Lindemann Limetree Phono II Phonostage

The Limetree PHONO II is a full phono stage in a case that fits in the palm of your hand — 107 x 40 x 130 mm, 295 grams — with separate inputs for moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges and the measured precision to justify the record in front of it.

It offers 40 dB of gain for moving-magnet cartridges and 66 dB for moving-coil, with moving-coil loading adjustable from 50 to 400 ohms to suit the cartridge. The RIAA equalisation is accurate to +0 / –0.5 dB across 20 Hz to 20 kHz, distortion sits below 0.001 percent, and signal-to-noise measures better than 82 dB for moving-magnet and 72 dB for moving-coil — the low-noise, low-distortion result Lindemann sets out to deliver. It does all of this while drawing well under a watt.

What that specification buys is what Lindemann calls an exceptionally open, detailed and natural sound — a small box that gets out of the way of the cartridge and lets the record play. Because the moving-magnet and moving-coil inputs are separate, a moving-magnet and a moving-coil cartridge can stay connected at once, and adjustable loading means a moving-coil cartridge can be set up properly rather than approximately.

• Gain: MM 40 dB, MC 66 dB
• MC loading: adjustable 50 – 400 ohms
• RIAA: +0 / –0.5 dB (20 Hz – 20 kHz)
• Distortion: < 0.001% (at 0.5 V output)
• Signal-to-noise: MM > 82 dB, MC > 72 dB (A-weighted)
• Dimensions / weight: 107 x 40 x 130 mm / 295 g; draws under 1 W