Hello,This a modified Bellari VP129 vacuum tube phono stage. This preamp beats the sound of the stock unit hands down. The larger external power supply provides much more "kick" than the stock wall-wart, and also adds an on/off switch which the stock unit does not have. Critical capacitors have been upgraded/ bypassed with MKP foils. The tube socket has been moved to the top of the chassis, and an LED backlight has been installed to give the tube a cool glow. Western Electric tubes have long been considered to be THE premium standard, and the 420A is no exception. This dual-triode produces a full, warm & smooth sound like that of the best Mullards, but clearer and cleaner in my opinion. The one supplied with this preamp is a top tier early vintage horizontal print clear- top, which is a spendy tube in itself. Other 5755 and 420A tubes can be substituted.
The VP129 is notoriously fussy with grounding. Just take a look at some comments here on Audio Asylum. This is the second VP129 I've had, and they have both had the well documented "hum issue." It's not extreme, but I just wanted to disclose this. They all have it. Wire routing and component positioning makes a lot of difference with this preamp. If you're spinning vinyl, you should already know that some background noise is inevitable, unless you're running state of the art components of course. The original Bellari box is included. The finish and condition of the main unit & power supply are in good shape. Any questions, please feel free to ask. Thanks for looking!
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