The Nano Phono V2 was already part of Clearaudio’s catalog; now the brand has added the compact phono.
Housed in an even more condensed chassis measuring 8 cm deep by 11.5 cm wide by 2.6 cm high, this new phono preamp can drive both moving-magnet (MM) and moving-coil (MC) cartridges. For MM cartridges, it is set to the conventional impedance of 47 kΩ; for MC cartridges, it is set to the most common MC impedance of 100 Ω (for both with a capacitance of 100 pF).
Compared to the Nano V2, the Compact Phono offers higher gain at 40 dB (MM) and 60 dB (MC), versus 34 dB and 54 dB, respectively. However, the deviation from the RIAA curve increases slightly to ±0.5 dB, compared to ±0.4 dB. At the same time, total harmonic distortion (THD) drops dramatically, falling below 0.0065% compared to 0.04% on the Nano V2, but the signal-to-noise ratio drops to 76 and 65 dB, compared to 81 and 70 dB.
Weighing just 310 g, the compact phono preamp connects to a small external ±18V DC / 300mA power supply at the rear, next to a pair of unbalanced RCA output jacks and RCA inputs (with a ground terminal). Between them is a selector switch for MM and MC modes. Built-in subsonic and ultrasonic filters allow you to cut very low and very high frequencies.
Available now in gray or black, the Clearaudio compact phono is manufactured in Germany at the brand’s factory and retails for 490 €/$639/£490.
