About The NAD PP-2e Phono Preamplifier
Missing the music in your record collection? Longing to listen to your LPs? Yes, vinyl is back big time! But most recent Home Theatre Receivers and a lot of budget Integrated Stereo Amplifiers either have no dedicated input or a very low cost, low performance circuit. However, there's no need to miss out on the musical treasures in your vinyl collection just because your Receiver or Amplifier doesn't have a dedicated input for a turntable – commonly called a phono input. What you need is a phono pre-amplifier like the NAD PP-2e. Simply add a NAD PP-2e phono pre-amplifier to your system and you can connect your turntable to any of your Receiver or Amplifier's line-level or auxiliary (AUX) inputs.
NAD impressed the world back in the late 1970′s with their phono pre-amplifier circuits and that heritage lives on today in the PP-2e. The NAD PP-2e phono preamp consists of a low noise discrete MC preamp followed by a low noise opamp-based RIAA MM stage incorporating a 12 dB /octave infrasonic filter to attenuate turntable "rumble" noise. The output feeds the Line Output as well as the soft clipped input of an A/D converter. The PP-2 offers superb performance in a clean and simple package for a very reasonable cost.
Design: The Moving Coil section of the preamp is a 4 transistor low distortion amplifier noise-optimised for the very low source impedance of moving coil cartridges. It uses ultra-low intrinsic base resistance transistors and operates two of them in parallel push-pull for a further 3dB lowering of input noise. Its input noise is typically 60mV, or 78dB below 0.5mV (RIAA and A weighted). It has a gain of 15 times or 24dB bringing the lowest output MC cartridges up to MM level. The input impedance is 100 ohms in parallel with 180pF.
The Moving Magnet preamp section uses a low noise low distortion opamp with RIAA equalisation and infrasonic filter in the feedback network. The gain at 1k is 35.2dB, or 287mV out for 5mV in with 23dB overload margin and the frequency response is accurate within +/- 0.3dB 50Hz-20kHz, +/- 1dB 20-50Hz. The infrasonic filter has -3dB point at 10Hz and is 14dB down at 5Hz. The input noise with IHF cartridge source is 0.75uV or 76dB S/N re 5mV (RIAA and A weighted as per IHF202.)
Moving Coil Cartridge Input: The NAD PP-2e is a vastly improved successors to the very popular PP-1, arguably the most successful device of its kind. The most obvious visible difference is the inclusion of a high gain Moving Coil Cartridge input allowing proper matching to virtually any high quality turntable/cartridge combination. Other refinements include a grounding terminal post, and gold plated input and output sockets.
Excellent Performance: The performance of the PP-1 was already to a very high standard in the areas of noise, distortion, and RIAA equalisation accuracy, but NAD have managed to improve these specifications still further by careful circuit layout and improved close tolerance parts. Costly metal film resistors and film type capacitors are used exclusively in the signal path to give both measured improvement and a more refined and engaging listening experience. By increasing the power supply voltage from 15 volts to 24 volts, NAD have improved overload margins and enhanced musical dynamics.
By staying with the original PP-1 concept, and improving functionality and performance even further, NAD's engineering team has once again managed to give music lovers an even better product at a truly amazing price - or in their own words from the 1980's "ridiculously good and ridiculously cheap."
Power Supply: By increasing the power supply voltage from 15 volts to 24 volts, NAD have improved overload margins and enhanced musical dynamics. This supply delivers raw DC to the PP-2e. Internal circuitry has a precision lownoise series current source /shunt regulator arrangement for low impedance and noise. The digital stage is fed by the 5V USB supply of the PC thus offering total isolation of the analogue and digital stages for clean low noise performance.
Customer Review
MC from Raceview Queensland wrote this email after connecting his new NAD PP-2e: "Had a chance to hook everything up this morning, and it is all working perfectly. I'd just like to say that my setup sounds absolutely incredible, and I have been playing everything from Miles Davis and Madvillian to Radiohead and Wilco and I was blown away, even by the non 180gram records in my collection. I would also like to take this opportunity to say it has been an absolute pleasure dealing with you, and my brother who put in a preliminary call regarding my purchase as I was busy with exams could not be more impressed either. Once again thank you very much, and keep up the great work!"
Our Take On NAD PP-2e Phono Preamplifier
This sophisticated and cost-effective component allows you to enjoy your vinyl LP collection through your normal stereo system, delivering extraordinary performance and sound quality. The NAD PP-2e is an Audio Trends favourite and is highly recommended. The NAD PP-2e has a slight up date on what has been one of the most popular phono pre-amp designs of all time and now features Auto Power Down that saves energy by automatically powering the PP-2e to OFF when not in use.To complete the fun, you will need to add an additional pair of RCA to RCA interconnecting cables.
Main Features & Specifications
- Compatible with Moving Magnet and Moving Coil Phono Cartridges
- Line-level output via Gold plated RCA sockets
- The PP2e's Auto Power Down feature saves energy by automatically powering the PP2e to OFF when not in use
- External 24 Volt power supply for reduced noise and interference
- LED Power Indicator
- RIAA response accuracy ± 0.3dB (50-20kHz)
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 146 x 43 x 71mm
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 2 Years
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE