The top-of-the-line device from BLUE AMP when compromises are undesirable.
No matter which drive/pickup combination you use, a model 42 perfectly renders every fine detail in a breathtaking holographic space. Instruments and voices appear as if carved in stone in terms of their position.
All our phono stages sensitize your right brain to a whole new level – but a model 42 does it as perfectly as only a divine diva can, yet without any airs and graces – simply as a sonic experience of the highest order.
Your records don't even have to be perfectly clean; as long as there are no major scratches, you will experience a sound quality on par with a master tape.
The internal qualities are determined by absolute durability and precision.
Some say that processing such tiny and highly sensitive signals as those from an MC system can only be achieved with small SMD components – in order to enable the shortest possible conductor tracks on the circuit board layout. At BLUE AMP, we have a completely different philosophy. We exclusively use classic components (THT components – Through-Hole Technology). With a sophisticated design of the conductor tracks, we can process even the smallest signals in the 2-digit microvolt range without any problems. The use of these classic THT components offers several advantages in terms of their longevity. Due to their larger mechanical dimensions, THT components are subjected to significantly less thermal stress than SMD components during the soldering process alone – this alone extends their service life many times over. In addition, the connecting wires are bent and cut by hand before soldering and after assembly. Only then does the soldering process take place. This process is very time-consuming and is still used in technology where maximum reliability is required, even under shock and vibration loads (aircraft technology, satellite technology, military technology).
These THT components also offer the advantage that they can still be repaired even after decades. This is another reason why a BLUE AMP Phono is an absolutely sustainable product.
We exclusively use resistors with a tolerance of 0.1% – such resistors are only used in measurement technology. The most important capacitors are measured by hand and tuned for each channel.
The tolerance of the input impedances is in the hundredths range. The deviation in gain between the two channels is a maximum of 1 mV, based on an output voltage of 1000 mV.
In reviews of many of our competitors' phono stages, the topic of subsonic filters is often discussed at length, with the question of which lower cut-off frequency is the right or best one.
Whether it should be 15 Hz, 12 Hz, or 7 Hz, we at BLUE AMP have decided on the absolute best option—no subsonic filter at all. Every filter has not only a lower but also an upper cut-off frequency (or "roll-off" - I was not sure). And regardless of whether the filter slope is designed to be very weak at 6 dB, stronger at 12 dB, or very sharp at 24 dB, the frequencies above it are also affected by such a filter. And if the question now arises as to what and how much difference this makes to the sound and whether you would even hear it, our opinion is: if a record is so warped that you would want a subsonic filter, then you should put the record back on the shelf – or throw it away, unless your sentimental side is screaming loudly. A record like that has no place on a BLUE AMP phono stage. Isn't that a bit radical? Yes, it is!
And if the bass just booms away uncontrollably and annoyingly, then it is 100 % due to the combination of too much bass energy from the existing speakers and the interaction with the acoustic properties of the listening room – and even a subsonic filter won't help. That's a different and also not easy topic.
We used to offer this feature in former model 42 – but we are also learning, have drawn the consequences, and introduced a STEREO/Mono switch instead. This function is not needed very often either. But this switch is also quite useful when listening to mono recordings. Of course, you can also listen to mono recordings in STEREO mode, and the entire sound is very precisely centered.
However, if you switch the small toggle switch on the back to MONO, you suddenly no longer hear any of the background noise that you didn't notice before, and an almost eerie dark silence envelops the voices and instruments. Instinctively, you might turn the volume up a little higher, and the dynamics that you can now hear make you feel a little reverent.
As we learned from people in the recording studio industry, it is not uncommon for records to have been mixed with the wrong phase during mastering—with a model 42, this minor problem can be quickly remedied by flipping a small toggle switch. That is why a model 42 offers phase switching. This feature can also be used to quickly check whether the speakers are connected with the correct phase during installation. Voilà
All functions of a model 42 are switched via relays. This is done using small toggle switches on the rear panel. The selected function is indicated by small light points on the front panel. Each time the unit is switched on, all relays undergo a 20-second cleaning sequence – then it takes another 8 seconds until the outputs are enabled. This cleaning sequence ensures that the contact transition resistances always correspond exactly to the values directly at the time of manufacture. A unique feature.
If the mains power supply fails, the outputs are immediately muted, providing maximum protection for your speakers against unwanted signals.
The model 42 is BLUE AMP's answer to the question “about life, the universe, and everything else” Simply 42. Hear for yourself.