Фонокорректоры — Music First Audio LP 103 LCR

The LP 103 LCR is a phono stage from Music First Audio, the British brand of transformer maker Stevens & Billington, founded in 1963 and run by Jonathan Billington. It was developed over three years with designer Thorsten Loesch, known for his work at iFi and AMR. It is built in the company's Rye Harbour workshop in England and priced at GBP 7,300 plus VAT, in black or silver.

Key specs that matter

Equalisation uses a 600 ohm LCR network with a stated accuracy of 0.2 dB across the RIAA curve. MM gain is adjustable from 30 to 50 dB in 2 dB steps. MC cartridges use built-in step-up transformers adding 14, 20 or 26 dB. MM loading is adjustable from 15 kohm to 100 kohm, with capacitance from 10 to 470 pF, and MC loading from 25 ohms to 4 kohm depending on the transformer setting. It has a mute switch, a -12 dB dim function and a mono sum mode. The circuit is fully discrete Class A in a dual-mono layout, with low-noise J-FET inputs.

Engineering and use context

Most phono stages apply RIAA equalisation with resistor and capacitor networks around amplifier stages. An LCR equaliser instead uses inductors, capacitors and resistors in a passive network with a fixed impedance, here 600 ohms, between two gain stages. Because it is passive and correctly terminated, the network's accuracy depends on its components rather than on feedback, and Stevens & Billington's transformer expertise extends naturally to the inductors it requires. MC cartridges are handled by step-up transformers rather than extra active gain, which adds voltage gain without transistor noise, and their three ratios suit cartridges of different output and impedance. The wide range of MM loading, especially capacitance, allows the owner to tune the electrical resonance of each cartridge. Loesch designed the active stages and loading circuits, combining J-FET inputs with bipolar transistors in a topology inspired by classic professional circuits, with six J-FETs and 38 bipolar transistors in total. Dual-mono construction separates the channels. The dim and mute functions help when setting up a cartridge. Stevens & Billington's transformers are used by the BBC, Soundcraft and the Royal Opera House.

Pairing

The LP 103 LCR suits MM and MC cartridges of almost any output. Music First Audio's transformer-based passive preamplifiers are its natural partners.

Alternatives

Music First Audio's MC Step-Up is the brand's earlier transformer unit for adding MC capability to an MM phono stage.