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Gold Note ph-5
The high-quality of Gold Note’s phono stages has become affordable
The PH-5 is the latest born at Gold Note’s range of phono stages, designed to deliver the same high quality and excellent performance that made the PH-10 and PH-1000 famous, with an affordable price and all the cutting-edge features that stands out our products. With a single RCA input, it can be connected to either MM or MC cartridges and offers an EQ curves selection (RIAA, Decca London and American Columbia, with Enhanced option), as well as the LOAD’s and GAIN’s adjustments to guarantee the utmost flexibility and versatility, making it perfect for every kind of analogue system.
The PH-5 is the first Gold Note product designed with a touchscreen interface: all the settings are easily accessible and changeable thanks to the innovative and unparalleled user-friendly display that allows you to select and manage all the options in real time while playing your music. The phono stage is based on a completely new design to integrate the whole electronics into a single board.
The digital interface is combined with a full analogue heart: indeed, the signal path is made through discrete audio-grade components and sealed single switches and it’s optimized to shorten the distance and minimize possible interference. Every setting selected through the touchscreen is applied to the audio signal switching its path through the usage of relé. The PH-5 features an “analogue purity” able to deliver superior audio quality and extract even the finest details from the vinyl record.
The PH-5 allows a selection of the most appropriate equalization curve for each vinyl record, directly on the touch display: RIAA, DECCA LONDON, and AMERICAN COLUMBIA. Thanks to our proprietary technology inspired by Georg Neumann (the producer of the famous Neumann Disc Cutting Lathe), each curve can be “Enhanced” to extend the frequency response up to 50kHz, improving even further the stage, dynamics, and resolution when required.
To maximize the performance of the PH-5 we also developed the dedicated, external super inductive power supply that allows the phono stage to achieve its fullest potential, reaching an even higher degree of musical realism, better dynamics, and greater three-dimensionality sound.
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Professional Reviews 92/100
Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
93/100
Cartridge Compatibility
91/100
Build Quality
87/100
Value for Money
95/100
The Gold Note PH-5 brings inky-black silence, natural tonal realism and finely resolved vinyl playback to MM and MC systems. hi-fi+ found its presentation unforced and immersive, while Audiophilepure praised its controlled, transparent balance. Nine loading choices, flexible gain, three EQ curves and balanced XLR output give this compact phono stage seriously upscale poise.
What Reviewers Are Saying
Pros
Exceptionally quiet, detailed and natural presentation with convincing tonal realism and an unforced musical flow.
Extensive MC/MM setup flexibility, including nine impedance settings, four gain options and three selectable EQ curves.
Balanced XLR output offers a subtle audible improvement over RCA in the reviewed system.
Performs confidently alongside substantially more expensive equipment, making it a standout value.
&
Cons
MM capacitance is fixed at 220pF, limiting fine-tuning compared with designs offering adjustable capacitance.
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 93/100
Reviewers hear a notably transparent, natural and controlled presentation that retrieves fine detail without exaggerating brightness or warmth. The PH-5 is also praised for its silent operation, vivid sense of presence and engaging rhythmic flow.
Transparency Noise Floor
95/100
Hi-fi+ reports complete silence when listening at the speaker grille, with “not a hint of noise” from the PH-5. Both reviews praise its transparency and detail retrieval, while Audiophilepure describes a highly resolving, controlled sound free of aggressive frequency peaks.
Tonal Balance Musicality
93/100
Audiophilepure found the presentation coherent, natural and well balanced, with a tonally succinct character that works across music and systems. Hi-fi+ similarly says it lets music flow without artifice rather than adding warmth, while preserving instrumental tone and emotional impact.
Dynamics
91/100
Audiophilepure explicitly calls the PH-5 dynamic and controlled. With the optional PSU in place, hi-fi+ heard an especially immediate, involving studio-like presence and complex rhythms that encouraged active listening.
Soundstage Imaging
93/100
Hi-fi+ describes the bowing of the double bass as almost holographic and reports being drawn perceptually much closer to the recording venue. The review also notes convincing performer presence and a bass instrument that anchors the performance.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Cartridge Compatibility
91/100
The PH-5 accommodates both MM and MC cartridges, with four gain choices and nine loading values from 10 ohms to 47k ohms. Its responsive touchscreen makes these settings easy to access, although MM capacitance is fixed at 220pF rather than user-adjustable.
Build Quality
87/100
Hi-fi+ praises the responsive touchscreen as a delight to use, with straightforward access to MM/MC selection and setup options. The reviews provide little direct commentary on long-term casework, internal construction or durability, but the operational execution is clearly well regarded.
Value for Money
95/100
At $999, Audiophilepure calls the PH-5 deserving of serious attention. Hi-fi+ says it is not outclassed by much more expensive equipment and calls it a class leader, unusually emphatic praise for its competitive position.
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Authorized dealers for Gold Note ph-5
- Holt Hill — online and in-store — Andover, Massachusetts, United States (website)
- A/V Solutions — in-store — Pleasanton, California, United States (website)
- Acoustic Technologies — online and in-store — Montréal, Québec, Canada (website)
- Alta Fedelta — online and in-store — Lombardia, Italy (website)
- Altitudo Audio — online and in-store — Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (website)
- Ambiance Concert — in-store — Angers, Pays de la Loire, France (website)
- Analog Matters — online and in-store — Ormond Beach, Florida, United States (website)
- Analogue Seduction — online and in-store — Whittlesey, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Anquan — online and in-store — Glika Nera, Greece (website)
- ARK Audio — online and in-store — Borensberg, Östergötlands län, Sweden (website)
and 100 more verified dealers