Phasemation EA-220

Product Outline and Concept

Having in mind that “analogs too have a lot more to go,” we expanded the numerous product line-ups of phono amplifiers due to non-feedback circuits for lovers of analog discs.
The EA-200, which has been highly acclaimed since its release in 2013, is now available as the EA-220, incorporating the essence of an advanced model and further refining the sound quality.

Features

Elegant and strong chassis structure with a new front panel

The front panel is a new 8mm-thick slant aluminum panel that follows the elegant design of the EA-1200/EA-550. The chassis base and top cover are made of 1.6mm-thick steel plate with copper plating and also painted on top. Together with the 8mm-thick front panel, it accomplishes a strong chassis structure and reduced magnetic distortion.
The foot is equipped with a heavy metal insulator to isolate external vibrations.

Non-negative feedback amplifier circuit using all discrete components.

Many of the current vacuum tube amplifiers and semiconductor amplifiers are designed with using a negative feedback amplifier circuit that amplifies the difference (correction signal) between the input and the output stages, and this circuit can be made at low cost and yet has superior specifications.　However, there is a time delay between the input and the output signals that cannot be eliminated in principle, and this causes TIM (transient intermodulation distortion), and is one of the major causes of unsatisfactory sound quality in negative feedback amplifiers. In Phasemation, all amplifiers (both semiconductors and vacuum tubes) are non-feedback amplifiers. A non-feedback amplifier does not have correction operation like a negative feedback amplifier, so constituent parts require high precision, also superior circuit design technology. As a result, it is possible to playback the sound source (record) information without losing all of it, and in terms of sound quality, it is possible to reproduce the dynamics and even subtle nuances of the music.

Dual Monaural Pattern

Builds the dual monaural layout of the same pattern of the left and right, and actualizes a uniformity of the left and right channels at a high level.

Adoption of Parts Having High Sound Quality

On the signals

• The RIAA elements, which have a high impact on the sound quality of phono amplifiers, use 1% grade metal film resistors with a generous rated capacitance and high-quality film capacitors.
• On the important parts of the signals, ELNA’s SILMIC II audio grade electrolytic capacitors and metal film resistance of a 1% grade are used.

On the power circuits

• First recovery diodes with high sound quality and low noise (during rectification) are used.
• Low noise Zener diodes are used which structures an extremely low noise power circuit to the Lch and Rch individually.
• The power transformer uses a transformer of low leakage flux using an R-core.