Фонокорректоры — Canor Audio ASTERION V2

Made in Presov, Slovakia, and priced at USD 8,000 in the United States, the Asterion V2 is a valve phono stage from Canor Audio that accepts MM and MC pickups. The two cartridge types can stay connected together without interfering with each other, and the unit offers balanced as well as single-ended connections on both the input and the output side.

Key specs that matter

The MC input is available on XLR, while an RCA input accepts either MM or MC cartridges. Both RCA and XLR outputs are fitted, their impedance being below 300 ohms on RCA and below 600 ohms on XLR. For moving magnet cartridges there are eight load capacitance settings of 50, 150, 270, 370, 520, 620, 740 and 840 pF, with 46 dB of gain. The MC1 bank offers resistive loads from 10 to 1,200 ohms in eight steps with 70 dB of gain, and the MC2 bank covers 2 to 300 ohms in eight steps with 76 dB of gain. RIAA accuracy is 0.3 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Distortion stays below 0.1 percent at 1 V RMS for both MM and MC. Signal-to-noise ratio is above 72 dBV for MM, or 87 dBV A-weighted, and above 68 dBV for MC, or 82 dBV A-weighted. The case measures 435 x 170 x 485 mm and weighs 18 kg, and power consumption is 70 VA at 230 V, 50 Hz.

Engineering and use context

Nine tubes are fitted, all current production Electro-Harmonix types. Eight 6922EH low-noise double triodes handle amplification, and a single 6CA4EH rectifier tube produces the anode voltage for the other eight. Because the unit accepts two separate MC gain and loading ranges, a single chassis covers both low-output cartridges and higher output MC types. No global feedback is applied, and RIAA equalisation is handled by a purely passive network. MC signals pass through two mu-metal shielded Lundahl step-up transformers whose windings are relay switched to set gain, and loading choices are also relay controlled. Output coupling uses Obbligato Gold polypropylene film capacitors. The chassis is 2 mm welded, powder-coated steel with a solid aluminium knob on ball bearings, the tubes sit under blue anodised aluminium shields, and a dot matrix display can be dimmed or turned off. A subsonic filter rolls off at 18 dB per octave. Tubes are measured and matched on Canor's own Aladdin test system. The balanced XLR input path suits tonearms wired for balanced connection.

Pairing

The XLR output can connect to an amplifier or line preamplifier with balanced inputs, while RCA suits unbalanced line inputs.

Alternatives

Canor Audio also makes the PH 1.10 phono stage, which uses the same nine-tube complement and loading ranges but takes both cartridge types through RCA inputs.