Фонокорректоры — Kondo Audio Note Japan GE-1

The GE-1 is a single-box valve phono amplifier from Kondo Audio Note Japan, designed as the matching phono unit for the company's Overture integrated amplifier and G-70 line preamplifier. It arrived in late 2010 at USD 12,366, and a European list price of EUR 12,500 has also been quoted. Kondo states that it was built to work with both valve and solid-state amplification, and the package includes a 1.75 m ACc-PERSIMMON mains lead.

Key specs that matter

Gain is 34 dB, and two pairs of unbalanced RCA inputs each present 47 kohm. A single RCA output pair is specified for a load above 20 kohm. The RIAA error is kept inside 0.5 dB up or down between 30 Hz and 20 kHz, with the low-cut filter left out of that figure, and residual noise is under 0.5 mV. Three 6072 twin triodes handle amplification and a single 6X4 rectifies the supply. The unit draws 16 W, measures 303 mm across, 160 mm tall and 260 mm deep, and weighs 7.5 kg.

Engineering and use context

Equalization follows the NFB principle, so the RIAA curve is shaped inside a negative feedback loop around two gain stages, and a cathode follower closes the chain to bring the output impedance down. The phono circuit is built as a module that is still wired by hand, keeping the signal path short. A cut-core power transformer was chosen for its low leakage of magnetic flux, and it feeds a 400 uF ripple filter capacitor followed by roughly 500 uF of decoupling per channel. Separate decoupling is given to the cathode follower and to the equalizer, and in total the decoupling capacitors sit at four points so that each feedback path takes the shortest route. The DC heater supply relies on audio-grade transistors in TO3 cans. Handmade silver foil capacitors, silver wiring and a pure copper sub-chassis complete the build. The output stage offers a three-step choice of load resistance, and in combination with the input of the following preamplifier it produces an overall 20 kohm load that works with the coupling capacitor as a low-cut filter.

Pairing

Given this gain level the GE-1 is aimed at moving magnet cartridges, and a moving coil pickup has to be raised first by a step-up transformer. Its two inputs make it possible to keep a second arm or cartridge connected. The output wants a high-impedance line input, which the G-70 series and the Overture provide.

Alternatives

The Kondo GE-7i moves to a two-box layout with ECC803S valves at the input and 38 dB of gain for owners who want a separate supply chassis.