Sutherland PhonoBlock Refined

Sutherland PhonoBlock Refined

MM/MC 2x Mono Phono Preamplifier

Sutherland PhonoBlock Refined
Sutherland PhonoBlock Refined
Sutherland PhonoBlock Refined
Sutherland PhonoBlock Refined
Sutherland PhonoBlock Refined
DISCONTINUED
AVAILABILITYN/A
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
The PhonoBlock was introduced almost 10 years ago. It performs beautifully and continues to please music lovers all over the world.
Then came an opportunity to make it even better.
The circuit remains essentially the same. Improvements focused on providing a better environment to more fully realize its potential.
The PhonoBlock refinements are derived from the Argentum design. The much more expensive Argentum is an all–out, hand-wired, silver–signal path version of the classic PhonoBlock. Turns out, the same extremely disciplined short signal path layout could be used to refine the classic PhonoBlock audio board.

Each PhonoBlock chassis is a self-standing single channel phono preamp. Two are stacked to provide two channels for stereo.
In the left shielded compartment is one channel of phono preamp circuitry. The front 2/3 is power supply filtering. Audio circuitry is integrated tightly into the back third. Signal path is kept to an absolute minimum.
In the right shielded compartment is a well regulated and filtered DC power supply. There are two isolated power suppliers for the two gain stages.

The PhonoBlock refinements are derived from the Argentum design. The much more expensive Argentum is an all–out, hand-wired, silversignal path version of the classic PhonoBlock. Turns out, the same extremely disciplined short signal path layout could be used to refine the classic PhonoBlock audio board.

Grounding Options
Sometimes ground loops can cause hum in a phono system. Breaking ground loops can be easy or it can be a nightmarish frustration. In the difficult situations, grounding options can save the day.
For product safety and electrostatic shielding purposes, the metal casework of the PhonoBlock is electrically connected to the ground lead in the IEC power cord. There are, however, options on the audio circuit’s ground
reference. Each mono chassis has three grounding options. They are selectable by moving a gold-plated shunt.
- Audio ground can float with respect to the chassis
- Audio ground can tie directly to the chassis
- Audio ground ‘softly’ connected to the chassis through a 50 Ohm resistor

The PhonoBlock is shipped configured for a gain of 60 dB and a loading of 200 Ohms. This will be a good starting point for most systems. If you have different preferences, please refer to the GAIN and LOADING pages. The two PhonoBlocks are designed to be stacked on top of each other. Plug your turn- table into the IN jacks. The interconnecting cables to your preamp go into the OUT jacks. Ground wires go to the knurled screw. The PhonoBlock is designed to be powered on 24/7. The supplied AC power cords are just to get you started. Later you will probably want to experiment and invest in power cord upgrades.

Specifications

Load Settings:
Cartridge loading is determined by the resistor value installed in the LOADING resistor socket.
Dale/Vishay RN65-style resistors are included with the following values.
- 47.5k Ohms (4752)
- 1000 Ohms (1001)
- 475 Ohms (4750)
- 200 Ohms (2000)
- 100 Ohms (1000)
- 49.9 Ohms (49R9)
The PhonoBlock is shipped with loading set to 200 Ohms.
NOTE: If you are using a moving coil, step-up transformer, check its owner’s manual to determine correct loading resistor value.

Gain Settings:
Gain is determined by the resistor value installed in the GAIN resistor socket.
Dale/Vishay RN65-style resistors are included with the following values.
- 121 Ohms for 45 dB gain (1210)
- 75 Ohms for 50 dB gain (75R0)
- 40.2 Ohms for 55 dB gain (40R2)
- 20 Ohms for 60 dB gain (20R0)
- 15 Ohms for 63 dB gain (15R0)
- 10 Ohms for 67 dB gain (10R0)
The PhonoBlock is shipped with gain set to 60 dB.

- Size: 17” wide, 17” deep, 3.25” high
- Weight: Net 21lbs each, Shipping 26lbs each
- Power Requirements: 110–120 VAC, 10 Watts — each or 220–240 VAC, 10 Watts — each