Phono stage
typical
Among the 44 phono stages in the catalogue, this one is 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.
Stereophile review: "punchy and realistically textured amp with an especially deep, tight bottom end." Reviewer paired with Leben CS300 integrated for full Leben experience.
CRITICAL COMPATIBILITY ISSUE: bench-measured output impedance 14kΩ at 1kHz (28kΩ at 20Hz) is ridiculously high. Stereophile John Atkinson measurement notes: "needs to be used with a preamp having an input impedance of at least 100kΩ." Most modern preamps are 10-50kΩ — AVOID with these (Naim 38kΩ, Audiolab 9000Q 10kΩ, modern Cyrus 40kΩ). Compatible: Leben CS300/CS600 (100kΩ); Audio Note M2/M3 (100kΩ); EAR 868/912 transformer-coupled (50kΩ borderline); Icon Audio LA-4 (100kΩ).
CRITICAL: published gain 23.5dB is WRONG. Stereophile measured 37.1dB MM gain — appropriate for typical 3-5mV MM cartridges. Use 37dB for cartridge matching. The 23.5dB figure misleads at face value.
Treble rolloff: -4dB at 20kHz measured (vs ±0.2dB published RIAA accuracy). Subtly softens treble — "warm" voicing. Acceptable for most listeners but objectively measurable departure from RIAA standard.
Tube-rolling: 12AT7A sockets accept many NOS variants (Mullard CV4024, Brimar yellow T 6060, Telefunken). Owners report substantial sonic differences. 6X5GT rectifier socket also tube-rollable.
Assessed against 10 rivals across the sixty systems: it takes the slot in none of its 55 head-to-heads.
The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.
14 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path
This cartridge’s output has no matching input on the phono stage in this system.
internote silences reasonably blackStereophile (Dudley) 2011
14 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic
This cartridge’s output has no matching input on the phono stage in this system.
8 lost · Anchored, Characterful, PRaT, Romantic
This cartridge’s output has no matching input on the phono stage in this system.
7 lost · BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Intimate, Reference
This cartridge’s output has no matching input on the phono stage in this system.
3 lost · Vocals-First
This cartridge’s output has no matching input on the phono stage in this system.
3 lost · Artisan, Reference
This cartridge’s output has no matching input on the phono stage in this system.
2 lost · Silent Path
This cartridge’s output has no matching input on the phono stage in this system.
2 lost · Vocals-First
This cartridge’s output has no matching input on the phono stage in this system.
1 lost · Silent Path
This cartridge’s output has no matching input on the phono stage in this system.
1 lost · Silent Path
This cartridge’s output has no matching input on the phono stage in this system.
Japanese valve phono with classic warmth Leben heritage + Stereophile reviews· Harmonic texture
internote silences reasonably black Stereophile (Dudley) 2011· Electrical noise floor
sweet, delicate string tone... colorful woodwinds Stereophile (Dudley) 2011· Harmonic texture
pleasantly large... good physical presence Stereophile (Dudley) 2011· Tonal body
stage a bit flat... wide and tall Stereophile (Dudley) 2011· Spatial resolution
RIAA tracking within +/-0.2dB SPEC: RIAA accuracy +/-0.2dB (manufacturer)· Tonal body
| mm capable | True |
|---|---|
| mc capable | False |
| mm gain db | 37.1 |
| mm load resistance kohm | 47 |
| mm load capacitance pf | 100 |
| riaa accuracy db | 0.2 |
| snr db | 85 |
| input overload mv | 400 |
| output level mv | 175 |
| output impedance ohm | 14000 |
| balanced output | False |
| dimensions mm | 340/140/240 |
| weight kg | 6.0 |
| power consumption w | 17 |
| psu external | False |
| notes |