{"product_id":"thales-magnifier-reference-phonostage-preamplifier","title":"Thales Magnifier Reference Phonostage \/ Preamplifier","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eMagnifier At A Glance\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReference phono stage and system hub, born from the Thales × Stellavox collaboration\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOpen-loop, feedback-free Class A DC amplifier\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRIAA equalization via ironless inductors (no capacitors in the equalization path)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTwo configurable moving-coil phono inputs (balanced RCA)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTwo line inputs: 1× balanced XLR, 1× single-ended RCA\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTwo outputs: 1× balanced XLR, 1× single-ended RCA\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePhono gain options: 54 dB \/ 60 dB \/ 66 dB\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePhono loading: 100 Ω \/ 250 Ω \/ 600 Ω \/ 1200 Ω\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSolid aluminum chassis, separate external power supply\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMain unit 435 × 350 × 90 mm, 15.2 kg; PSU 140 × 330 × 67 mm, 3.8 kg\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDesigned and manufactured by Thales in Winterthur, Switzerland\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Magnifier is the Reference phono stage Thales builds when the analog front end deserves it — and the control hub for the entire high-end system at the same time. It is the product of a collaboration with Stellavox, the Swiss professional-recorder firm whose engineering culture Thales shares. The signal path is open-loop, feedback-free, dual-mono, and pure Class A from input to output. The RIAA equalization is realized via ironless inductors rather than capacitors — an unusual choice with audible consequences for headroom and time accuracy. The chassis is machined from solid aluminum and powered by a separate external supply.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn open-loop Class A DC amplifier, by design.\u003c\/strong\u003e Negative feedback is the convenient solution to a class of distortion problems in audio amplification, and the convenient solution comes at a price the careful listener can hear: time distortion in the recovered signal. The Magnifier refuses the trade. It is a fully symmetrical DC amplifier in Class A, running open-loop without any negative feedback in the audio path. The result is the kind of headroom and bandwidth that allows transient information to recover without being smeared.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRIAA equalization via ironless inductors.\u003c\/strong\u003e Most phono stages implement the RIAA curve with capacitor networks in the feedback loop. The Magnifier implements it passively, via inductors wound without iron cores — a choice that preserves the full bandwidth and headroom of the front end without the phase shift a capacitor-network correction introduces. The engineering cost is in the inductor windings; the audible benefit is what the Magnifier was designed to deliver.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA system hub, not just a phono stage.\u003c\/strong\u003e Two moving-coil phono inputs accept two turntables or two cartridge bodies on the same arm. Phono gain is switchable across 54, 60, and 66 dB — covering the entire output range of any moving-coil cartridge in production. Loading is selectable at 100, 250, 600, or 1200 ohms. Beyond phono, the Magnifier carries one balanced XLR line input and one single-ended RCA line input so the customer can run a digital source or a tape deck through the same Class A output stage. Two independent outputs — one balanced XLR, one single-ended RCA — give the customer routing flexibility to a single amplifier or a pair of monoblocks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBuilt like the rest of the catalog.\u003c\/strong\u003e The main unit chassis is machined from solid aluminum. The power supply is housed in its own external chassis to keep mains-side noise out of the signal path. The main unit measures 435 × 350 × 90 mm and weighs 15.2 kg; the power supply measures 140 × 330 × 67 mm and weighs 3.8 kg.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.thales.swiss\/thales-magnifier1.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eClick here for more information!\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Thales","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48891765588187,"sku":null,"price":54800.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1363\/6553\/files\/thales-magnifier-01.jpg?v=1781909516","url":"https:\/\/almaaudio.com\/products\/thales-magnifier-reference-phonostage-preamplifier","provider":"Alma Music and Audio","version":"1.0","type":"link"}