Audio Analogue adds AAphono to PureAA series

Audio Analogue celebrated its twentieth birthday in 2016 with a pair of Anniversary editions of their classic integrated amplifiers, the Puccini and Maestro. Now, the Italian brand adds the AAphono phono stage to its PureAA range as a follow-up to the AAcento amplifier.

Audio Analogue’s PureAA line aims to draw on some of the key features of the Anniversary amplifiers albeit applying them in a slightly different way.

While the Anniversary amps are masters of minimalist focus, the PureAA line sports a set of added features for those who seek a wider range of functions and connections.

Audio Analogue AAphono

The new AAphono phono stage is fully configurable for both MM and MC cartridges. It also offers plenty of adjustable options that allow you to perfectly tailor its set-up according to your chosen cartridge. These include gain and loading for MC cartridges but also the less common MM input capacitance and resistance.

Furthermore, the AAphono is effortlessly simple to use. No need to power off, cool down and delve ‘under the hood’. Simply press an easily accessible button to make your adjustments. Your selection will then be saved even when the unit is switched off or disconnected.

Under the hood

Inside the rather beautifully finished resonance-damped casework you’ll find three separate toroidal transformers. These form the heart of the power supply, and hence the heart of the phono stage: one for each of the stereo channels (left and right) and, to keep the audio signal as pure as possible, a third one supplies the control circuitry.

Additionally, the power supply includes multiple filters to ensure that every section of the AAphono has the best possible operating conditions.

The AAphono features high quality components with very tight tolerances throughout. Even so, it also incorporates a parallel circuit design in which any errors inherent within components are effectively cancelled out, adding a further ‘safety net’ to ensure consistently high performance.

The amplification is split between two separate gain stages with a subsonic filter placed between them. This prevents any low frequency oscillation from reaching and saturating or overloading the final gain stage. Following the second gain stage, a special DC-blocking circuit ensures that no potentially harmful direct current reaches your amplifier, effectively providing a level of protection more typically associated with separate power cleaning units.

Price and availability

Audio Analogue’s AAphono integrated amplifier is available now, in black or silver, priced at £1,599 (inc. VAT).

For more information head on over to www.audioanalogue.com

The UK distributor for Audio Analogue is Decent Audio. www.decentaudio.co.uk

Technical specifications