KECES SPHONO – a phono preamp for those who want to get more out of vinyl

KECES Sphono is a phono preamp for those who consider the turntable an important part of their system and want to be able to tailor the RIAA preamp to the cartridge they actually use. With two MM and two MC inputs, multiple turntables or tonearms can be connected at the same time, while adjustable gain, MC loading, and MM capacitance make it possible to find a good match for different cartridges. KECES has also chosen a two-part design, with the phono preamp itself and the linear SPHONO Power power supply housed in separate aluminum enclosures. This makes perfect sense in a vinyl system, where the signal from the cartridge is very weak and noise should therefore be kept as far away from the signal path as possible.

Highlights

• Phono/RIAA preamp
• Supports both MM and MC cartridges
• 2 x MM inputs
• 2 x MC inputs
• MM gain: 40 / 46 dB
• MC gain: 60 / 66 dB
• Adjustable MC loading
• Adjustable MM capacitance
• RIAA and IEC curve
• RIAA/IEC accuracy of ±0.2 dB
• Switchable subsonic filter
• Dual-mono design
• Balanced XLR outputs
• RCA outputs
• Separate linear SPHONO Power power supply
• 4 mm aluminum enclosure

Adapt the phono preamp to your cartridge – not the other way around

What we especially think makes SPHONO interesting is the freedom to work with different cartridges. For MC, the load can be selected between 56, 100, 220, and 470 ohms, as well as 1.2 and 47 kohms, while the MM section lets you choose capacitance between 47 and 470 pF. Gain can likewise be adjusted with 40 or 46 dB for MM and 60 or 66 dB for MC. This means you are not locked into one specific cartridge characteristic, but can adjust SPHONO when the cartridge or turntable changes. With two inputs for each cartridge type, for example, two turntables or two tonearms can be ready at the same time without having to move cables every time.

The small vinyl signals get their own peace and quiet

A cartridge signal is among the weakest signals in the entire hi-fi system, and that is why KECES has physically separated the power supply from the SPHONO itself. The included SPHONO Power sits in its own enclosure and supplies ±48 V as well as +15 V DC to the phono preamp. The signal processing itself is built according to a dual-mono principle, and the finished signal can be passed on to the preamp via either RCA or balanced XLR. KECES specifies a signal-to-noise ratio of 96 dB A-weighted for MM and 82 dB for MC. This is exactly the kind of design that makes sense when the very low signal from the cartridge needs to be processed with as little unnecessary electrical influence as possible.

Practical features for a large record collection

SPHONO lets you choose between RIAA and IEC correction with a stated accuracy of ±0.2 dB, and a subsonic filter can be engaged from the front as needed. This can be useful for records with warps or other very low-frequency movements that could otherwise make the speakers’ bass drivers work unnecessarily. Gain, input, and EQ curve can also be selected from the front, so the functions you actually use are easy to access. SPHONO and the separate power supply each measure 300 × 220 × 66 mm, giving you a two-part solution without traditional full-size enclosures. To us, KECES SPHONO is especially interesting for the vinyl enthusiast who expects to experiment with different cartridges and wants an RIAA preamp that can keep up along the way.

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