We have something very special with the LSA .5 phono stage. It retails for $249. That’s right. The last time we heard a phono stage this incredible for such a low price was about ten years ago, when we reviewed the Lounge LCR.
If you’re new to analog listening, even if you have a modest turntable in the $250 – $600 range, as you add more records to your collection, thoughts of getting more sound will probably enter your concious or unconscious mind. A better phono cartridge, and adding an outboard phono stage will probably reveal more musical nuance for $249 than just getting a different turntable and leaving everything else the same. If you’re plugging into an integrated amplifier (especially one more on the budget side of the fence), I’m betting that adding this $249 device to your system is really going to make a massive improvement. And, it’s good enough that should you then decide to upgrade your turntable a notch or two, won’t need to be replaced. It’s a slippery slope indeed – once you get hooked on analog.
Listening begins with a female vocal favorite – Anja Garbarek’s “Her Room.” Garbarek’s big, spacious, dreamy lead vocal takes on a life of its own in my room – full of texture and nuance. Finally able to spend more time with a few box sets from Joni Mitchell and George Harrison that haven’t been able to get enough airplay, and again, the .5 Phono does not fail to serve up a lot of musical information.
Mega value
More often than not, budget phono stages based on Op Amplifiers have a signature flatness to the sound, and at this price, it’s tough to design a winner. One of the most exciting aspects of inexpensive components is the design process. When you’re building a component that retails for $249, every 50 cents spent is reflected in the final product. There’s no room for error. And just like the Lounge we enjoyed so much, the LSA .5 enjoys a similar level of advantage because it is sold direct only. At $249, there just isn’t enough margin for everyone to keep the lights on, and that’s why most $249 phono stages are full of air when you open the case, or sound dreadful. It’s just the game.
A peek inside the LSA .5 Phono reveals a big power transformer, an extremely tidy circuit layout, a pair of premium Op Amps (that are often seen in much more expensive pieces from Denon, Marantz, and the like) and an incredibly nice case for this price. Fortunately, it does not use an external wall wart power supply either. Bad for sound and bad for people like me that lose these things all the time.
This phono stage has an openness about it, that feels like units that are designed with discrete components. Tonally, it is very neutral and engaging. Acoustic instruments have a lot of transient snap, and the lower frequencies offer serious resolution as well. Again, this is where nearly all phono stages at this point fall down – the bass becomes just a one-note thud. Tracking through some Stanley Clarke and Jaco Pastorius favorites proves the .5 Phono can keep up with the pace.
MM and MC
The .5 Phono has a single set of RCA input jacks, so you must remove the top panel to set the gain from MM to MC position. MM is set up for a standard 47k ohm load with 45dB of gain and the MC offers 100 ohm loading with 60dB of gain. This will work with a very wide range of cartridges. The 60dB setting is a bit on the low side for an extremely low output cartridge like the Denon DL-103r (.25mV output) but if your preamplifier has enough gain, it will still work. I had no problem using this combination with the Conrad Johnson PV-12 preamplifier (26dB of overall gain) but it was a little bit weak for the Mark Levinson no.26 preamplifier that I’m currently using with only 6dB of gain.
A real favorite with the .5 Phono is Ortofon’s Quintet Red MC. At only $359, it works great with 100 ohm loading and with .5mV of output, should mate well with whatever system you plug it into. Combined with a vintage Technics SL-1200 mk.5 This setup also stays in line with where it might be paired.
Switching between the onboard phono stage of the current Technics SL-1500C (reviewed last issue) sporting an Ortofon Concorde cartridge is a major jump up in every aspect of analog performance – bigger dynamics, lower noise floor and much better imaging. Considering how many tables are now out there from Audio Technica, Pro-Ject, Technics and others, with built in phono sections, this is a serious upgrade indeed. Regardless of cartridge or music chosen, the .5 Phono has the basics you need to get into some seriously engaging listening sessions.
Award worthy
The LSA .5 Phono truly defines what we mean with our Exceptional Value Award. In a world of expensive audio, a few premium LPs expenditure will take you to another world entirely. For everyone building a system for the first time, this is a Lego you’re never going to want to trade.