Фонокорректоры — Emotiva PH-1

The PH1, also written PH-1, is a compact phono preamplifier from Emotiva Audio Corporation of Franklin, Tennessee. It accepts either MM or MC cartridges and is sold for USD 59, a price Emotiva sets low enough that owners of several turntables can dedicate one unit to each deck. Its job is to take the raw output of a cartridge, apply RIAA equalisation and hand a line-level signal to a preamplifier, surround processor or AV receiver.

Key specs that matter

Gain is 40 dB in MM mode and 60 dB in MC mode. The MM input presents the standard 47 kOhm load, and the MC input uses 100 Ohm, the value Emotiva says most coil cartridge makers recommend. RIAA accuracy is held within 0.5 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Distortion, A-weighted, stays under 0.02 percent at 1 kHz and under 0.01 percent at 20 Hz for MM, and under 0.003 percent at 1 kHz and under 0.002 percent at 20 Hz for MC. The metal case is about 102 mm wide, 70 mm deep and 29 mm high, not counting the rear connectors, which need about 19 mm of extra clearance.

Engineering and use context

Emotiva chose an all-metal enclosure for mechanical strength and to shield the tiny cartridge signal from noise and interference. One stereo pair of gold-plated RCA inputs, a matching pair of line outputs and a gold-plated ground lug sit on the back, alongside a USB-C power socket. A low-noise external AC adapter with automatic 100 to 240 V detection and a 2 m USB-C cable come in the box, and Emotiva advises against substituting other chargers or leads. On the front, a single pushbutton switches between MM and MC, two LEDs show which mode is active, and a third LED confirms power. Muting circuitry protects the outputs from thumps if power is lost or unplugged, though the manual still suggests turning the preamp down or selecting another input when the PH1 is idle. Its small footprint allows it to sit right next to the turntable.

Pairing

The outputs are standard unbalanced line level and can go to any spare Aux or CD input. Turntables with a built-in, switchable phono stage should have it bypassed so the cartridge feeds the PH1 directly, and a separate earth wire from the deck goes to the ground terminal. With its high gain and fixed low load, the MC setting is aimed at low-output coil cartridges.

Alternatives

The Emotiva XPS-1 is the brand's other phono preamplifier, adding an adjustable load impedance on its moving coil input.