Allnic Audio H-1201 Phono Stage

by Mark Blackmore | July 7, 2018

© www.theaudiobeat.com

The Allnic H-1201 arrived right on cue, just as I finished checking off one of my audiophile bucket-list items: a turntable with two tonearms. For a number of years I’ve had multiple turntables and phono preamps to use, but the idea of having two separate turntables, two phono preamps, twice the number of power cords, interconnects, etc. had dampened my enthusiasm for setting up two 'tables. I discovered that my Michell Gryodec with the Orbe platter upgrade is an early model that can accommodate two tonearms, so for this review my newly mounted Zeta 'arm -- an oldie but goodie -- would use a Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood cartridge and my Ortofon TA-110 would be using an Audiomusikraft Denon 103. The H-1201 is ideally suited to my new setup, as it has separate inputs for moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges, facilitating quick switches between the two tonearms.

The H-1201's chassis is approximately 12" wide, 9" deep and 1 1/2" high, but a 6" front panel makes it look bigger in the rack. The front face has a centrally located knob for selecting between moving-magnet and moving-coil inputs. There is also a power on/off button and a mute/play button. The back panel has two sets of RCA inputs: one, again, for moving magnet and one for moving coil, and a single set of RCA outputs. Polycarbonate "chimneys" protect and cool the tubes, and they are visible from the listening position, as they are slightly taller than the front panel. This interesting visual design takes its cue from Allnic’s line of amplifiers and might fool visitors into thinking you have added a small integrated amp to your rack instead of a phono stage. I should also mention the rack handles mounted near the tube chimneys. They are an angular design that fit my fingers so well that I wish all my gear was equipped with these oddly shaped handles.

Those tube chimneys house a quartet of new-old-stock E180CC tubes originally made for early computers and have a 10,000 hour heater life, so you can expect many happy years of use before retubing. The manual says that other tubes are electrically equivalent, such as the 12AV7 or 5965, but cautions that these substitutes are not sonically equal. The H-1201 also features Allnic’s Absorb GEL tube dampers, which reside in the tube sockets. These are designed to prevent vibration from reaching the tubes. I did find the H-1201 to be dead quiet with no unwanted microphonics. Apart from an occasional "snap" when I forgot to mute when switching between inputs, the H-1201 worked perfectly throughout my months of listening.

The higher-end Allnic phono stages are well known for their inductance-capacitance-resistance (LCR) networks for RIAA equalization, which Kang Su Park of Allnic designed from the ground up. Much more common across the audio industry is the use of a capacitance/resistance (CR) network. The H-1201 uses one of these. An LCR network has much lower impedance -- 600 ohms, with a mere 13 ohms series impedance -- and lower signal loss than with a CR network, but it's much more costly to design and implement -- considerations when you're trying to design to a particular price point, as Kang Su Park has done with the H-1201.

As with all Allnic products, the H-1201 uses Permalloy transformers and has top-mounted knobs on those transformers allowing four different voltage gains: +22dB, +26dB, +28dB and +32dB. When added to the moving-magnet circuit’s 38dB, a total gain of 70dB is available, certainly enough for most any cartridge the H-1201 would encounter. The gain settings are also marked as turns ratios on the Permalloy transformers (x13, x20, x26 and x40). Since I’m more accustomed to thinking in terms of cartridge loading, online calculators helped me convert these settings to 278, 118, 70 and 29 ohms. The manual wisely advises you to try each setting to hear which matches your cartridge best, and I did find the +22dB (278 ohms) setting best for my Audiomusikraft Denon 103. The Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood is a moving-magnet cartridge, and that input is set at 47k ohms.

I began my listening with Virgil Fox’s version of Bach’s famous Toccata and Fugue in D minor from The Fox Touch Vol. 1 [Crystal Clear Records CCS-7001]. When Fox plays the pedals at the end of the piece, I experienced the fight-or-flight feeling I get when I hear powerful pipe organs in person. The H-1201 managed to re-create this nervous excitement in me, and those bass notes absolutely throbbed in my living room. My Altec speakers cannot plumb the depths of the first octave of bass, but their re-creation of the second octave was exemplary, and I had never experienced that sensation using my reference phono stage. Interestingly, I was using the H-1201's moving-magnet input at this point, and it was certainly satisfying. I honestly couldn't remember getting this sort of powerful sound out of my Clearaudio cartridge before. I switched to the Audiomusikraft Denon 103 for the rest of the review period, in order to evaluate the moving-coil section.

Bob James and Earl Klugh collaborated on One on One [Tappanzee FC 36241] to produce a mixture of jazz fusion and pop/rock that I still turn to for relaxation and nostalgic fun. The album has three different bassists, and with the Allnic phono stage, it was easy to discern each player’s contribution. Ron Carter’s upright bass had a nice, warm purr, while Gary King plays with a lighter, more melodic approach on his electric bass. Neil Jason’s sound was somewhere in between: soft and warm, but with a less intrusive approach to bass foundation. In addition to the bass clarity, Harvey Mason’s toms had longer reverb tails than I remember hearing before.

