Фонокорректоры — Canor Audio Asterion V3

The Asterion V3 is a valve phono preamplifier built by the Slovak company Canor Audio as part of its Performance Line. Both cartridge types are supported, with adjustable resistance for MC and adjustable capacitance for MM, and it takes moving coil signals either unbalanced or balanced. All preamplifier functions, including the loading settings, can be operated from a remote control, and a touch interface with a matrix display is fitted to the fascia.

Key specs that matter

Gain is 46 dB in MM mode and 70 dB in MC mode. MC input impedance can be set to 10, 20, 40, 80, 150, 300, 600 or 1,200 ohm, and MM input capacitance to 50, 150, 270, 370, 520, 620, 740 or 840 pF. Canor gives an RIAA accuracy of plus or minus 0.3 dB from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz for both cartridge types. Total harmonic distortion is below 0.2% at 1 Vrms. Signal to noise ratio is above 71 dBV for MM, or 86 dBV IEC-A weighted, and above 68 dBV for MC, or 82 dBV IEC-A weighted. Output impedance is below 500 ohm. Two RCA input pairs and one XLR input pair are provided, and the output is a single RCA pair. A subsonic filter with an 18 dB per octave slope is built in. The case measures 435 x 120 x 370 mm, or 415 mm deep including knob and connectors, and weighs 12 kg net and 17 kg packed. Power consumption is 40 VA from a 230 V supply at 50 to 60 Hz.

Engineering and use context

Inside, the cartridge signal travels through a four-stage valve amplifier chain that works without global feedback. The tube complement is two ECC83S and two 12AT7WC. The mains transformer is shielded on several levels, with copper foil separating its sections, and the anode voltage is filtered in five stages before it reaches the tubes. The circuit boards use Canor's CMT milling technology, which cuts away board material near the signal traces to keep dielectric loss low. Because loading changes are made through the remote, the eight resistance and eight capacitance steps can be tried in turn from the listening seat when matching a cartridge.

Pairing

The balanced input suits a tonearm wired with XLR plugs for a moving coil cartridge, while the second RCA input allows a second arm or turntable to stay connected. The single RCA output goes to any spare line socket of the downstream amplifier. The high MC gain setting is aimed at low-output moving coil cartridges.

Alternatives

Canor also offers the Asterion V2, a valve phono preamplifier placed in its top line above the Performance range.