Фонокорректоры — Soulnote E-3

The Soulnote E-3 is a Series 3 phono equalizer built by the Japanese maker and developed exclusively for DS Audio optical cartridges. It has no moving magnet or moving coil input, so it serves listeners who already run or plan to run an optical pickup. Two finishes are offered, silver as the E-3 SE and black as the E-3 BE.

Key specs that matter

The cartridge connects via XLR or via RCA, only one pair of which can be active at once, and it feeds one balanced and one unbalanced output. Input sensitivity at 1 kHz is 50 mV. Gain is 34 dB through the balanced path and 28 dB through the unbalanced one. Rated output reaches 2.54 V balanced or 1.27 V unbalanced, and maximum output is 12 V balanced or 6 V unbalanced. The RIAA curve is held to plus or minus 0.2 dB, and total harmonic distortion measures 0.03 percent at 1 kHz with a 20 kHz low-pass filter at the rated balanced level. The unit runs on 230 V AC at 50 Hz and draws 19 W. With spike feet fitted it measures 454 mm wide, 189 mm high and 407 mm deep, and it weighs 27 kg.

Engineering and use context

Amplification uses the New Type-R circuit, a fully balanced design with no negative feedback. Its voltage amplification and output stages are referenced to ground in a single-ended layout, so push-pull and bias circuits are not needed, and the signal passes through only four transistors between input and output. Three power transformers are fitted - a large one for the Type-R circuit with independent left and right windings, plus a separate supply for the LED that an optical cartridge requires. Soulnote states that the supply capacity equals that of a 500 W power amplifier. All audio signal paths are switched by the custom RSR-2-12D relays, the rectification uses SiC diodes rated for higher inrush current, and naked foil resistors appear throughout. The XLR input terminals work with the power-supply-separated phono cable developed by DS Audio and Uesugi Laboratories, which routes the phono signal and the LED current along separate paths. A spike board, spikes, a spacer and a power cable are supplied in the box.

Pairing

A line stage with XLR inputs takes full advantage of the balanced output, and the cartridge itself has to come from DS Audio, whose power-separated cable makes use of the XLR input design.

Alternatives

The Soulnote E-2 ver.2 is a phono equalizer with four inputs covering moving coil, moving magnet and optical cartridges, with 32 dB of gain on its optical input.