Overview:

Enjoy the unique warmth of vinyl and all the fine analogue detail with this quality phono pre-amp

• There's something unique about listening to vinyl, something that digital media can't reproduce in quite the same way. While the latest digital formats sound incredible, there's detail and warmth that can't always be expressed in 0s and 1s, crackle that adds character, and live music simply comes to life. The Azur 551P lets you enjoy all this on any hi-fi system in superb quality.

Most hi-fi amplifiers won't let you plug in a turntable directly. You need to connect via a phono stage (also known as a phono pre-amp) to make the very quiet signal from the turntable powerful enough for your main amp to work with. But it's very easy to add noise at this stage, which is why our audio-obsessed engineers carefully designed the 551P using hand-picked components chosen to amplify the signal without distorting it or introducing noise.

• They've fine-tuned every element to perfect the performance, creating a state-of-the-art phono pre-amp.
• In fact, the 551P does its job with such finesse that, even if your amplifier does have a built-in phono stage, bypassing it using the 551P is guaranteed to deliver much greater depth and detail of audio. Vinyl lovers will instantly hear the difference that the dedicated 551P makes to music quality.
• The 551P works with all popular turntables that use a Moving Magnet cartridge (the stylus or needle). For a high-end audiophile turntable with a Moving Coil cartridge see the Azur 651P premium phono stage which works with both types.

To those who wrote off vinyl as dead, we say "nonsense"! Vinyl is once again rightly growing in popularity for the audio quality and particular warmth it can deliver. The Azur 551P, developed in London by our team of music-loving perfectionists, truly makes the most of your vinyl.

Do I really need a separate phono pre-amplifier?

• Some amplifiers are already able to support turntable connections but these in-built phono pre-amplifiers are massively out-performed by the 551P and we believe that any serious vinyl lover will immediately hear the benefits! Connected using a single audio interconnect cable, the 551P is set-up in seconds allowing you to appreciate stunning clarity, musicality and resolution from all your vinyl recordings.

Moving Magnet Vs Moving Coil...

• The 551P is a Moving-Magnet-type (MM) phono stage, which describes the commonly used type of cartridge configuration typically supplied with affordable modern turntables.
• The differences between the two magnet types can create a spirited debate amongst vinyl aficionados and you'll find plenty of opinion across the internet.

Features:

• Phono pre-amplifier with moving magnet (MM) input stage
• Acoustically damped full metal chassis with thick brushed aluminium front panel
• Discrete transistors for the all-important input stages instead of the more common integrated circuits
• Single-ended , 'Class A' gain stage with audiophile passive RIAA equalisation
• Eco-friendly <1W Standby power consumption
• Available in black and silver finishes