Phono Preamplifiers

As the Phonolith is Lehmannaudio's first phono stage to also include a line-level preamplifier, we thought it amiss not to give it a whirl. With my regular Naim CD5 XS CD player connected to the Phonolith's line input, the diminutive preamp proved just as big-hearted as it had with vinyl playback. The overall sound balance was remarkably consistent between these two source options, both enjoying a full-bodied bass that erred slightly on the warm side. This was topped off by an open and spacious midrange and treble, with first-class instrument placement and imagery. Lisa Miskovsky's vocals on 'Lady Stardust' [Fallingwater; Universal 9871660] were bright and pitched confidently into the room, while still connecting with the backing track. The steady drum beats were firm and weighty, and the deeper bass notes rich and solid. Frankly, if you want to extract maximum enjoyment out of a digital source then you could do a great deal worse than investing in Lehmannaudio's new phono stage. That's a sentence I never expected to find myself writing!