Phonostages — Vitus Audio RP-102

The RP-102 is the phono stage in Vitus Audio's Reference Series, the Danish manufacturer's entry range below the Signature and Masterpiece lines. It follows the RP-100 of the mid-2000s and the RP-101, and for this version Vitus redesigned the main board, the power supply and the control logic, added support for mono cartridges and moved every gain and load setting to the front panel or an optional remote control.

Key specs that matter

The RP-102 accepts cartridges through one balanced XLR input pair and two single-ended RCA input pairs, and output impedance is 80 ohms. Moving-coil gain runs from 51dB to 75dB in 3dB steps, with moving-magnet gain adjustable from 27dB to 51dB in 3dB steps. MC loading offers 23 steps from 40 ohms to 2 kilohms, while the MM side has its own range of load values. Upper bandwidth reaches 800kHz and THD+N is below 0.01%. Power comes from an external supply joined to the main unit by two power interconnects. The main chassis measures 65 x 175 x 275mm and weighs about 4kg. Standard finishes are Pure White, Jet Black and Warm Silver, and special colours such as Titanium Orange, Dark Champagne and Titanium Grey are available to order.

Engineering and use context

The MC input has an active moving-coil gain stage that reaches 75dB, enough for most very low-output cartridges without a step-up transformer, and Vitus designed it for lower noise than the previous version. The separate power supply chassis keeps transformer fields and rectification noise away from the sensitive input stages. All settings are switched electronically from the front panel or the remote rather than by opening the case or using rear-panel switches, so different values can be compared quickly from the listening seat. Mono support lets owners of dedicated mono cartridges use them correctly. Vitus builds its products from modules, which means later circuit improvements can be fitted to existing units. The balanced XLR input is intended for tonearms wired for balanced connection and keeps the low-level signal clear of common-mode noise between the turntable and the phono stage.

Pairing

The RP-102 works into any line-level preamplifier or integrated amplifier, and its balanced output connects to Vitus's own Reference Series amplifiers such as the RI-101 integrated and the RL-102 preamplifier. The MC gain range and fine load steps cover most moving-coil cartridges, and the two RCA inputs take two turntables or two tonearms at once.

Alternatives

Vitus Audio's SP-103 is the Signature Series phono stage, with a modular design derived from the MP-P201.