The CURVE is an MM phono stage for the discerning vinyl fan. Its all triode valve circuit uses passive RIAA equalisation and is mated to our switchable output stage, meaning that it can be used into any amplifier regardless of its input impedance.
It is housed in an all aluminium 'half width' chassis, with an oversized toroidal transformer forming the heart of the linear power supply.
The passive RIAA equalisation stage is located between the ECC82 dual triode and the pair of ECC83 dual triodes that form the output stage.
The output design is novel and via a switch on the rear panel there is the option to use either an Anode Follower or Cathode follower output stage. This means that the phono stage can be used with any amplifier, for ones with an input impedance over approximately 47k Ohms then the Anode follower is recommend. For lower impedances we recommend the Cathode follower setting. This feature means that the CURVE solves the potential mismatch problem that can often be faced when using valve output sources into certain transistor amplifiers.
For more information on our output stage design please see this page
All parts used in its construction were selected to offer a blend of high performance and reasonable cost, with natural sounding carbon film resistors and film capacitors used throughout the signal path.
If you have a low/normal output MC cartridge then we would recommend using it with the STEP Standard MC step up transformer.
Reviews:
Hi-Fi Maverick review: "Frankly, at the price point there is absolutely nothing to criticise at all." "I would be giving the phono stage and step-up a recommendation if they were notably more costly, so at the listed price, they seem a genuine bargain"
Specifications:
Input: MM
Input Impedance: 47k Ohms
Dimensions: (excluding connectors) 345mm Deep, 230mm wide, 95mm high
Weight unpacked: 3kg
Weight packed 4.2kg
