Looking to take your vinyl experience to a significantly higher level? The new Rega AOS MC phono preamplifier is designed to do exactly that.
In the world of analogue vinyl playback, several components are crucial within the signal chain — from stylus and cartridge to the turntable itself, and ultimately the phono preamplifier. The latter must amplify the extremely small signal coming from the cartridge, while also applying precise RIAA equalisation. Doing this properly requires carefully engineered electronics.
That is exactly what Rega aims to deliver with the new AOS MC, a phono preamplifier specifically designed for moving-coil (MC) cartridges. Notably, there is no digital control involved — everything is fully analogue, as tradition dictates. Low-noise FETs are employed at the input stage, ensuring that no bias current flows through the cartridge coil.
The first amplification stage, built around the aforementioned FETs, operates in pure Class A and avoids the use of coupling capacitors. The second stage is a differential amplifier with an active driver stage in the low-frequency section of the RIAA correction circuit.
Users can select an input impedance between 70 and 400 ohms, while input capacitance is switchable between 1000 pF and 4300 pF. In addition, sensitivity can be adjusted by 6 dB.
The Rega AOS MC is expected to become available in April/May this year at a retail price of €1,999.