We come across a LOT of incredible equipment at Airt Audio, but it’s rare that we find ourselves with a product as refined and performant at such a reasonable price point. With Gold Note’s brand new PH-5, we have on our hands a real gem.
The younger sibling of the iconic PH-10, this phono stage offers the same high-end performance of the PH-10 and with some interesting new features to boot.
Touch Screen Display
Everything on this unit is controlled by a super-intuitive touch-screen display. The first of it’s kind in any Gold Note product. This makes changing settings on the fly an absolute breeze.
It offers a range of pre-configured EQ curves to suit any recording including RIAA, Decca London and American Columbia and each of these has an Enhanced setting which just tweaks things slightly to further improve stage, dynamics and resolution.
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Inputs and Outputs
The PH-5 features a single RCA input (as opposed to the PH-10’s two inputs) which can be connected to both MM and MC carts. It also features both single-ended and XLR outputs – a rarity at this price point and something which is well worth your attention.
Upgrade path
Later in 2023, Gold note will be releasing the PSU-5, a dedicated power supply to accompany this unit giving you a clear upgrade path to further improve your signal. It can also be paired with the PSU-10 in the Gold Note range.
Video walkthrough
We had our partners at Rayleigh HiFi give us a tour of the PH-5’s features at their Gold Note event last year. You can view the video below.
Now available
The first shipment of PH-5s arrived late last year and sold out on the spot. Availability is a little limited, but a number of our partners have stock and most have a demo unit available for you to go and have a listen. If you’re in the market for a phono stage, perhaps a first foray into a high-end pre-amp to get the most out of your collection or you just want to switch things up in your system, then the PH-5 is a remarkably capable performer in a slick, small-footprint chassis. Italian flair comes as standard. Recommended.
