Next up: Completing the amp line-up with Brinkmann Edison mk2 phono stage

[Kuoppis]

I was looking for a new phono option, and the winner is: Brinkmann Edison mk2 phono stage.

My previous Soulution 520 preamp had an in-built phono stage. The rationale at time of purchase was, that the phono section in an 18K preamp is likely to be better than a separate 6-8K phono pre I used to own at that time, as it will leverage the main amp’s resources.

While there is a certain logic to this line of thought, it is also true, that an in-built phono pre has considerable performance constraints, and that it will also degrade the quality of the main amp. This is, as the entire approach certainly is a compromise.

Long story short, while an in-built phono pre in a great preamp is possibly better than a mid-tier dedicated one, it’s not comparable to a dedicated high-end phono pre. That is, as features necessary for a great phono pre are quite specific, like e.g. amplification of a very delicate phono signal, a step-up tranny, implementation of RIAA curves, mono switch etc.

And I’m admittedly enamored with the superb Brinkmann build quality, and the visual eye candy they offer.


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[Kuoppis]

Leading up to the decision, I had a number of possible options in my mind: From just a simple one while recovering from the amp upgrade to a selection of more sophisticated choices. I also got good recommendations from the Sharks, but we all have our personal tastes. I also decided not to go bananas with a five grand option or something.

So here’s my short list:

Channel D - Lino C
Current mode phono pre, battery operated and technically a quite smart concept. Stereophile Class A listed.

Pass XP-27
Trusty partner from a trusty amp specialist. Does many things right, very little wrong. But still doesn’t quite excite me. Recent TAS review did not say much.

Lampizator MC-1
Interesting tube phono from tube DAC specialist Lukasz Fikus. A nice offering, but quite niche. Optimized for low-output MCs, like my Lyra Etna Lambda SL. Have heard it and was intrigued.

Brinkmann Edison mk2
Re-worked renown phono-pre. The concept has been around for a while, but I needed to understand how substantial the mk2 re-design had been. Very favorably reviewed.

Aurorasound Vida
Japanese phono amp specialist. Quite versatile and well reviewed. Retro design is an acquired taste IMHO. Good reviews.

Audionet PAM G2 with EPX
A possibility from system synergy point of view with the Humboldt, but the older designs are not equal to the Scientist Series components. And a Scientist version is not available so far. Very well reviewed.


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[Kuoppis]

And here are my thoughts, and what led to the decision:

Channel D - Lino C
+ new innovative, battery operated design
+ good price
+ positive reviews
- did not want anything too lean sounding

Pass XP-27
+ great brand
+ good previous experiences owning Pass components
+ superb build quality
- did not want anything too warm sounding
- subjectively felt not much changed compared to previous version

PS: After some time I found the X250.8 was too warmish for my liking, and went for something else.

Lampizator MC-1
+ very interesting option and my #2 choice
+ Lukasz is a great guy, offered customizations
+ nice product, but quite new segment for tube DAC specialist
+ optimized for low-output MCs, like my Lyra Etna Lambda SL
+ tube phono for additional liveliness
- Lampizator products lose value rather fast
- odd size, very big and not fitting all racks
- one of the pricier alternatives in the Silver version

Aurorasound Vida
+ Japanese phono amp specialist
+ quite versatile and well reviewed
- retro design is an acquired taste IMHO

Audionet PAM G2 + EXP
+ great design, very well reviewed
+ separate power supply to eliminate interference
- has been around for a while
- not a big fan of the pre-Scientist house sound
- also one of the pricier options with Brinkmann and Lampi

Brinkmann Edison Mk2
+ great design, very well reviewed
+ visually stunning, good system match
+ separate power supply to eliminate interference
+ tube phono for additional liveliness
+ mono switch to get most out of all records (with one cart)
+ supporting up to three tone-arms/ carts
+ all inputs/ outputs available in RCA or XLR
+ built-in tranny with gain up to 71 db for low-output carts
+ re-design of a renown phono-pre, only recently introduced at High End 2018
+ hybrid design with gain thru transistors and preamping with valves
+ full re-work of preamplification stage based on Nyquist design, eliminating hum in previous gen
+ completely new RIAA implementation with more linear condensators
+ Brinmann gear retains its value very well
- also one of the pricier options with Audionet and Lampi

Initially, I was not looking to buy another Brinkmann unit, but studying the mk2 improvements convinced me of its qualities. One of the best almost affordable phono pres IMHO, ranked above the PAM G2, retaining its value better than the Lampi.

