Vinylphile Magazine : Equipment Reviews

Allnic Audio Labs • H-1200 Phono Stage

By Rich Teer | June 4th, 2010

One of the difficulties faced by new audio magazines like Vinylphile is that of obtaining review samples of gear. One can understand the reticence of established companies: it takes a degree of trust to send expensive equipment to unknown reviewers, and on a more practical level, many companies can’t afford to lend out review samples (that can’t later be sold at full price) to every Tom, Dick, and Harry that asks for them. Fortunately, these reservations aren’t universal, and some companies are willing to take a chance with fledgling publications. One such manufacturer is Allnic Audio Labs, distributed here in North America (and elsewhere) by Dave Beetles’ Hammertone Audio.

Allnic Audio Labs is a Korean company that specialises in tube amplifiers, cartridges, and speakers. There are currently four phono stages in Allnic’s line up: the entry-level H-1200, the mid-range H-1500 II SE LCR and H-1500 II SE Plus, and the top-of-the-line H-3000 LCR Reference. It is the first of these, the H-1200, that is the subject of this review.

Technical Details

The H-1200 is an approximately shoe-box sized, single chassis tube phono stage. It features two pairs of single-ended inputs (one for MC cartridges, the other for MM cartridges), one pair of single-ended outputs, solid state voltage regulation, zero negative feedback, and pure Class A operation. Permalloy (iron-nickel alloy) MC step-up transformer cores are used, negating the need for an external step-up device. My Lyra Parnassus has a relatively low output of 0.3 mV; the H-1200 had more than enough gain to handle it with aplomb.

Allnic H-1200

All audio sockets are gold plated, and the AC cable is detachable so that you can substitute your choice of cable in place of the stock one if desired. Fit and finish are good, and the front faceplate—which is available with a natural or anodised black finish— is made from a 5 mm (0.25”) thick sheet of machined aluminum (very impressive at this price point).

Sound Quality

The very first thing I noticed when I added the H-1200 to my system was the large increase in gain. As good as it is, the phono section of my Audio Research SP-9 Mk 2 barely has enough gain to make it usable with very low output cartridges like the Lyra Parnassus, so the additional gain provided by the H-1200 was more than welcome.

With one or two reservations that I’ll get to in a minute, I found the H-1200 to be quite a good performer. The frequency response was quite extended, imaging was fine (suggesting that temporal information was being passed relatively unblemished), and macro dynamics were pretty good.

However, I did notice a little rolling off at the frequency extremes and a touch of midrange suckout. The bass thrum that can be heard periodically during the first epilogue of Jeff Wayne’s musical version of The War of the Worlds [CBS 96000] and the bass drum on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s rendition of Prokofieff’s Lieutenant Kije [Classic Records/RCA Victor LSC-2150] are examples of where the bass is rolled off a mite and is a little soft and wooly. Similarly, the bells that accompany the piano near the beginning of Mike Oldfield’s excellent debut LP, Tubular Bells [Virgin Records V2001], don’t have quite the sparkle they should. Perhaps paradoxically, the tambourine in the first epilogue of War of the Worlds is quite well defined.

Low level micro dynamics were quite good, but not up there with the best. The best way I can describe this is as a slight veiling with some graininess. I sometimes found myself turning up the volume to hear details I knew were on the recording. For example: when listening to War of the Worlds on a very revealing system, you can hear—by subtle variations in reverb and tonality—the different sessions in which Richard Burton’s narration was recorded. When using the H-1200, I found these differences much harder to identify.

Perhaps a victim of the same graininess, some leading transients were also curtailed, being softened somewhat. The plucked nylon acoustic guitar strings near the beginning of Tubular Bells illustrate this: although they’re plucked using a plectrum, when using the H-1200 they have a slightly softer leading edge, resulting in them sounding like they’re finger-plucked.

I think (and this is just speculation on my part) that this is partly attributable to noise and hum, which is just audible at normal listening volumes (when no other signal is present) but becomes increasing intrusive as the gain is increased. At full gain, I’d describe the noise and hum as being moderately loud (although I’d have to say that I couldn’t actually listen to music at anywhere near that gain level!).

Looking back at what I’ve just written, it might seem like I’m panning the H-1200, but nothing can be further from the truth. I auditioned the H-1200 in a very high-end system—one that is probably far more revealing than those in which the H-1200 is likely to be placed—so all of its weaknesses (as well as its strengths) were ruthlessly exposed. Systems that are more in keeping with the H-1200’s modest $999 price tag are not likely to be so revealing, so I suspect that many of the issues I raised above will be much diminished in severity, if not eliminated completely. Let’s also not forget that the H-1200 is Allnic’s least expensive phono stage, so some compromises are inevitable.

Verdict

With the H-1200, Allnic and Hammertone Audio have an entry-level tube phono stage of which they can be proud. Yes, it’s not perfect and does have a few limitations, but it’s unreasonable to expect anything else from something at this price point. The sound quality is actually pretty good, and the build quality and fit ’n’ finish are quite remarkable for $999. I think that the Allnic H-1200 would be a great addition to the right system, and I have no qualms about recommending it for an audition if you’re in the market for a phono stage in this price range.

Specifications

Description Tube phono stage.
Frequency response ±0.3 dB of RIAA.
Gain 70 dB at 1 kHz (MC), 38 dB at 1 kHz (MM).
Distortion < 0.3% at 1 V, 1 kHz.
Input impedance Up to 30 Ohms (MC), 47K Ohms (MM).
Output impedance 1.2k Ohms.
Phono equalisation RIAA.
Polarity Non-inverting.
Maximum input voltage 300 mV at 1 kHz (500 mV at 10 kHz), MM non-clipping.
Signal to noise ratio 68 dB (CCIR, 1 kHz).
Tube complement Two 6112s (first gain stage), two 6021 (second gain stage).
Dimensions (hwd) 93 mm x 112 mm x 250 mm (3.67” x 4.4” x 9.8”).
Weight 2.2 kg (4.9 lbs).
Finishes Natural and black anodised aluminum.
Serial number of unit reviewed N/A.
Price $999.
Warranty Two years transferable (1 year on tubes).

Manufacturer

Hammertone Audio
252 Magic Drive
Kelowna, BC V1V 1N2
Canada
(250) 862-9037
www.hammertoneaudio.com

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