While CODA is known mainly for its high-performance amplifiers and preamplifiers, the company also makes an exceptional phono stage that few audio enthusiasts know about.  Yet this superb phono stage exists and is known as the 06X Phono Preamplifier.  Recently, the 06X has been upgraded to the latest Fourth Generation model resulting in a very significant performance increase to an already stellar phono preamp!

Many of the recent Coda amplifier reviews talk about the new high-performance FETs the company is using in its top amplifier models.  Indeed, the new FETs have been a major contributor in moving the Coda sound way ahead in the company’s latest generation of products. While the new FETs have made a big difference to the performance of the amps, and line stages, they have made the BIGGEST difference to the performance of the 06X Phono Preamplifier.  The reason for this is simple. The 06X Phono has many times more gain than the voltage gain sections in the amplifiers and line stages.  Therefore, the improvement with the new FETs is heard WAY more in the 06X due to the much higher gain — and it makes a striking difference!

The 06X is a very flexible phono stage.  It is fully adjustable for impedance loading, capacitance loading and for gain.  All types of MM and MC cartridges can be accommodated.

Due to the complementary fully balanced internal design of the 06X, rejection of unwanted noise and modulation from external sources is very high.  Rejection from stray RF signals is also very high.  The class-A complimentary followers used to drive the preamplifier output are of such speed, linearity and low output impedance that no feedback correction is required or used.  The advantage of this is that the circuit’s perfect stability and transient response are preserved into a wide range of difficult and unpredictable loads.

Give us a call and we’ll be happy to discuss a Coda product with you.

One of the products that Thöress has become famous for is its Parametric Phono Enhancer. The Phono Enhancer has received critical acclaim from analogue enthusiasts and experts  from around the world. As with other Thöress products, the Phono Enhancer is hand built by Reinhard Thoress himself. That means each unit is meticulously constructed with point-to-point wiring throughout and is built to last a lifetime.

In Europe in particular, Reinhard Thoress is regarded as one of the very top designers building analog electronics. In our own evaluations, we have found the Phono Enhancer to elevate vinyl to an absolutely stunning level.

The Phono Enhancer will allow you to hear much more deeply into the grooves of any kind of record than a common phono preamplifier restricted to RIAA deemphasis, and optimum tonal balance and “good sound” may be restored even to poorly mastered or manufactured discs. The Enhancer features specialized tone controls to shape the playback deemphasis curve itself, within wide limits, and without conventional tone control circuitry. These tone control facilities have a much stronger impact to the sonic reproduction than the simple phono deemphasis curve options provided in other phono stages. Of course, another outstanding benefit they provide is that you can absolutely optimize any phono cartridge to achieve its best playback capability.

Thanks to an outstanding circuit topology, amplification of the phono signal is purely active without the aid of a step-up transformer on any input of any version. Nonetheless, the Enhancer offers an extraordinary signal-to-noise ratio, despite the built-in power transformer which is produced in-house to the highest possible standard. Even the slightest residual transformer vibrations are prevented from reaching sensitive parts of the amplifier due to the mechanical decoupling of the unit from the case.

The Phono Enhancer is available in a number of different versions and will optimize the playback of any cartridge and analog system to the highest level.

Brinkmann‘s phono stage is called The Edison which is now in its Mk II version.  It is a top reference level device that Helmut Brinkmann worked on and refined for years to bring to its current Mark II status. The Edison is a perfect choice for all discerning audiophiles who want to extract the maximum sound quality from their vinyl and / or want to use more than one tonearm. The Edison Mk II offers three balanced RCA inputs, two of these are also available in XLR.  Each input can be individually optimized for gain and load to accommodate any phono cartridge.

The Edison Mk II uses highly innovative hybrid circuitry consisting of NOS Telefunken tubes and bipolar transistors.  In addition, an input transformer of superb quality manufactured by the famous component company Pikatron can be switched in or out for each input. As you can see, the Edison provides superb flexibility for the vinyl enthusiast.  As far as the sound goes,  the Hifi & Records reviewer, Stefan Gawlik, says it best: “The Edison sounds pure. And he is addictive. He lets the music shine so relaxed and at the same time involving, so colourful but also precise, an experience that I only had in rare moments before…“