It’s taken 20 years, but Audiolab has finally introduced another phono preamplifier (and more): the PPA7.
Although vinyl had been written off by just about everyone some 20 years ago, the format is now enjoying a revival. Of course, sales figures are still dwarfed by those for streaming and digital purchases. However, the proportion of vinyl enthusiasts is more than sufficient for hardware manufacturers to see a worthwhile market again. And so, Audiolab has introduced the PPA7. First and foremost, it’s a phono preamplifier, but at the same time, it’s something of a Swiss Army knife for vinyl enthusiasts.
ADC
In addition to the aforementioned phono preamplifier and its associated equalisation circuitry for MM and MC cartridges, the PPA7 also features an ADC (analogue-to-digital converter). When using the latter — naturally intended for digitising your treasured vinyl collection — you can choose sampling rates ranging from 44.1 kHz to 192 kHz, with a bit depth of either 16 or 24 bits. Via USB-C, you can capture the resulting digital audio stream on a Mac or PC.
However, the ADC serves another purpose as well: converting the analogue signal from your records into digital audio and streaming it via Bluetooth to, for example, wireless headphones or an equally wireless pair of speakers.
Furthermore, a headphone amplifier is included, delivering a maximum output of 600 mW and supporting headphones with impedances ranging from 20 to 600 ohms.
And all of that comes at a rather attractive price: £499.