Фонокорректоры — YBA PASSION PH150

The Passion PH150 is a phono preamplifier from the Passion range of French maker YBA, built in a full width 430 mm chassis and powered from its own linear supply. It is designed to accept moving magnet pickups and moving coil models in low and high output versions, and YBA fits it with an MC transformer made in house.

Key specs that matter

With MM cartridges the PH150 offers an input impedance of 47 kohm and 45 dB of gain. Low output moving coil pickups are loaded at 2 to 100 ohm with 65 dB of gain, while high output moving coil models see 47 kohm with 50 dB. Total harmonic distortion is below 0.005 percent, and the stated signal to noise figure is 90 dB, A weighted and measured at 40 dB input gain. RIAA accuracy stays within 0.3 dB over 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Two RCA inputs are provided, and signals leave through one RCA output and one balanced output. The natural aluminium chassis measures 430 x 400 x 118 mm and weighs 11.5 kg.

Engineering and use context

A 200 VA transformer in a linear power supply feeds the circuit, and YBA separates this supply internally from the audio circuitry. The company also states that it avoids unnecessary switching in the signal path. The in-house moving coil transformer raises the small output of a moving coil cartridge ahead of the amplifying stages. Once the rear toggle switch is set for the cartridge family, the circuitry recognises whether a low output or a high output moving coil model is connected and adjusts its settings accordingly. An OLED display with adjustable brightness sits on the front panel. The same automatic detection of the moving coil type and the in-house transformer are also used in the compact Heritage PH100 and in the battery-powered Genesis PH1, while the PH150 alone among these three runs from a mains transformer of its own inside a full width case.

Pairing

Its balanced output feeds the XLR inputs of preamplifiers or integrated amplifiers, and the RCA output to unbalanced line inputs. Two phono inputs let a listener keep a pair of turntables, or one deck with two arms, connected at once. Within the Passion range YBA also offers the PRE550A preamplifier with built in DAC and the IA350 MkII integrated amplifier, which share the family name with this phono stage.

Alternatives

The YBA Heritage PH100 is a slim, upright phono preamplifier from the Heritage range with a single RCA output, released in September 2018.