RCM 'BIG PHONO'

RCM “BIG PHONO” - The ULTIMATE STATEMENT PHONO STAGE

RCM Phono Stages are now available for audition on the Gold Coast, please call me on 0419448452 to arrange a private listening session. We also ship Australia wide.

RCM Audio have been interested in playing the music recorded in the grooves of a vinyl record from the very beginning and all of their activities have been focused on recreating it as faithfully as possible. Their two previous designs, the Sensor and Theriaa phono preamplifiers, allowed them to gain extensive experience in this field, which has culminated in them letting go of the reins and building a preamplifier without any limitations of either cost or materials, which would be the “end game”. This is how it was born in their heads and after building and refining more than a dozen prototype versions, they have released THE BIG PHONO…

Overview

The key to good phono preamplifier sound is the optimal frequency response and RIAA equalization, but without a proper power supply, all that effort would be wasted. So, THE BIG PHONO is equipped with a power supply, which is designed to minimize noise at all levels in the circuits. In THE BIG PHONO the power supply circuits are totally isolated in a separate housing. The fully symmetrical power supply consists of multi-stage stabilization and precisely selected filtering capacity to eliminate any unwanted ripple. It is independent for the right and left channels. The power transformers used are specially made to order and are not common off the shelf items. From the power supply cabinet, the clean voltage is then transferred to the main phono cabinet containing the sensitive equalization and gain circuits and the control logic. Power for the right and left channels and the control logic is transferred from the power supply via separate cables. In the preamplifier, the signal is amplified in four discrete stages and has passive RIAA correction. A characteristic feature of the preamplifier is the high level of the output signal. RCM’s experience shows that in order to obtain optimal sound, the signal level should not be lower than 1V. This places very high demands on the entire system because the signal must be amplified several hundred times.

THE BIG PHONO is equipped with two pairs of inputs, so it has the ability to connect two analog systems and configure each of them independently. A clear display on the front panel shows which input is being used and its operating parameters including gain and impedance. They can be changed manually on the front panel or by using a remote control from the comfort of your listening chair.

The construction of the cabinets is an equally important element. It is the first thing that you notice and its appearance is important. However, its mechanical structure, and the materials from which it is made, are much more important for its proper operation. In THE BIG PHONO, the housing consists of two separate elements, the power supply and the main preamplifier. The individual parts have the same identical structure but differ in the rear panel and the front panel. Each of them is milled from two 65mm thick aluminum blocks which are then precisely fitted together to form a clamshell. The wall thickness is almost 30mm in some places. This design makes THE BIG PHONO cabinets exceptionally rigid and provides excellent shielding of the sensitive preamplifier circuits. The net weight of one cabinet alone, without the installed components, is over 16 kg.

In THE BIG PHONO project, RCM used the best available components, selected through experiments and auditions of many prototype versions. The entire emphasis was placed on the quality of the sound and the most faithful recreation of the emotions that arise while creating music. Each unit is assembled by hand and thoroughly tested at RCM headquarters.

When you first experience THE BIG PHONO, you will be stunned by the exceptionally low noise floor and the large increase in dynamics and resolution. Fine tonal textures in the instruments will be much more realistic and the atmosphere of the recording venue will sound alive! There will be no going back after you have lived with vinyl reproduction at this level

For the ultimate musical experience, you need to experience THE BIG PHONO!

SPECIFICATIONS

• RIAA linearity:+/- 0,1dB (20Hz-20kHz)
• Output impedance: 70ohm
• Output: XLR, RCA
• Nominal output level: 2V rms
• Maximum output level: 9V rms
• Dimension: preamplifier and power supply - both 430 x 410 x 145 mm
• Weight: preamplifier - 20 kg , power supply - 30 kg.
• Power consumption: max 16W
• Guarantee: Two year
• Input sensitivity: 0,3 - 5 mV (adjustable)
• Sensitivity adjustment:0,3 - 5 mV w 7 steps
• Gain: 52 - 76 dB (2V rms output)
• Input impedance: 30 ohm - 47 000 ohm
• Impedance adjustment: 30 - 47 000 ohm w 8 steps
• Imput capacitance: 100 pF
• Input: 2 x RCA
• THD: >0,01%
• S/N: 87dB