MK ANALOGUE MM-PH-AMP

Maxim: absolute phase linearity

Time alignment is an essential, if not THE decisive factor for high-fidelity reproduction. Only with it do instruments sound "real", voices become "vivid", impulses hit you in the stomach, the finest details in the music really get to you. But even if the chain is trimmed for perfect phasing, as in my case, the phono branch passes on what comes out of the phono pre. And that's often not exactly in time.
This is exactly where MK Analogue comes in and places the phase linearity of the MM-PH-AMP at the center of all design measures, including the omission of a subsonic filter. (Don't worry: the signal-to-noise ratio is over 90 dB even without!)
Many manufacturers achieve a clean frequency response from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. BUT: to guarantee a linear phase response in this range, a five-octave buffer is required. This means that a linear frequency response of up to 640 kHz is required for correct reproduction at 20 kHz. It's a similar game below 20 Hertz

That's why the MM-PH-AMP is something special for me. Because you can hear this lack of compromise.

Design and special features

The PSU MM-PH-AMP power supply unit

To eliminate potential interference and interactions, MK Analogue has outsourced the power supply unit of the MM-PH-AMP. At 1.2 meters, the connecting cable is sufficiently long to provide a good distance between the power supply and the amplifier.
When the power supply unit is switched on, a small 2 VA transformer supplies a switching voltage that is rectified and stabilized. Only when you flip the switch on the main unit does it activate a relay in the power supply unit. Now the main transformer provides the necessary supply voltage for the MM-PH-AMP - which can be recognized by the extremely attractive orange front illumination of the logo engraving.
The passive 4-fold RC filtering after the main transformer also acts as an inrush current limiter. This makes it possible to protect the transformer with a lower fuse value, thus avoiding the typical fuse problems of toroidal transformers.
The switch on the power supply may take some getting used to: The symbol is an "O" and stands for "on" - and not a zero, which could be associated with "off". Fortunately, there is a small light on the front that lights up 😉
Nice service on the side: the fuse compartment has a spare fuse (200 mA, made of ceramic).
We recommend operating the device "always on" - with a standby consumption of 8 watts, this should be possible!

Das 5-polige Anschlusskabel fürs Netzteil ist fest mit dem Gehäuse des Hauptgeräts verbunden.