Phono stage
above typical
Among the 44 phono stages in the catalogue, this one is above typical.
A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.
10 Audio reviewer (Jerry Seigel) two-year evaluation: "The bass is slightly more powerful than the [Conrad-Johnson Premier 15 Series 2 with Jensen SUTs]... in the lower midrange... three phono stages sounded quite similar. As we listen above this narrow range, the EAR's sound gets very interesting." Praises EAR's combination of musicality and resolution.
Whats Best Forum owner: "robust output capability so it can drive a power amp directly... transformer-coupled output has very low impedance, so it can drive extremely long lengths of interconnects." Real-world use case: volume control + transformer output makes 88PB function as integrated phono+preamp for vinyl-only systems.
Compatibility win: dual MC SUT primaries (4Ω + 40Ω switchable) cover wider cartridge range than 834P's single 515Ω. Capacitance switching (50-400pF) unusual for valve phono — flexibility-of-loading match for Cambridge Alva Duo or Naim StageLine. Output Z low enough for long XLR runs.
Assessed against 9 rivals across the sixty systems: it takes the slot in none of its 56 head-to-heads.
The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.
16 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Naim NVC TT MM/MC keeps the slot decisively.
On its own merits the EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
straight-line neutrality is not part of its wardrobe10 Audio (Seigel)
16 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path, Twin Arms
Against the Anchored brief, the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the van den Hul The Frog, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.
8 lost · Anchored, Characterful, PRaT, Romantic
Against the Anchored brief, the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl keeps the slot decisively.
With the van den Hul The Frog, the pairing gives up most on bass weight.
On its own merits the EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
7 lost · BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Intimate, Reference
Against the Intimate brief, the Rega Aura Reference MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the van den Hul The Crimson, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
With the EAR Yoshino 868L (Line), the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
On its own merits the EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
3 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Tom Evans Groove+ SRX MkII keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
2 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Whest Audio 60Se Pro keeps the slot decisively.
With the Goldring Eroica HX MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.
quietWhest upper-range reviews
2 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Cyrus Classic PHONO keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.
1 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Whest Audio TITAN Pro II keeps the slot decisively.
With the Goldring Eroica HX MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.
quietWhest upper-range reviews
1 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU keeps the slot decisively.
With the Goldring Eroica HX MC, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
reference EAR valve phono EAR 88PB positioning (88-series reference)· Harmonic texture
power and resolution... beyond reproach 10 Audio (Seigel)· Presence & articulation
treble... layer upon layer of definition 10 Audio (Seigel)· Spatial resolution
straight-line neutrality is not part of its wardrobe 10 Audio (Seigel)· Tonal body
| mm capable | True |
|---|---|
| mc capable | True |
| mm gain db | 52 |
| mc gain db | 72 |
| mm load resistance kohm | 47 |
| mm load capacitance pf | 50/100/200/300/400 |
| mc load resistance options ohm | 4/12/40/100/470/1000 |
| snr db | 102 |
| output level mv | 1000 |
| output impedance ohm | 200 |
| balanced output | True |
| dimensions mm | 420/145/310 |
| weight kg | 8.0 |
| psu external | False |
| notes |