Musical Fidelity V90-LPS Phono preamp
British Musical Fidelity, with a wealth of experience in high-end technology, has been releasing the entry-level V90 series for several years, which recently introduced the LPS phono stage. This very small box with an external 12-volt adapter is designed to work with MC and MM heads. It has very good passport characteristics - a signal-to-noise ratio of more than 80 dB (MM) and the ability to hold an overload of up to 22 dB (MC). The corrector was designed in England, made in Taiwan. The circuit is assembled by surface mounting on a double-sided printed circuit board. The input MC preamplifier is built on low-noise transistors, the rest of the path and active correction are implemented on NE5534 operational amplifiers. These are classic "music" chips widely used in professional audio.
The type of head is set by a push-button switch on the rear panel, the input and output terminals are also located there. It is valuable that separate inputs are provided for MM and MC - this allows you to connect different players or one with two tonearms without unnecessary fuss with cables. Input impedances are standard - 47 kOhm and 100 Ohm, respectively.
To be honest, the ceramics in the correction circuits and the low-voltage power supply did not promise much surprises in terms of sound quality. Nevertheless, the sound of the V90 LPS is devoid of any coloration and rigidity, and there are no noticeable tonal imbalances either. There is little interference at the output, and, interestingly, "white" noise dominates in the MM mode, and when switching to the MC, it is almost absent, but a small background appears. It is better to place the box away from other audio components and experiment with grounding, then you can get rid of the background almost completely. The corrector has a very pleasant bass, I would not say that it is too deep, but it is quite fast and rich in nuances. The lower middle is with "velvet", sometimes harsh notes appear in the upper middle, but this does not spoil the overall impression. With an MC head, the sound is juicy, light and transparent. The only thing that can testify to the initial level of the corrector is a slightly smoothed dynamics, but you feel it only on vintage records with a deep track. In general, the V90 LPS justifies its price, it is a good option for a beginner vinyl grower. This box is especially good for mid-range MM heads, in which case the sound quality will be the most adequate for the money spent.