Summa summarum, the Edison mk2 offers everything sound, feature, design, and price-wise I could desire from a world-class phono pre. At the day’s end an easy choice.


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[aKnyght]

very nice analysis! congrats on the decision - the edison is indeed the an easy if not a compelling choice -- should pair very well with your taurus TT and 12.1 arm. and as you mention, total eye-candy (although i do like the retro styling of the aurorasound).

i will be interested in your thoughts when it arrives!
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not to derail this thread but i am very interested to learn the technical / theoretical reasons behind the universal statement that a built-in phono-pre degrades the quality of the main pre-amp. to think about it in an apples-to-apples way: what would cause the line amp stage to be degraded versus an otherwise identical design implemented as separate phono and line amps?

...it is also true, that an in-built phono pre has considerable performance constraints, and that it will also degrade the quality of the main amp. This is, as the entire approach certainly is a compromise...

 

[Kuoppis]

I think the reason is, that the more components with different functionalities are packed into one single enclosure, the more they are going to interfere with each other.


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[aKnyght]

I think the reason is, that the more components with different functionalities are packed into one single enclosure, the more they are going to interfere with each other.

thanks -- makes sense.

enjoy all the new gear!!

 

[XV-1]

Nice choice. A friend of mine has the mk2 - her preferred it over the top of range Luxman.

I had the mk1 at home for an extended demo at home a few years back. Nice sound, although at the time my Pass XP-25 suited my system better. I hope the bass is tighter in the mk2.

you missed one big positive. for those with multiple tables, you can adjust each input separately

let us know how it sounds after you get it in the system.

 

[Kuoppis]

Nice choice. A friend of mine has the mk2 - her preferred it over the top of range Luxman.

I had the mk1 at home for an extended demo at home a few years back. Nice sound, although at the time my Pass XP-25 suited my system better. I hope the bass is tighter in the mk2.

you missed one big positive. for those with multiple tables, you can adjust each input separately

let us know how it sounds after you get it in the system.

Thanks Sean, very kind. I’m at least looking forward to it [emoji3].

While the mk1 was already good, the mk2 is quite a bit better. I discussed it in detail with Brinkmann before pulling the trigger.

One key improvement is a complete re-design of the RIAA implementation. Along with that the capacitors have been replaced with more linear and better sounding ones. In addition the output section has been re-developed, leveraging the insights from the Nyquist development.

So, a number of big changes which have improved the product quite a bit.


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[Kuoppis]

Contrary to the Audionet, the Edison mk2 arrived in just a couple of days.

Can’t really say much yet, as I only put it into the system today. But so far the Lyra appears to like it. The variable gain is really great with low-output carts like the Etna SL. And of course, as the Edison has a built-in step-up transformator, there really is no issue with the output.

The funny thing is, I was not looking for system synergy or anything. The Edison mk2 entered the race at a quite late stage.

But studying the alternatives I really liked the Edison’s feature set:
- up to three tonearms/ carts
- each input individually adjustable
- all inputs RCA and XLR
- in-built step-up trannie
- variable gain up to 73 db
- mono switch

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[Kuoppis]

All-in-all, it’s getting quite Brinkmannish on my rack.

Taurus, Nyquist mk2, and Edison mk2.

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[aKnyght]

All-in-all, it’s getting quite Brinkmannish on my rack.

Taurus, Nyquist mk2, and Edison mk2.

very elegant ...brinkmann is total eye-candy!

 

[Kuoppis]

very elegant ...brinkmann is total eye-candy!

I also do like the style [emoji3].

And, SQ is of course also very good.


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[Kuoppis]

Having the unit run in for 24 hrs. I definitely like what Brinkmann have done in the mk2 version.

