Phono Classic Tube Phono Preamplifier – Black Finish By EAR

Note: Delivery of EAR gear has been taking 60-90 days due to COVID supply chain disruptions. Give us a quick call to get started on an order with a small deposit.

Jaguar is pleased to offer EAR electronics, some of the most musical tube gear in existence. When it comes to high-end tube amplifiers, there are hundreds of brands on the market, many costing much more than EAR. However, at Jaguar we’re only interested in amps like EAR or Lamm, which are created by visionary designers and stand above the others as truly unique and special. Numerous available models allow you to select one that’s the best match for your system and the sound character you’re going for.

The Phono Classic has one of the most liquid midranges we’ve heard… which makes it absolutely enthralling and addictive. Moving Magnet/Moving Coil selectable, with 70dB of gain in the MC setting making it compatible with virtually every MC cartridge on the market. There is nothing as affordable and versatile in a tube phono stage that comes close to the listening pleasure you will receive from this world-class design! Tubes are three 12AX7 to achieve great sound; these long-lasting tubes are easily accessible, allowing more ambitious users to roll a wide variety of tubes (the synergy with the stock tubes is difficult to beat). The EAR Phono Classic can hang with competitor components costing 3X as much.

“Sonically the EAR was without electronic edge or glare, with a non-analytic cast to the proceedings. It tended to focus on the entirety of the music rather than breaking each recording down to its component parts. I find this ability more musically satisfying than components that neglect the forest for the trees. Transient control was very good, with good tracking of the decay of notes. Soundstaging and stereoscopy were believable and non-intrusive…I never found myself squinting with my ears or baffled by any aspect of the musical proceedings. I found noise to be a non-issue also.”
– Paul Szabady, Stereo Times

“The EAR 834P is a remarkable piece of work: a reference-quality phono preamplifier that would feel at home in a system of any price. At its sticker price it’s downright obscene. If you treasure analog as I do, particularly if you’re a fan of well-recorded classical works, you should treat yourself to an audition of the EAR.”
– Robert J. Reina, Stereophile

https://www.stereophile.com/phonopreamps/797ear/index.html

http://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2016/5/25/

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue15/324.htm

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue6/ear324.htm

EAR (formerly “Esoteric Audio Research”) is the brainchild of Tim de Paravicini, whose name has been associated since the 1970s with electronics of the highest fidelity. De Paravicini’s innovative techniques have not only borne fruit in products for EAR but in designs for some of the world’s most highly regarded electronics manufacturers. Some of these designs have been continually prized—and sought—by discerning listeners for decades after their introduction.

Tim de Paravicini has also made unique contributions to the world of professional recording and mastering. Users of his tape recording systems, microphones, and other recording technology include performers Pink Floyd and Lenny Kravitz, the Altarus and Water Lily record labels, and renowned recording and mastering engineers like Robert Ludwig, Joe Gastwirt, and James Guthrie. One of the world’s highest-ranked mastering facilities, The Exchange in London, uses two playback systems in which the entire chain–from tape machines and equalizers to cutter amplifiers and monitoring equipment—is EAR-designed and built. Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs uses his LP cutting system, as well as a playback tape deck with his electronics.

EAR amplifiers are unequaled in their ability to deliver a pure rendition of the signal fed into them, free from the colorations and distortions of most amplifiers. Tim de Paravicini has been instrumental in investigating the role of ultrasonic resonances in amplifier circuits and their effect on transient response. He has also undertaken significant original research on the subjective effects of distortion. This research has not only facilitated the interpretation of amplifier measurements but has shed light on the correlation between measurements and sound quality. The results are easy to appreciate—EAR amplifiers are among the most accurate amplifiers ever made.