Sutherland Duo Phono Preamp
$4,000.00 – $4,700.00
The Duo is the outgrowth of the reference Phono Blocks and the sensibilities of the 20/20…
No expense was spared in the design and construction of the Phono Blocks. The Phono Blocks are at the pinnacle of phono preamp performance. It just doesn’t get any better. The 20/20 was designed to get the most performance possible at its predetermined price point. To get there, extra was spent to get premium parts and circuitry into the signal path. Consequently, some expenses were squeezed out of less important areas. Those trade-offs have worked very well. The 20/20 has delivered an extremely high level of performance at a reasonable price. It is an incredible performance value. What if all the price constraints in the 20/20 were lifted? The price goes up, the performance goes up. It starts looking a lot like the Phono Blocks. The actual signal path of the 20/20 is quite good. It uses a circuit very similar to the Phono Blocks. In critical positions, it also uses the same premium quality (and high cost) components. Very little was held back in that area. There is an almost irresistible urge to add complexity to any endeavor. The result is a tangled knot of disparate good ideas. Because there is always more that could be added, there is never an opportunity for long-term satisfaction. Never enough. Sutherland offers a different vision – it may be more closely aligned with your values. It is a very disciplined approach that refines design to the essential elements – and then executes the design to perfection with the Duo. There is no allowance for superfluous clutter. Nothing extra will be allowed between you and the music.
Technical Areas of Concern
- Avoid electronic colorations by keeping signal path uncluttered and straightforward.
- Refine the circuitry and layout for one audio channel. Then build it twice for stereo.
- Keep the clutter of options out of the signal path and off the circuit board.
- Keep contaminating AC power line noise out.
- Use the best components in a conservative manner, for long life and effortless performance.
- Design and build with a sense of instrument grade craftsmanship.
