You Can DIY! X-Altra MC-MM RIAA EQ Preamp - Part 2

For all our readers who started following the X-Altra Moving Coil/Moving Magnet RIAA EQ Preamplifier DIY project publish in the February 2021 edition of audioXpress, we have the final pieces. In this second article, Andrew C. Russell details the Moving Magnet EQ stage, system gain amplifier and filters, along with the system’s power supply unit. The article concludes with some measurements.

Following the announcement of the Phono Box RS2 reference class preamp, Pro-Ject has confirmed the launch in the North-American market of a series of phono products and accessories, some of which were released previously in Europe. Those included the Phono Box S2 Ultra discrete MM/MC phono preamplifier, the limited edition Phono Box Ultra 500 in polished chrome, and the Sweep It E and Sweep It S2 record brooms to clean vinyl while records are playing.

Following availability in the European market, Pro-Ject has confirmed the launch in the North-American market of a series of new phono products and accessories. Topping the list is the new Phono Box RS2, a fully balanced, fully discrete, reference class phono preamp with an MSRP of $1999. This new MM & MC capable true dual mono design offers a unique continuously variable input impedance loading and channel balance control to match every cartridge to 100% (adjustment even while playing).

Schiit Audio announced the Jotunheim 2 modular, differential headphone amplifier and preamplifier. This updated model builds on the success of the original Jotunheim, now with higher power output and additional versatility. It also incorporates Schiit's unique Nexus fully discrete, differential topology and debuts Schiit's Continuity S output stage, which offers higher efficiency and improved linearity. Jotunheim 2 retains the same price as the original Jotunheim, starting at $399 with no optional module installed.

A renowned manufacturer of phono cartridges and tonearms since the company's foundation in Japan, Audio-Technica announced the introduction of its AT-PEQ30 phono equalizer, designed to add a phono stage to a turntable setup or to serve as an upgrade from a turntable's built-in phono preamp. The AT-PEQ30 accommodates MM (moving magnet) and MC (moving coil) phono cartridges and according to the company, its circuits were designed for "superlative sound quality."

We know vinyl is trending and that turntable options are expanding in every price segment. But after the return of some "ghosts" from the distant past (in electronics, basically everything before the eighties), Bang & Olufsen now tops the list of "resurrections" with the rebirth of its Beogram 4000c Recreated Limited Edition. Bang & Olufsen says it's the return of an icon, "reimagined for contemporary homes," and the start of a new approach for the Danish brand.

New York-based Mytek Digital revealed the details on its new Empire DAC/Streamer/Preamplifier, supposed to be the flagship of a new Empire series of very high-end audio products. As the company describes, this is an "all out" assault on the state-of-the-art, establishing Mytek as a top echelon player in the high-performance audio arena. The Streamer will be “Powered by Roon OS” and features an internal Roon Core that can drive both the ultra-high performance Empire DAC and external Roon endpoints.

It must be tough to have a product ready, a Kickstarter campaign planned, and then being faced with a global shutdown. That is what happened with Canadian company, Six Acoustic, who recently launched the York, an "ultra" high fidelity phono preamplifier targeting new generations of vinyl enthusiasts looking for an extra level of audio performance that doesn't cost a fortune. And what is “ultra” high fidelity you might ask? According to Steve Meszlenyi, the company founder, it's a level of transparency where noise and distortion are “undetectable to the human ear and nearly impossible to measure with the most sophisticated instrumentation.”

Boulder Amplifiers from Louisville, Colorado, announced the immediate release and shipment of the 2108 Phono Preamplifier, the brand’s reference level phono preamplifier. The 2108, is Boulder’s second generation of 2000-level phono preamplifier, following and improving upon the multiple award winning 2008 phono stage. All possible options and improvements for different ages of vinyl and cartridges have been considered for this new phono reference-level preamplifier.

For those still in the market for a decent phono preamplifier, Parasound just announced a new model that's a big step up from its entry-level Zphono. The new Parasound Zphono XRM phono preamplifier offers higher performance, dual-input MM and MC, with XLR balanced outputs, adjustable MC loading, rumble filter, and mono/stereo switch. Price wise, Parasound's new $599 Zphono XRM phono preamplifier bridges the gap between its entry-level $200 Zphono and the internationally acclaimed $1,495 Halo JC 3 Jr.