Boulder 2108 Phono Preamplifier

In 2002 Boulder released the 2008 Phono Preamplifier. At the end of that year, it was placed in the A+ category of Stereophile magazine’s recommended components, a category created for electronics that are so far ahead of their peers that they justify an entirely new classification. And now we present the 2108, the next generation phono preamplifier built upon the fundamentals of the past while making meaningful strides forward in technology and design. Countless changes have been made to insure that the 2108 significantly improves upon the 2008 in every way. Why? Because the best phono stage in the world is the one that makes you focus on the music instead of the electronics. The very things that make analog playback so special are the things that the 2108 passes along without alteration. Dynamics are quick and powerful. Bass is taut and solid. Images are distinct. Silence is just that. Nothing should be added, nothing should be subtracted. Music shouldn’t just play, it should transport you to another place. It should thrill. And with the 2108, it does.   FEATURES Three pairs of balanced inputs allow connection to three different turntable, tonearm, or cartridge combinations at the push of a button, without any reconfiguration Fully-balanced circuitry rejects noise and keeps the delicate signal from a phono cartridge in balanced mode, maintaining balanced operation throughout and eliminating noise that would otherwise obscure critical musical information Entirely separate power supply chassis houses four independent power supplies: left audio, right audio, control, and standby, for total isolation of all supplies from the sensitive analog audio circuitry Standard RIAA equalization as well as EMI, FFRR (London/Decca), and Columbia EQ selections enable proper playback of collectible records made prior to 1955 Modular and discrete Boulder 995S phono gain stage is exclusive to the 2108, hand-manufactured and calibrated to spec in a potted and precision-machined housing Non-resonant and expertly machined casework protect the delicate analog signal from microphonic and resonant distortions Customizable Personality Cards for each input to match the exact individual needs of various phono cartridges: MM, MC, resistive and capacitive loading, high or low gain, and demagnetizing Switchable outboard demagnetizer pass-through connections for use with specific MC phono cartridges Front panel selectable, three-setting low-cut filter removes turntable rumble or low frequency noise from warped records SPECS 2108 PHONO PREAMPLIFIER INPUTS Three pairs balanced,converts to unbalanced OUTPUTS Two pairs balanced,converts to unbalanced INPUT IMPEDANCE (MAXIMUM) MC: 1000 ohmsMM: 47k ohmsResistive and capacitive loading adjustable on individual Personality Cards OUTPUT IMPEDANCE 100 ohms balanced PHONO EQUALIZATION RIAA,FFRR (London/Decca),EMI,Columbia MAXIMUM OUTPUT LEVEL 28 Vrms DISTORTION, THD 0.005% 1 KHZ GAIN, RIAA MC: 70 or 60 dBMM: 50 or 40 dB NOISE (EIN), MC 65 mV A-weighted, 105mV flat,20 Hz to 20 kHz FREQUENCY RESPONSE, 20 HZ TO 20 KHZ RIAA: ±0.10 dB CROSSTALK, L TO R OR R TO L -100 dB or better,20 Hz to 20 kHz PHONO PREAMPLIFIER WEIGHT 37 lbs. (16.8 kg)Shipping: 51 lbs. (23.2 kg) POWER SUPPLY WEIGHT 48 lbs. (21.8 kg)Shipping: 69.5 lbs. (31.6 kg) POWER REQUIREMENTS 90-120V / 200-240V, 50-60 Hz POWER CONSUMPTION 75W maximum