Early observations:
- great detail retrieval
- quick transients and long decays
- tons of sound colors, nice timbres
- beautiful liquidity through the tubes
- zero hum due to transistor output stage
- effortless play with the low-output SL
- really solid bass

This really is phono de luxe for anyone enjoying the medium.


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[Kuoppis]

The Edison mk2 is a very clear step-up from the in-built phono stage in the Soulution 520. No surprise though, as just the phono pre and the entire preamp are similar in price (depending on market).

Just a couple observations with a familiar record. Scott Hamilton’s laid-back yet melodic style is always a treat.

- intense sound colors, sounds like looking right inside the sax
- liquid and round sounding piano, easy to follow the phrasing
- nice dynamics in switch between light-touch runs and more pronounced chords
- stand-up bass has all the woody structure and plucking detail you wish for
- soft-touch cymbal rides coming out nicely, despite the full drum sound
- singer varying her position towards the mike is audible through light sound variations
- audience clapping sounds full, despite being clearly further away from the mikes


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[Kuoppis]

I’m also very happy to hear how well the Humboldt and the Edison harmonize.

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[XV-1]

I will be interested to see if the Lyra likes 400 ohm, 600 ohms or the darkhorse 47k. Lyra used to load at 47K on their own phono stage.

 

[Kuoppis]

I will be interested to see if the Lyra likes 400 ohm, 600 ohms or the darkhorse 47k. Lyra used to load at 47K on their own phono stage.

At the moment I can’t tell yet. I’m just trying out different options and seeing how I like them. Overall, the loading impedance impact is rather minor I’ve been told.

What is more important for me is the variable gain with my low-output cart. Also, as the Edison is a hybrid design, I don’t need to worry about hum due to the gain stage being transistor based. So, contrary to traditional tube designs where it is advisable to keep the gain low, in case of the Edison the noise decreases with higher gain.


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[Kuoppis]

I will be interested to see if the Lyra likes 400 ohm, 600 ohms or the darkhorse 47k. Lyra used to load at 47K on their own phono stage.

Sean, coming back to your question: I think Lyra recommends 47K only if you use it via an external step-up transformer and connect through a MM input. Not sure that applies for the inbuilt trannie as well. Otherwise low-output carts typically perform best at a rather lower load impedance of say 50-400 Ohms, I think.

Until now I have tried 50 and 200, and now 400. So far every step upwards has been an improvement in relation to detail retrieval, sound colors, and dynamics. I guess moving higher, distortion will potentially increase.


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[Kuoppis]

Regarding load impedance, the difficulty of course is that there’s no set rule for it. For one people’s preferences vary, and also the differences are not very significant.

Going through my exchange Lukasz from Lampizator, as I was also seriously considering the MC1, his assumption was that it would be best to run the phono pre at 50 Ohm for my low-output cart. His view was based on the fact that the MC1 was developed for low-output MCs. His reference is the ATR-1000, which has the same output voltage of 0.25 mV as my Lyra Etna Lambda SL.

Similar views I also heard from Brinkmann.


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[XV-1]

Sean, coming back to your question: I think Lyra recommends 47K only if you use it via an external step-up transformer and connect through a MM input. Not sure that applies for the inbuilt trannie as well. Otherwise low-output carts typically perform best at a rather lower load impedance of say 50-400 Ohms, I think.

Until now I have tried 50 and 200, and now 400. So far every step upwards has been an improvement in relation to detail retrieval, sound colors, and dynamics. I guess moving higher, distortion will potentially increase.


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not quite correct. Lyra always used to recommend 47k for MC loading back in the days or Parnassus, Helikon and alike and their Connoisseur phono stage only had 47k loading. However Jon has softened his stance and probably slight design changes he now has " Determined by Listening" LOL.

In all the Lyra cart's I have owned I have found around 500 ohms to be that sweet spot regardless of phono stage if it has that loading, my accuphase goes from 30 to 1k and I swap between the two if I am using that. except the Delos which can sound better at 200 or 300. you certainly don't load a Lyra down to 100 ohms like a lot of other carts.

will be interesting to see what you end up with.