Фонокорректоры — Clearaudio Compact Phono

The Compact Phono is a small phono preamplifier from Clearaudio, the German turntable and cartridge maker based in Erlangen. Its two gain modes serve moving magnet and moving coil designs, and the box is designed to sit discreetly next to a turntable. It comes in black or silver at a suggested price of EUR 490, GBP 490 or USD 639.

Key specs that matter

Gain is 40 dB for moving magnet cartridges and 60 dB for moving coil types. The MM input is loaded with 47 kOhm and 100 pF, and the MC input with 100 ohm and 100 pF. In MC operation Clearaudio specifies 29 dB of headroom. A 16 Hz subsonic filter and a 70 kHz ultrasonic filter are built in. The enclosure measures 80 x 115 x 26 mm. Power draw in operation is 0.7 W, compared with 2.3 to 2.7 W for the earlier compact Clearaudio phono stages.

Engineering and use context

The main practical change from the older models is the input selection. MM or MC is now chosen with a pushbutton on the front panel, whereas the predecessors required the owner to open the case and move internal jumpers. The RIAA equalisation uses an active feedback topology built around low-noise, high-precision operational amplifiers. Thin-film resistors and capacitors with tight tolerances set the equalisation curve, and a four-layer circuit board carries separate ground and supply planes to keep noise paths short and apart from the signal. Power is regulated into a dedicated plus and minus 18 V audio supply by two linear voltage regulators. The subsonic filter removes low-frequency energy from warped records and turntable rumble before it reaches the amplifier and woofers, and the ultrasonic filter deals with high-frequency resonances of the cartridge. The electronics sit in a low-resonance metal case standing on isolating feet. With its minimal consumption the unit can remain switched on permanently without meaningful energy cost, so it is always ready when a record goes on the platter.

Pairing

The MM setting matches the output of common MM cartridges, and the MC gain targets low-output designs that are happy with the fixed resistive loading. The unit connects to a free line socket on any integrated or pre amplifier that lacks a phono stage of its own. Because the loading is fixed, cartridges needing unusual capacitance or resistance values fall outside its range.

Alternatives

The Clearaudio Nano Phono V2 is a second small Clearaudio preamplifier for both cartridge types.