A s unsung heroes go, the humble phono stage is surely a big hitter. It shouldn’t simply be commended for its work, it should be up there on the hi-fi podium wearing a medal for Outstanding Achievement. But it isn’t.
The truth is that these plain little boxes are seriously undervalued in the context of most vinyl-based hi-fi systems. And yet the work they do is invaluable. We’d even go as far as saying that the phono stage is the most important piece of electronics in such a set-up. And here’s why.