Phonostages — Vitus Audio MP-P201 Mk.III

The MP-P201 Mk.III is a two-chassis phono stage from Vitus Audio, the Danish company founded by Hans-Ole Vitus in Herning. It belongs to the MP line at the top of the range. For the Mk.III version, Vitus took the discrete gain-stage modules developed for the MP-L201 line preamplifier and reworked them for much lower noise, so that even the lowest-output moving-coil cartridges can be used. The power supply is housed apart from the audio circuits in a second box.

Key specs that matter

Inputs are two balanced XLR and two RCA pairs. Moving-coil gain can be set in ten steps from 50 to 75 dB, and moving-magnet gain in eleven steps from 20 to 47 dB. MC loading offers 21 values between 10 ohms and 2 kohm. Output impedance is 80 ohms, THD+N is below 0.01% and the bandwidth reaches 800 kHz. The audio chassis measures 135 x 435 x 435 mm and weighs 22 kg, while the supply unit measures 135 x 435 x 470 mm and weighs 31 kg.

Engineering and use context

Instead of integrated op-amps, Vitus builds its gain stages as discrete modules, and the Mk.III modules are optimised for noise at the tiny signal levels that moving-coil cartridges produce. Moving the power transformer and supply components into a separate chassis keeps their magnetic fields and vibration away from the audio boards, which lowers the noise floor. Gain is selected according to the output voltage of the cartridge, so the stage works with correct headroom rather than with one fixed high gain setting. Gain and load are both adjustable during playback, using the fascia buttons or the remote handset, so the chassis never has to be opened for cartridge matching. Moving-magnet, moving-coil and mono cartridges are all supported. Because there are two inputs of each type, two tonearms or two turntables can remain connected, and every input keeps its own settings. The balanced inputs suit low-output MC cartridges wired balanced from the tonearm, a connection that rejects common-mode noise picked up along the cable.

Pairing

Its low output impedance allows long balanced cable runs to any line preamplifier. Within the Vitus Audio range, its balanced design matches the MP-L201 and SL-103 preamplifiers. The highest gain settings are there for MC cartridges with very low output.

Alternatives

The Vitus Audio SP-103 brings the same technology to a smaller modular phono stage with an external power supply.