Cambridge Audio Alva Solo - Stereo Moving Magnet Phono Stage/Pre-Amplifier - Lunar Grey

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The Cambridge Solo for me stood out the least - closer to the Rega in terms of sound but is no match for its presence and its soundstage. Sound was composed and felt very natural, but vocals felt a bit buried in the mix and the whole thing felt a little bit unexciting. Rhythmically, the Alva ST is nowhere near as precise or agile as the more capable turntables from Technics, Rega and Pro-Ject. These five-star rivals marshal each note with more accuracy and authority, basslines are pulled more tautly, while also delivering superb levels of subtlety when it comes to dynamics. They also simply sound more fun. We have state-of-the-art testing facilities in Reading, London and Bath, where our team of experienced, in-house reviewers test the majority of hi-fi and AV kit that passes through our door – including phono preamps (or phono stages). The 1 kHz 0 dB test tone was at -57 dBFs which amounts to -59 dBu = 2.45 mV pp = 0.87 mV rms. The MC1-S is specified to deliver 0.65 mV, so we're close to that.

Not all records are pressed the same – due to the poor quality of vinyl used, some sound considerably nosier than others. Wear and tear can play its role in reducing the quality, too. With its subsonic filter, the Solo filters out low frequency rumble; reducing distortion and protecting your speakers’ woofers from excessive wear.In another system I've inserted a dbx 215 equalizer which has a subsonic filter, and also can function as a balance control. This is where the phono stage (or phono preamp) comes in. It has two jobs. Firstly, it has the reverse response built into it – one that boosts bass and flattens treble to exactly the right degree, which should result in a tonally even presentation for the audio signal. It’s built and specified well, and it makes good on its specification by turning in a low-noise, high-quality performance that plays to vinyl’s inherent strengths. In terms of detail, dynamic headroom and stereo focus, it wants for nothing. Swapped the stages again, so now Blue stylus and CA stage - sounded a little dirty. Same increased detail as before (down to the stylus) but didn’t sound as clean.

Moonage Daydream by David Bowie sounds big, bold and detailed. The Alva ST’s spacious presentation has no problem filling our large listening room, the sound is clean and relatively uncluttered.

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We don’t advise pairing this with a high-end turntable as it won’t do it justice, but for a budget setup, and the cheapest preamp that is passable in quality, we do like the Behringer PP400. 10. Parks Audio Puffin Around the rear there are stereo RCA inputs for your moving coil turntable, the same for a moving magnet variant, and a pair of outputs for connection to an amplifier or (slightly less likely) a pair of powered speakers. There’s a grounding post to prevent turntable hum, a small balance control and an output for mains power. The physical limitations of vinyl mean that the original audio signal has to be altered before it can be recorded onto its tiny grooves – low frequencies are reduced in level and the highs are boosted. The curve that governs this equalisation standard was set by the RIAA (Record Industry Association of America) in 1954.

We struggle to tap our feet along with any song, regardless of genre. It’s not the kind of performance we’re used to hearing from Cambridge Audio products, which are normally so exciting and fun to listen to from the get-go. Today the turntable can not be directly plugged in the most amplifiers/receivers because line inputs do not have sufficient sensitivity. Have craving for some good Dim Sum. Nearest place is 35 miles away so I need gas money for that. Please consider donating money using:Sadly the headphone stage is a throw-away design. You can use it in a bind but don't be surprised if it has too little power/too high of a noise floor. Swapped the CA for the Zen and it sounded a lot better - cleaner is the best way I can describe it.

The Soundsmith MCP-2 preamp might sound pricey to start with, but many of the preamps out there cost far more. This is a hand-made product to keep the quality high.

Cambridge Audio new Solo and Duo phono stages

The functionality is basic. Ins and outs are both RCA and TRS, perfect for connecting to a turntable. There’s a 3-year warranty on offer by Behringer, which is more than reasonable for such a cheap product.