Musical Fidelity has launched the Nu-Vista Vinyl S phono stage, which is directly inspired by its flagship Nu-Vista Vinyl 2.
The Vinyl S adds a “price-appropriate source product” to the brand’s high-end Nu-Vista range, which includes the 600.2 and Nu-Vista 800.2 integrated amplifiers. Its £5499 price tag, however, means it still falls into the higher end of the market.
Like the Vinyl 2 (£9999 RRP), the Vinyl S features nuvistor tube phono technology but costs around half the price. Unlike its more expensive counterpart, however, the Vinyl S features a smaller chassis (48 x 13 x 40cm) and the front panel has been redesigned.
The front and side panels are built from extruded aluminium. According to Musical Fidelity, this makes the unit “immune against the effects of vibration from the environment”.
The Vinyl S phono stage is designed to work with a range of moving magnet and moving coil cartridges, with the standard RIAA equalisation curve available alongside the Decca and Colombia EQ curves to account for different vinyl records or musical tastes.
The phono stage offers a wide range of cartridge loading adjustments, including capacitance, impedance and two-step subsonic filter. You can adjust all these using the control dials on the front panel, or the newly designed slim remote control.
As for connections, it features two RCA and two balanced XLR inputs along with an RCA and XLR output, so it can slot into a wide range of hi-fi systems.
Thanks to Class A discrete transistor circuitry, the Vinyl S contains three gain stages, while the unit is fully balanced to ensure the integrity of the signal path throughout. The brand says this “results in minimal noise and distortion – allowing your music to remain true to the original reproduction”.
Musical Fidelity further says: “The Nu-Vista Vinyl S is a phono stage without limitation. Making use of the finest components, and employing them in a sophisticated, meticulously engineered manner, this device can deliver a truly engaging musical experience that perfectly complements a high-end audio system”.
The Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista Vinyl S is available in the UK now and comes in a Silver or Black finish. Both options are priced at £5499.
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