"Cornet2" Vacuum Tube MM Phonostage

Discontinued

The Cornet2 phonostage is a remarkable tube preamplifier; upgraded here with silver faceplates, metal film resistors, gold plated connectors, and improved capacitors. The circuit topology features common-cathode class-A gain stages with zero feedback, dual passive equalization, and constant-current cathode follower output stages. Vacuum tube rectification for high voltage provides a gentle soft-start without the need for muting circuits. The moderate gain accommodates all moving magnet and high output moving coil cartridges. For use with low output moving coils, we recommend a Piccolo headamp.

The silver version of the Cornet2 is an upgraded version of the original, with improved audiophile components.

Features

Specifications

Downloads

Reviews

"... this little phono stage completely trounced my sub-mini phono preamp ... The phono preamp was extremely quiet with my vintage Grado 8MR cartridge (not MC) ... This is not a vintage-sounding phono preamp. While it sounds pleasant and definately tube-based, it has resolution, soundstaging, and speed that no vintage design I know of can match. The sound is coherent, well balanced, and detailed. The critical midrange is warm without bloom, the bass solid and visceral when called for, the highs smooth." - Kevin Kennedy

Testimonials

"Your Cornet ... brought out the best in this recording. All I can say is WOW. Anyone that says vinyl is weak on bass has not heard this album [Love Stinks]. Ergo, the Cornet is up to the task of great bass reproduction. The second compliment I can pay to the Cornet is very nice HF extension. I have not played a CD in over eight weeks now and am reluctant to do so. The Cornet plays the highs so sweet and smoothly. Album after album spins with no listener fatigue!"

"I think this unit [Cornet] is as good as you can get for the money. It took a few hours for everything to settle in (a bit bloated in the mids for the first few records) but once it had the dynamics were wonderful. The bass seemed suprisingly tight and pronounced for a tubed stage. Overall very quiet ... I can't imaging how good the Trumpet must be if this is what you get for 1/2 the price."

"Sorry to bug you, but WOW! I thought it [Cornet] would be absolutely unlistenable without break-in. I was very wrong. I'm hearing details, attacks, decays and bass I've never heard from this LP. I've put a couple more hours on it today and rolled some 12AU7s. A NOS RCA clear-top side-getter was very good, but I'm now using an Amperex Holland Bugle Boy and it's superb. Just listened to some E. Power Biggs organ, brass and percussion pieces and the clarity and focus from top to bottom is amazing."

"The moment I put the cartridge down to play some Count Basie and some John Coltrane I knew this was it. The Cornet took on a new life form. It is truly a remarkable phono preamp. Lots of air around the instruments, tonal quality is unbelievable."

"We used the original Cornet in a very nice nightclub we did an install in - and were nominated for an international award for the sound by Club Systems International. It was Tonic in Charlotte. Yours are the only tube preamps I have ever used that don't get 'mushy' when used with a large system - in this case about 28Kw. Every person that played on them said it was so good it was distracting. We had an unfortunate accident that broke some tubes so while they were out people would ask what was wrong and where did the magic go? Just thought you might like to know."

Copyright 2009, Hagerman Audio Labs is a subsidiary of Hagerman Technology LLC.