odysseyaudio.com The Kismet Phono Tube Preamp

The Kismet Phono Preamp is a highly adjustable MC/MM Preamp is designed using the best of both world circuitry technologies for frequency response, linearity, low distortion, and low output impedance. It conforms to the established RIAA specs. Matched components within 0.5 % tolerances. The design is based on an ultra-quiet (NO IC chips here) MC gain section using ultra-low noise “bi-polar” components. This is followed by two stages that include the RIAA network and final gain stage (mu-follower), using vacuum tubes. Separate RCA inputs are available for MM/MC cartridges. It is highly configurable on both input loading impedances, and capacitance using internal gold plated jumpers (NO dip switches here !!!). The MC section will accommodate cartridges with outputs as low as 0.15 mV. To top off this design the unit has a variable Master Gain Control that allows for infinite final gain adjustments to both MM/MC. This is critical as many times the use of only fixed gain settings will leave some transducers running too hot (loud), adding excessive noise and distortion to the source material, or soft cutting overall dynamics, reducing definition and sound staging. The power supply is around a solid-state configuration – it has been designed as an “external” independent unit to further minimize overall noise, specifically to magnetic field interferences generated by the power transformer. The PS provides three fully independent voltage supplies circuits for the various sections, again using the best currently available components, among others ultra-fast recovery Stealth Diodes. This optional PS is interconnected via Groneberg Reference Quattro cables. As with all Odyssey gear, it is 100 % hand made in the USA, and as with all Kismet, the case is fully billet machined over 13 hours +/