Clearaudio balance reference phono

The Balance Reference Phono is described as exceptionally tidy and revealing, recovering fine guitar strums, vocal breaths and even the character of footsteps. Its external dual-mono supply is designed to keep noise away from the signal circuitry, while the reviewer reports no audible downside from engaging the subsonic filter; however, neither review directly reports a formal hum or hiss test.

Its tonal balance is consistently described as clear, natural and largely neutral, without an artificially warmed midrange. Reviewers found convincing body in Cohen's voice, realistic upright-bass weight, and the ability to preserve both soft string tone and rougher, more taut textures.

Dynamics are a major attraction: the Fidelity review praises fine dynamic gradations, powerful musical flow and an undiminished rocking drive from an ordinary recording. 6 Moons likewise highlights lightning-fast attacks and places its speed alongside serious high-end competitors.

Spatial performance receives especially strong praise, from sensational depth and a convincing concert-hall illusion to precisely located instruments surrounded by air. The Fidelity reviewer calls out imaging and the presentation of frequency extremes as outstanding, though using the unbalanced outputs brought a slight narrowing of the panorama.

This is a genuinely flexible MM/MC design, with two independent phono paths, selectable gain, extensive resistive loading from 50 ohms to 50k ohms, and MM capacitance options. Mono, stereo and subsonic settings add useful practical range, although the reviewer advises that cartridges below 0.2mV output are not an ideal match for its 66dB MC gain.

Fidelity calls the workmanship above reproach. The separate, internally dual-mono power supply and passive RIAA implementation also indicate careful attention to noise-sensitive phono-stage execution, though the reviews offer little detail on long-term durability.

At roughly $7,010 to $12,500, it is an expensive proposition, but reviewers find its unusually broad functionality helps put the price in perspective: it combines two phono stages, headphone amplification and a volume control capable of driving a power amplifier or active speakers directly. One comparison also notes that Clearaudio's Absolut Phono Inside costs about 70% more, supporting its positioning as a comparatively attainable model in this rarefied class.