Cambridge Audio has announced a pair of new phono stages to mark the continued popularity of vinyl revival. Solo (£150) is a moving magnet only stage while Duo (£250) can be used with moving coil cartridges, it also has a headphone amplifier and volume control. Both models are unusual in featuring a balance control to trim channel imbalances in cartridges, something we’ve rarely seen in phono stages in the past and never on budget models where this is arguably more important.
Rather than wall-warts they have onboard switch mode power supplies and surface mount technology to allow a compact overall design with short signal paths on the board inside. Both phono stages automatically switch to standby if unused for twenty minutes; with a standby energy consumption of less than half a watt. Solo has a simple fascia with just an LED indicator while Duo adds a full size 6.3mm headphone jack and volume control.