Home Theater Systems Buying Guide
Rega Fono MM Phono Stage Overview
What’s a “phono stage”? As lovely as an LP’s analog signal may sound, a microscopic needle wiggling around in an equally minuscule groove doesn’t generate much energy. Think of those first Victrolas at the turn of the 20th century, and those giant flared horns you’d need to hear anything. Today, the needle is a speck of diamond and the phono cartridge is a coil/magnet mechanism, but the current is still 100 times lower than the usual input signal. Today’s digital receivers and amplifiers don’t always include low-level inputs with enough gain and the proper equalization to play albums. Those setups need a pre-preamplifier known as a phono stage, and Rega’s Fono MM ranks among the best. Designed as a companion for the company’s own turntables and associated electronics, the Fono MM will extracts the last ounce of detail from any of today’s top moving magnet cartridges and turntables, with discrete electronic components, high-quality capacitors and separate RIAA equalization stages, all hand-built in Rega’s Essex, England facility.
Product Information
Product highlights
- Modern styling with illuminated logo matches Rega’s electronics
- Fully discrete, cascaded amplifier input
- Two-stage RIAA equalization
- Top-quality polyester and polypropylene capacitors for highest fidelity and longest life
- Amplifies moving-magnet phono cartridge signal to feed a standard 200mV line input
- RIAA accuracy rated flat beyond human hearing
- Dimensions: 7” wide by 6.5” deep (incl. grounding tag) by 2” high
- Weight: 1.4 lbs.
- Warranty: 3 years (World Wide Stereo is an authorized dealer for all brands we sell)
World Wide Stereo 60-day guarantee and product support
Pairs well with…
Combine the Fono MM with turntables such as the Rega Planar 3 with Elys 2 MM Cartridge or the Planar 2 or Planar 1 with the included Rega Carbon cartridge, and you have a ready-to-play solution for any modern sound system. Or skip the amp-preamp entirely and directly feed powered speaker systems such as the AudioEngine A5+ Classics or HD6 Wireless, or Klipsch’s equally impressive R-15PMs or Heritage Wireless The Sixes. All make nifty systems where space is tight and convenience and performance are paramount. Remember, shop with confidence with World Wide Stereo’s 60-day guarantee and expert product support.
Specifications
Specifications
- Input sensitivity: 1.7mV for 200mV output
- Input loading: 47KΩ in parallel with 100pF
- Maximum input level: 60mV at 1KHz
- Gain: 41.4dB at 1KHz
- Output impedance: 200Ω
- Recommended minimum output load resistance: 5KΩ
- Frequency response (50KΩ output load): 15Hz (-3dB) to 100KHz (-0.2dB)
- RIAA accuracy (50KΩ output load): Better than +/-0.2dB 100Hz to 100KHz
- Power requirements: 24V AC at 80mA maximum
- Only to be used with Rega PS1
What's in the Box
What's in the Box:
- Fono MM Phono Stage