Phonostages — Sutherland 20/20 MK2

The 20/20 Mk2 is a solid-state MM and MC phono preamplifier from Sutherland Engineering of Kansas City, Missouri, the company of designer Ron Sutherland, whose range consists largely of phono amplifiers. Sutherland says the 20/20 took the strongest elements of its earlier PH3D and Hubble phono stages and combined them in one chassis. The Mk2 sells for USD 2,500, and a version supplied with the optional external linear power supply costs USD 3,000.

Key specs that matter

Gain can be set to 40, 46, 52, 58 or 64 dB, and cartridge loading to 100, 200, 475, 1000 or 47,500 ohm, so the same unit covers moving-magnet cartridges and low-output moving-coil designs. There is one pair of RCA inputs and one pair of RCA outputs. The main chassis measures about 432 x 64 x 330 mm and weighs about 6.8 kg. The optional linear supply comes in its own case of about 165 x 64 x 330 mm weighing about 3.2 kg. Units run from 120 V AC as standard, with 240 V available to special order.

Engineering and use context

The 20/20 is a dual-mono design inside a single box. Left and right channels sit on separate circuit boards in individually shielded compartments, each with its own power indicator, its own AC supply and its own mains cord. Sutherland describes the aim of the split supplies as coming close to the isolation of battery power without the upkeep of batteries. Gain and loading are selected with gold-plated shunts pushed onto header blocks, one set for each channel, and both channels must be set identically. For the Mk2, Sutherland moved the input sockets to the centre of the rear panel through a revised circuit board layout, fitted a smaller ground screw to take the small spade lugs found on phono cables, and replaced the polystyrene capacitors with Vishay polypropylene film types. Power supply connections also received clearer labels. The external linear supply uses no active voltage regulators and no switching circuitry, and Sutherland credits it with a lower noise floor.

Pairing

The gain range reaches from settings suited to high-output MM models up to those needed by low-output MC types, and the loading steps include the usual MM standard alongside the lower values many MC makers specify. The unbalanced outputs feed the line stage of a preamplifier or integrated amp directly, while a system with only balanced inputs needs RCA to XLR adapters.

Alternatives

The Sutherland Duo is a dual-mono MM and MC phono preamplifier built as two identical mono chassis, priced at USD 4,000 for the pair.