This window of extra clarity in the low midrange and bass made me wonder if the H-1201 might make it a good choice for piano recordings. Glenn Gould performing The English Suites Vol. 3 [Columbia M2 39682] had great clarity and lack of bloat in the left hand, while Gould’s vocalizations were present without being spotlit. I attended two piano recitals during the review period, and well-maintained pianos have a consistency of timbre in the three octaves centered around middle C. My own phono stage adds extra left-hand warmth to piano recordings, while the Allnic H-1201 sounds more realistic in this regard.

Preparing to coach one of my college trumpet students on Hindemith’s Sonate für Trompete und Klavier, I sampled Edward Tarr’s version [BIS LP-152]. The H-1201 treated me to a highly accurate trumpet tone and, again, a fine rendering of piano. I won’t tell you that I could guess Tarr's trumpet and mouthpiece choice just from listening, but through the H-1201 it was easy to recognize a big trumpet tone, which does come from using a large mouthpiece. My guess was confirmed in the liner notes. Tarr’s trumpet had a solid tonal center with just a touch of airiness that rang true to my ears.

Lateral placement of images was a strength of the H-1201, and I especially enjoyed the reissue of Stealers Wheel [Intervention Records IR-001] with it. "Stuck in the Middle" was great fun through the Allnic phono stage. It properly placed the guitars, panned hard left and right, followed by a propulsive and prominent bass line. Gerry Rafferty’s voice was a solid image in the room and positioned higher on the stage than the bass. Finally, the handclaps were placed out in front of the soundstage and in a different recorded space than the other musicians. This sort of sonic panorama made getting lost in the music a regular occurrence.

The entirety of the treble region sounded fast and accurate, and it was well integrated with the rest of the tonal spectrum. Treble tone was also a touch sweet and never intruded on or reduced the realism of cymbals or high woodwinds. On Cal Tjader Stan Getz Sextet [Fantasy 3266 OJC-275], the H-1201 let me hear Tjader’s yarn mallet "thonk" sound when he struck the bar as a separate sound followed by the ringing of the bars. It's fairly easy to reproduce the basic tone of the vibraphone, but the H-1201 brought me closer to the sound and mechanism of the instrument.

Closely related to the treble and the soundstage's right-to-left spread, if there was an aspect of the H-1201's sound that will generate some differences of opinion, it is its capturing of fine detail, especially spatial cues in the treble. I never could wring the large dome of air over live performers or extreme depth in the soundstage. An example comes from The Fox Touch. As noted, listening to this LP was a stirring experience, but a slight reduction in ambience lessened the impression of Virgil Fox performing on the Fratelli-Ruffatti organ in a large, reverberant church, although this did make Bach’s contrapuntal lines easier to follow.

While this aspect of the H-1201's performance didn’t bother me, it does bear mentioning for those listeners who value an especially airy, deep soundstage. Some audio gear can take you to the site of the original recording, capturing abundant space and hall reverb. Conversely, other gear brings the performers to your living room, enhancing the sense of intimacy. The H-1201 is firmly in the latter camp, and reinstalling my Fosgate Signature phono stage ($2500), reiterated this point, bringing back the air and space, even if the Fosgate couldn’t compare to the Allnic’s midrange presence, bass precision and tonal truth.

The H-1201 is an accomplished entry point into the Allnic line of phono stages. It is not inexpensive and has many competitors at its price point, each offering its own set of virtues. Some solid-stage units are designed to provide lots of quiet gain, often at the reduction of analog's inherent tonal color and presence. Other tube units succeed or fail on the strength of the tubes used, sometimes trading resolution for a romantic glow that can obscure detail. Such is the way of designing a phono stage when cost definitely is an object.

In contrast, what Allnic offers with the H-1201 is perfectionist audio with just enough flexibility to accommodate most cartridges and the elimination of features that might degrade the sound. The H-1201's midrange clarity was first-rate, its bass was precise and tuneful, and its treble was pure and sweet. Ultimately, the H-1201 honored the music and the LPs from which it came. I will miss it.

Price: $3450.
Warranty: Two years parts and labor.

Allnic Audio
1105 Sicox Tower, 513-14
Sangdaewong-1dong, Jungwon-gu, Songnam-City, Kyuungi-do
462-806, Korea
031-777-9447
www.allnicaudio.com

Allnic Audio USA
www.allnicaudiousa.com

Associated Equipment

Analog: J.A. Michell Gyrodec turntable with Orbe platter and bearing; Ortofon TA110 and Zeta tonearms; Audiomusikraft Denon 103 and Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood cartridges; Fosgate Signature phono stage.

Preamps: McCormack TLC-1, Yamamoto Soundcraft CA-4.

Amplifiers: Yamamoto Soundcraft A-09.

Speakers: Altec Lansing Valencia.

Cables: BPT IC-SL interconnects; BPT SC-9L speaker cables; BPT C-9 and L-9CST, Yamamoto (came with amp), and Shunyata Venom power cords.

Power distribution: BPT 2.0 and CPT.

© www.theaudiobeat.com