Audio Research PH6 User Manual

he phono stage was once a necessary and

integral part of whatever preamp, integrated

amp or receiver an audiophile contemplated

purchasing. Back then, a turntable was the main source
for listening to music, but around the mid-1980s,
when the CD began to erode the dominance of the
LP as the go-to music format, manufacturers began to
eliminate the internal phono stage, and the standalone
phono stage was, if not born, then fully developed.
Audio Research was one of the companies that decided
removing the phono stage from its preamplifiers
would allow the creation of a higher-quality line
stage in the same chassis and for the same price.
But Audio Research
never forgot that the
phono stage remained
a vital part of many
audiophiles’ systems
-- just as the company
never forgot that
tubes were important
to better sound.
Beginning with the
MCP-2 in 1982 and
moving down through
the various PH
iterations --

from the PH1 to the brand-new PH6 under discussion
here -- Audio Research has always considered the
phono stage a large part of its more affordable
equipment offerings.

But what makes the PH6 special enough to cause Audio
Research to scrap the highly praised PH5? The PH6 looks
very much like its predecessor, although its front panel is
a bit more rounded, which gives it a more pleasing look.
Instead of an all-black touch panel below the indicator
display, it uses a set of four silver aluminum buttons
set into its faceplate for Power, Mono, Load (with five
choices: 100, 200, 500, 1000, and 47k ohms), and Mute.

It also comes with a
remote that controls
all these functions, so
you can experiment
-- especially with
loading -- without
leaving your seat. The
PH6 offers 58dB of
gain, which, together
with the gain of your
preamp, should be
enough even with
low-output moving-
coil cartridges.

T