RADA Precious Phono ( copper )

[Solypsa]

Solypsa is excited to represent RADA, and our demonstration Precious phono will be on hand in a few days. The Precious phono concept is 6AU6 pentode first stage and triode second stage. All transformers wound in house. Minimalist design with a single low capacitance input and 53db amorphous C core transformer coupled output

To clarify the nomenclature:

'Precious One' phono - this was a limited run ( custom shop project ) preamp using rare NOS passives, silver primary OPT, and their totl power supply configuration. There are variations between units depending on customer. 5687/ECC182 tubes typically in second stage. A production ready version will be available next year sometime I am told.

'Precious' phono - Now ready, a regular production item using new parts for passives, all copper OPT and a slightly simplified power supply. ECC99 JJ gold pin for second stage.

Stay tuned

Erik

 

[Solypsa]

Interior pic of the first demo unit

SUT will be ready soon as well.

 

[crosswind]

Looking forward to read more about the Precious phono. Keep us informed.

 

[Solypsa]

Drop by KingRex Electric table @ Pacific Audio Fest to say hi to the Precious

 

[kodomo]

This one with a dava tube psu and a dava reference cartridge may be a good candidate for a great analog playback

 

[Audiophile Bill]

This one with a dava tube psu and a dava reference cartridge may be a good candidate for a great analog playback

You are describing my vinyl front end

 

[kodomo]

Great Bill, I see you have a special version. Would you recommend a Schroeder broadcast arm with Ava reference or do you know a better match. I am guessing this would be a pretty sounding and easy to like combo but it is just a guess. I would love your input.

I am putting together a new system for my speaker companies demo room and this combo could either go to that or to my home front end. I have to decide if demo front end should be pretty or should be neutral.

I believe my home front end is neutral. I have the fuuga on my 4 point which is not a colored cartridge/tonearm combo according to me and it’s paired with a Lino c 3.3 which is as flat and as low noise as it gets.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Great Bill, I see you have a special version. Would you recommend a Schroeder broadcast arm with Ava reference or do you know a better match. I am guessing this would be a pretty sounding and easy to like combo but it is just a guess. I would love your input.

I am putting together a new system for my speaker companies demo room and this combo could either go to that or to my home front end. I have to decide if demo front end should be pretty or should be neutral.

I believe my home front end is neutral. I have the fuuga on my 4 point which is not a colored cartridge/tonearm combo according to me and it’s paired with a Lino c 3.3 which is as flat and as low noise as it gets.

I haven’t heard the DaVa with the Schroeder but I am very certain that combination will work well. The cartridge is effectively designed for that type arm really.

The DaVa can be voiced a few ways. It can be made to sound very nuanced, fast and neutral (higher voltages on the ps and battery ps) through to more tonally fully and saturated with lower voltages and valve ps. My gut says you’ll end up with it in your main system when you hear what it can do.

 

[Bart77]

Has someone got a chance to compare Precious One copper version with new Precious? I’m interested how change of the old components into new modern has impacted the sound ?

And another question - comparison between new Precious and Valkyrie C from Rada. I was quite impressed with the last one during some tests in December last year.

 

[Solypsa]

I am playing my Precious phono and testing so will comment soon. We have a Precious One Silver coming in October...

As to Valkerie I am told there are a lot of small differences to achieve the price, not sure of all of them, but Precious is amorphous C core output and EI in Valkyrie.

 

[Solypsa]

@Bart77 as far as I know, from here on out:

RADA Precious phono = copper version, new parts, as the demo I have.

RADA Precious One was a custom shop model with various versions ( copper or silver, PS options etc ) and is sold out. It will be re-born in ~2023 as a finalized production model details forthcoming.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

For those who wondered if there were any updates my end on my Precious silver. Very happy with it indeed. Above all it breathes life, drive, dynamics, and musicality. It is so quiet in operation too. Very, very happy - zero intention of ever changing it. Only thing I will do is get the full power supply upgrade done later this year as previously discussed. Not sure what that will bring but might as well lol. The combo with DaVa is superb.

