Musical Surroundings Phonomena II+ Phono Preamplifier in Black

A phono amp that makes a huge difference in the sound of your records.

Arrived in spectacular shape and what seemed like original packaging. I am very happy with this vendor and the quality product and service they provided!

I have had this phono stage for about a month now, purchased used (they are ~$550 out there). It has a nice tonal balance and a powerful bass, something that a couple of other phono stages in this price range seemed to be lacking. What I really like the most is the flexibility--there are numerous loading and gain options achievable through the DIP switches on the back. Build quality is nice, for a little black box--it uses high-quality RCA jacks on the inputs, and the component itself feels weighty and not at all cheap.The one drawback for me is that it is somewhat noisy. Hum is nonexistent, but that "rushing" white noise is evident when you use a low-output moving coil (running a Dynavector XX2 Mk. II), as you need the gain set to its highest level (60dB, and I have cartridge load set to either 80 or 100 ohms). I am using this phono stage with a newer Conrad-Johnson preamp, which itself is nearly dead silent at even its highest volume levels. The C-J's volume setting ranges from 0 - 99, and when you are set at 60, you can easily hear the white noise. On really quiet records, it is a little more audible than the background noise on the vinyl. Considering it comes with a wall wart for power, an improved power source may help things. For higher output cartridges, this phono stage is likely very quiet when used with them.Using a step-up transformer is not a good solution--that adds another set of interconnects and componentry to the signal path. The idea of a moving-coil-capable phono stage is to eliminate all the extra components.I may borrow another phono stage to compare this to, but I feel that given the amount of gain I need, the noise may be unavoidable in any phono stage that I try. So I could still strongly recommend this phono stage given its otherwise fine performance and bang-for-the-buck.

Coming from Schiit Mani, a tonally pleasing, soundstage giant little preamp, this is just another league. Bass is simply perfect; I can’t find another word to describe it. Soundstage is deep. Still playing with gain to find the perfect balance of detail retrieval and tone. I am so tempted to buy the linear power supply next.

The Phonomena II+ is a replacement for a Cambridge Azure 640P. I couldn't be happier-Sonny Rollins Saxophone Colossus and Coldplay A head full of Dreams sound wonderful. Good bass roll-off and great sound stage.I'm using a DynaVector 10x5 high output cart with the Phonomena set at 47,000 ohms and a 44 Gain. This works well with my ears. The Musical Surroundings is easy to setup and feels well built, I would purchase again.

I've had this unit for about 5 months. So I've had a fair amount of time to evaluate it. I've used it with 3 different cartridges. An Ortofon 2M Red, Ortofon 2M Bronze and my current cart, a Benz Micro Wood S (low output MC). I have compared this directly to a PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter - which is said to have a VERY good all-analog phono stage. Well I'll just say that there was no comparison! Being the wacky wannabee audiophile that I am, I wanted to upgrade something great (this unit) into something even greater (the PS Audio)? It just wasn't happening today! Although I bought the PS Audio to rip my vinyl to my HD as well as a phono stage. This Phonomena rounds out my very revealing system quite beautifully. The bass is deep and tight. If you love to feel those kick drums in your chest (assuming you have the drivers in your speakers to do such), this does a phenomenal....er, I mean 'phonomenal' job. The highs aren't necessarily rolled off, but they are smooth (ie, not harsh). Cymbals sound a tad dark (but realistic in their attack, sustain and decay), but I played Zildjian Ks back in my youth, so I love the sound of dark cymbals! If you're a bass guitarist, you will love this thing! I had always listened to guitars and drums in music before, but this brings out the tone of bass guitars like nothing I've heard before. And this very reason is what ended my audition with the PS Audio unit. It just makes me smile :) In other words, if you want to experience analog recordings in their pure state, this is a great unit. If you like the sound of CDs with their extended, pronounced highs and boomy bass, then buy the PS Audio.