A recent addition to the Asterion V2 (7 200 €) lineup, the Asterion V3 allows Slovak manufacturer Canor to offer a more affordable phono preamplifier—though it still features vacuum tubes.
Designed to handle signals from both MM and MC cartridges, the Asterion V3—like the V2—offers a wide range of capacitance settings for moving-magnet cartridges (50, 150, 270, 370, 520, 620, 740, 840 pF) and impedances for moving-coil (MC) cartridges (10, 20, 40, 80, 150, 300, 600, 1200 Ω) at gain levels maintained respectively at 46 dB (MM) and 70 dB (MC).
More compact thanks to its steel and aluminum chassis, the new preamp measures just 12.2 cm (4.7’’) in height and weighs 12 kilos (26 Ibs), compared to 17 cm (6.7’’) and 17 kilos (37 Ibs) for the larger model, with a different preamp circuit design: it has shifted from 8 6922EH tubes and 1 6CA4EH tube in the Asterion V2 to a more conventional four-stage system using 2 ECC83S tubes and 2 12AT7WC (or ECC81) tubes. And while it loses the XLR output in favor of a single pair of RCA, the Asterion V3 retains two pairs of RCA and one XLR input, the latter compatible only with MC cartridges. The RIAA curve, meanwhile, is corrected solely through passive means using polystyrene and polypropylene capacitors.
As always with Canor, special care is taken with the power supply, which in this case is based on a transformer with primary and secondary windings separated by copper foil. This is housed in a shielded chassis with 4-mm-thick walls, followed by a five-stage anode voltage filter. And like the brand’s other electronic components, the Asterion V3 uses patented CMT (CANOR PCB Milling Technology) circuit boards.
In addition to its front-panel LED display, another display shows the same information in the center of the control dial, in orange regardless of the chosen finish—gray or silver. A remote control is also included, specifically for adjusting impedance settings or using the subsonic filter, all for a price of 4 850 € including tax.