Фонокорректоры — Aries Cerat TALOS REFERENCE MKII

The Talos Reference MKII is a valve phono preamplifier from Aries Cerat of Greece and one of three members of the Talos Mk2 phono family, which also includes the Talos Signature and the Talos Limited Edition, with the Talos LE as the entry point. The company describes the Mk2 generation as its final effort in phono design and rejects operational amplifiers and discrete JFET gain in favour of an all-valve, three-stage circuit in which every stage is coupled by transformers.

Key specs that matter

Standard gain is 62 dB for direct moving-coil connection, rising to a maximum of 80 dB once the internal step-up transformer adds its 18 dB. The noise floor is quoted below 88 dB unweighted, the signal-to-noise ratio reaches 106 dB at best, and the output swings up to 30 Vpp. RIAA equalisation holds within 0.2 dB across the audible band. The valve line-up comprises eight E280F tubes and four 6D22S tubes. The main chassis measures 480 mm wide, 350 mm deep and 165 mm tall, and the complete system weighs 79 kg.

Engineering and use context

At the input, E280F tubes run in a true differential configuration, so the cartridge signal is amplified as a symmetrical signal whether it arrives on floating RCA or on XLR. Two banks of these tubes parallel-feed a pair of mumetal transformers, a layout chosen for noise rejection. Equalisation is handled by a constant-impedance LRC network coupled by transformers and driven by a small single-ended triode amplifier with a transformer load. The output section is a triode stage built around another E280F, followed by a step-down transformer that lowers output impedance and provides galvanic isolation from the next component. The power supply lives in a separate matching chassis joined by a heavy umbilical cord, which keeps its magnetic fields away from the eight signal transformers. Four high-current valve rectifiers with quad choke filtering feed independent supplies for the RIAA and output stages, and every heater is passively filtered through six stages.

Pairing

The built-in step-up transformer is wound with geometrically and electrically balanced windings, and Aries Cerat offers custom ratios for owners whose cartridges fall outside the standard setting. Loading is set through custom-built modules matched to the cartridges the owner plans to use rather than through a front-panel selector. The step-down output stage is designed with enough power gain to drive any line stage or power amplifier, including balanced inputs when the XLR path is used.

Alternatives

The Aries Cerat Talos Signature is the step up in the same phono family, adding dual adjustable input tube banks and an AC-link bias system in a 100 kg two-chassis package.