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Vertere Phono-1 MkII L MM/MC

Phono stage

Relative price

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.

What it is

Most adjustable phono stage in catalogue: 15 R × 9 C × 12 gain = 1,620 nominal configurations. DIP switches accessed from underside.

3-way ground switch (Hard / Soft / Lift) on rear — useful for troubleshooting hum loops independent of turntable earth.

Stainless steel internal shielding; L-shaped gold-plated PCB separates RIAA section from PSU.

WhatHiFi 5-star + Hi-Fi+ favourable. Designed by Touraj Moghaddam (also designs Vertere turntables/tonearms).

Competition record

Assessed against 10 rivals across the sixty systems: it takes the slot in none of its 50 head-to-heads.

Where it gives ground

The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.

  • quietness at rest ×35
  • low-level clarity ×12

Who it comes up against

Naim NVC TT MM/MC

13 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic

Against the Intimate brief, the Naim NVC TT MM/MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the van den Hul The Frog, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.

With the NVA P50SA MKII, the pairing gains most on tonal body.

On its own merits the Vertere Phono-1 MkII L MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.

hiss and hum are unobtrusiveWhat Hi-Fi? 2024
RIAA tracking within +/-0.2dBSPEC: RIAA accuracy +/-0.2dB (manufacturer)

Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC

12 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path

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 Vertere Phono-1 MkII L MM/MC is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the van den Hul The Frog gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.

hiss and hum are unobtrusiveWhat Hi-Fi? 2024

Rega Aura Reference MC

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 Vertere Phono-1 MkII L MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.

hiss and hum are unobtrusiveWhat Hi-Fi? 2024
hiss and hum are unobtrusiveWhat Hi-Fi? 2024

Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl

6 lost · Anchored, 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 quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Vertere Phono-1 MkII L MM/MC is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the van den Hul The Frog gives up quietness at rest under the Anchored weighting.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.

dual-monoMusical Fidelity M8x Vinyl press record

Tom Evans Groove+ SRX MkII

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 Vertere Phono-1 MkII L 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.

EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC

3 lost · Artisan, Reference

Against the Artisan brief, the EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the van den Hul The Colibri, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Vertere Phono-1 MkII L MM/MC is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the van den Hul The Colibri gives up quietness at rest under the Artisan weighting.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.

Whest Audio 60Se Pro

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 Vertere Phono-1 MkII L 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

Cyrus Classic PHONO

2 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Cyrus Classic PHONO keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Vertere Phono-1 MkII L MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.

Whest Audio TITAN Pro II

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 Vertere Phono-1 MkII L 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

Michell Apollo + Muse PSU

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 Vertere Phono-1 MkII L 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.

What the reviewers said

Touraj Moghaddam-designed phono, timing-focus Vertere Phono-1 MkII + Touraj Moghaddam design· Timing precision
excitement and energy... not bright or brassy Hi-Fi+ (Sircom) 2024· Presence & articulation
subtle dynamic contrasts and filigree microdynamics Hi-Fi+ (Sircom) 2024· Micro-dynamic resolution
profound sense of scale Hi-Fi+ (Sircom) 2024· Spatial resolution
hiss and hum are unobtrusive What Hi-Fi? 2024· Low-level noise floor
RIAA tracking within +/-0.2dB SPEC: RIAA accuracy +/-0.2dB (manufacturer)· Tonal body

How it scores

Clarity

  • Spatial resolution 76 from listening evidence

Voice

  • Tonal body 72 from listening evidence
  • Presence & articulation 76 from listening evidence

Rhythm

  • Timing precision 72 from listening evidence

LowerVolume

  • Low-level noise floor 76 from listening evidence
  • Micro-dynamic resolution 76 from listening evidence

Specifications

mm capableTrue
mc capableTrue
mm gain db40.2/62.8
mc gain db40.2/62.8
mm load resistance kohm47
mm load capacitance pf100/470
mc load resistance options ohm78/100/150/220/270/300/470/680/1000/1500/2200/4700/10000/22000/47000
mc load capacitance options pf100/220/470/1000/4700/10000/22000/470000/1020000
riaa accuracy db0.2
snr db78
thd pct0.03
output level mv500
output impedance ohm200
balanced outputFalse
dimensions mm210/55/235
weight kg2.0
psu externalFalse
notes