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Tron Nemesis RIAA Phono Amplifier

GT

pfm Member
Once in a lifetime something really special comes along which changes peoples perception of what is possible in terms of performance and quality. Enter the Nemesis! A valve phono amplifier all others will be judged against.

TRON-Nemesis-1008349-phono-stage-1.jpg


RIAA Phono Amplifier
It took 5 years to locate all the parts to build this very special phono amplifier and a further 2 years to design and 3 months to construct it.

The Nemesis RIAA is a two-box phono amplifier. One box houses the power supply and the other houses the audio RIAA circuit. There are only 4 valves (tubes), two in each channel in the audio section and 4 valves (tubes) in the power supply. The phono circuit is very simple with very few parts to corrupt the delicate audio signal. In the power supply there are 8 mains transformers including one especially for powering the 2 LEDs so their noise does not pollute the audio power supply and audio circuits. This is the level of detail that has gone in to this design. All mains transformers and chokes are all custom wound by hand on the highest quality C section cores. These are custom made and therefore not available to anyone else. Very rare capacitors are used together with C section chokes for amazing clarity, tonality and timbre.

All internal wiring is made from audio grade 6 nines pure silver in the audio circuit signal path, and 6 nines OFC copper for the power supply and other wiring. All RCA sockets are the top quality WBT pure silver types. The internal build quality has to be seen to be believed. Something Graham is famous for, his meticulous attention to detail and construction techniques which all aid in creating the perfect sounding phono amplifier, as well as the quietest phono stage made today.

Features:
  • Unprecedented signal to noise
  • Very short signal path
  • Choke regulated power supplies
  • Valve/Tube complement (RIAA): 4 x D3a's
  • Valve/Tube Complement (Power Supply): 4 x 7Y4's
  • Passive RIAA Filter for excellent signal purity
  • Internal MC option available
  • Unique slow start filament supply circuit
  • Precision Ceramic valve/tube bases
  • High quality pure silver WBT RCA connectors
  • CNC machined chassis finished in Titanium and Silver
  • Hand assembled in England
  • All parts supplied by British and European companies
Specification:
RIAA Unit
  • Input: - 1 x RCA input (L & R)
  • Output: - 1 x RCA output (L & R)
  • Gain: - 50dB
  • Input Impedance: - 47K ohms
  • Output Impedance: - 650 ohms
  • Frequency Response: - 20Hz – 20KHz (+/- 0.5dB)
  • Size - Control Unit: - (L x W x H): 40cm x 27cm x 18cm
  • Weight: - 25Kgs
Power Supply
  • Mains Supply: -115–240 volts AC (50–60Hz)
  • Power Consumption 115v - 130watts, 230v - 65watts
  • Earth lift included
  • Size: - Power Supply (L x W x H): 40cm x 27cm x 18cm
  • Weight: - 35Kgs
  • Warranty: - 10 years (parts and labour)
Extra information: It comes configured for MM as it was designed to work with the matching Nemesis MC transformer which is also listed on the website. However, it can be configured for MC for those not wanting to use an external MC transformer. There will be a limited number of 10 amplifiers produced. Each amplifier takes 3 months to build and assemble. There are 7 layers of internal damping between the feet and the amplifying valves. It is completely noise free which is a huge achievement for any phono stage, let alone a valve/tube based one. There are 8 mains transformers and 10 chokes in the power supply as well as a lot of custom parts especially made for this unique 60Kg (132lbs) phono stage.

More info can be found at:
https://tron-electric.co.uk/nemesis/nemesis-riaa-phono-stage/

The matching line stage preamplifier can be found here:
https://tron-electric.co.uk/nemesis/nemesis-preamplifier/

email: [email protected]
tel: +44 (0) 1895 833099
 
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I know Charlie. It's one of a kind. I only plan on making 10. I knew it would be good but I wasn't expecting this jump in performance. Just been listening into it tonight with a new screened phono cable between the Nemesis Step-Up Transformer and the Nemesis RIAA and it was in the room stuff...
 
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Having watched this being developed over the last few years it is a thing of rare beauty and a significant personal achievement. I can not think of many people with Graham's committment to excellence and single minded execution. So do you have any more mountains to climb or dragons to slay?
 
Having watched this being developed over the last few years it is a thing of rare beauty and a significant personal achievement. I can not think of many people with Graham's committment to excellence and single minded execution. So do you have any more mountains to climb or dragons to slay?

Thanks Peter. I have a few more projects in mind. When the Atlantic 300B monos are completed, I would like to design and build a 211 "state of the art" mono-block amplifier to aid to my trusty Telstar. Also, I am looking at resurrecting the Tron Disc-Drive for powering the Garrard 301/401 turntables using valves. This along with the current production of Tron products should keep me busy for the next couple of years... :)
 
Do they have a figure against the unprecedented SNR?

The signal to noise is so low it is very difficult to accurately measure. It's quite obvious when you play records. Set the preamplifier's volume to a high level, then lift the stylus off the record and you will hear total silence. In fact, it is impossible to hear if the phono stage is actually switched on. Also you can go and listen up against the speakers and you will hear nothing until the stylus is back on the record again. I have never heard any phono stage with this level of signal to noise and I have had everything through our workshop over the years.
 


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