; the choice of valve; the lack of fancy ‘audiophile’ brand components and for a small extra fee, a chrome front panel. In regard to the vacuum tube choice, the 13D16 (three of them) is not a tube ID that Googles successfully. It is, in effect, an ECC83 with a few tweaks and is made specifically for EAR Yoshino. Tim made it clear to myself (and anyone who would listen) that mucking around trying various different versions of a tube in one of his designs was not on. The amplifier has been designed to work with this tube and anything else will throw it out of whack (I’m paraphrasing, he would have said it somewhat more elegantly, and firmly). I guess using your own tube specification stymies the less adventurous ‘tube-rollers’. So all in all a very typical Tim de Paravicini design. Slightly quirky tube choice, coupled with a simple internal design and solid, last-forever construction.