Фонокорректоры — Acoustic Signature Apex NEO

The Apex NEO, sold by Acoustic Signature under the full name Tango Apex NEO, is a fully balanced phono preamplifier built as a strict dual-mono design. Each channel sits in its own housing with its own power supply and its own phono amplifier, and the whole unit is operated by remote control. In the maker's phono range it sits beside the Tango Reference NEO and the Tango Mk3, and its list price in North America is USD 36,995.

Key specs that matter

Three inputs are fitted, an XLR socket for balanced connection and a pair of RCA sockets, and gain is selectable per input at 40, 50, 60 or 70 dB. Input impedance is also set individually for every input, with steps of 47, 100, 220, 470, 1,000 and 47,000 ohm plus all values produced by switching them in parallel. Base capacitance is about 100 pF or less, and the unbalanced inputs add switchable 100 pF and 220 pF values. The maker quotes distortion below 0.01%, RIAA accuracy of plus or minus 0.2 dB from 30 Hz to 20 kHz, a signal to noise figure of -73 dB at 60 dB of gain, channel separation above 89 dB at 1 kHz and crosstalk attenuation better than -90 dB. A subsonic filter works at 24 dB around 15 Hz. The casework measures 502 x 337 x 165 mm and weighs 34.5 kg, and the unit runs on 115 or 230 V mains.

Engineering and use context

Power comes from shunt supplies rated at 25 VA per channel, and a third, separate 25 VA supply feeds the microprocessor control. The control section is isolated digitally and galvanically from the analogue signal path, so the logic that handles remote commands stays apart from the audio circuits. Input selection and load changes are carried out by miniature signal relays rather than by mechanical switches. Its outputs can be set either to a fixed level or to a variable level adjusted by remote in 100 steps. The massive enclosure puts resonance control and shielding ahead of a compact footprint, which explains the weight.

Pairing

One XLR and one RCA output deliver a maximum of 6.5 V, and a built-in headphone amplifier provides up to 900 mW for listening without a separate headphone unit. Tonearms with balanced leads connect to the XLR input, and arms with single-ended leads use the RCA pair. The maker lists support for MM as well as MC cartridges through the load and gain choices, and because each input stores its own settings, two or three arms with different cartridges can stay connected at once.

Alternatives

The Acoustic Signature Tango Reference NEO is another phono preamplifier in the same NEO generation from the brand.