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
Rear Panel Features:
2. MM input sockets - If your turntable uses a moving magnet
cartridge, connect outputs here (3-5mV,
with 47k ohm, 220pF loading).
3 .Turntable ground - If your turntable has a separate
grounding lead then connect here. Thisprovides
shielding to the arm and the sensitive circuitry in the turntable.
6 .Output sockets - Use phono cables to connect to any line
level input on your amplifier, suchas
Aux.
7 .PSU socket - Once you have completed all connections to
the amplifier and turntable,plug the
PSU power cable into an appropriate mains socket and switch theunit on via its front panel On/Off button. The
blue LED on the front panelwill indicate
that the power is on.