Phonomena

About the Phonomena

The Musical Surroundings Phonomena is a phono preamplifier that amplifies signals from moving coil or moving magnet cartridges to line level. It features a fully discrete transistor topology with dual mono circuit layout and Class-A operation. The unit offers unprecedented cartridge-loading flexibility with 16 gain steps ranging from 40 to 60 dB and 128 load impedance settings from 30 ohms to 100 k-ohms, plus adjustable capacitance for moving magnet cartridges. It uses matched low noise input transistors and has a remote AC power source with a constant ON feature for thermal stability. The chassis measures 12" by 5" by 2" and is made in the USA. The Phonomena is praised for its accurate soundstage, fine detail articulation, and linear frequency balance, though it may lack some bass weight compared to higher-end models. It requires a separate line level control unit as it has no volume control. The unit is configurable via DIP switches for gain and loading settings for each channel independently, allowing thousands of possible combinations to match virtually any cartridge.