 

[Bart77]

For those who wondered if there were any updates my end on my Precious silver. Very happy with it indeed. Above all it breathes life, drive, dynamics, and musicality. It is so quiet in operation too. Very, very happy - zero intention of ever changing it. Only thing I will do is get the full power supply upgrade done later this year as previously discussed. Not sure what that will bring but might as well lol. The combo with DaVa is superb.

Sounds great. It will be nice if you have a chance to listen to latest Precious version (without “One”) and compare it to your current one.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Sounds great. It will be nice if you have a chance to listen to latest Precious version (without “One”) and compare it to your current one.

Hi,

I would be most happy to do so alas I doubt it will happen unless someone wants to send one to me in U.K.

 

[Solypsa]

I have the first one, and I think it will be busy here in USA for a while

 

[Kingrex]

How are you all using your Rada. My understanding is it is not designed to power a MM cartridge. It is designed to have a SUT in front of it.

Are there partcular SUT that work best with this phono. Are there SUT with an output that are better suited to electrically operate with the Rada input.

To add a twist, do certain types of cartridges respond better to a sut than others. Do some cartridge want to have a tube up the voltage, not a SUT?

 

[Bart77]

I have the first one, and I think it will be busy here in USA for a while

I will have both at the beginning of September. However only for few hours so not sure if I will be able to compare it properly.

 

[Solypsa]

Regarding MM the only factor with the Precious input is its low capacitance, as you want with a SUT ( or an MC directly connected which is fine too ).

Most ( but not all, including some very good ones ) MM want a higher pf input.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

How are you all using your Rada. My understanding is it is not designed to power a MM cartridge. It is designed to have a SUT in front of it.

Are there partcular SUT that work best with this phono. Are there SUT with an output that are better suited to electrically operate with the Rada input.

To add a twist, do certain types of cartridges respond better to a sut than others. Do some cartridge want to have a tube up the voltage, not a SUT?

Hi Rex,

I will provide some answers based on my own experience:

> I am using DaVa field coil cartridge with tube supply into DaVa SUT (silver hybrid) into Precious

> I have only tried my DaVa SUT so can’t comment on others yet but I believe there is a RADA SUT also.

> Do some cartridges respond better to SUT or not is your question. Well to answer it you have to think about what is going on in 99% of MC phono inputs namely they are using an internal SUT anyway.
There are only a small number of MC phonos that use tubes for gain and omit a transformer namely Aesthetix IO and NVO Spa II (there will be others). I owned both of those. The Aesthetix can be noisy so very carefully matched tubes are very important. The NVO much quieter than IO. Do I believe certain carts respond best to tube gain not SUT gain? No I don’t. Can one prefer tube gain to SUT gain? Yes I think so. On balance I prefer the drive, dynamics music from external SUT these days. Can’t see me changing that topology.

 

[Kingrex]

Audiogon Discussion Forum

I hava a Cary ph301 phono stage Mc has 60dB at 100 Ohms it’s to much gain for cartridge, I tried 1:10 into mm input , gain much better but it produc...

forum.audiogon.com

This got me spun and confused. I have to read it again. There seems to be more to consider with a SUT than turns ratio. And I started thinking about how the phono pre sees the output from the SUT. Does it need to be matched on both ends for peak performance.

Allnic is suppose to be good. But its SUT don't compare to the Bobs Device I bought for the Denon. And the Hana sounds weird through the Bobs.

I know something is wrong with my vinyl. I just have not figured it out yet. I am sending the tone arm to be rewired with Silver Litz. I may have it one unbroken piece from the tag to the phono/SUT. Not sure yet.

I want to try Solypsa RADA, I just don't feel I have a setup ready to mate to it. I'm wondering if I get another Bobs for the Hana, or some other. Or ditch the Hana altogether. But that's then pushed upgrading the phono to over 10K. Thats a lot for me.