Sutherland - Sutherland Ph3D Phono Preamp

"…When it comes to analog playback, a low noise threshold is king, and freedom from a potentially noisy wall outlet is a logical and straightforward way to get those legendary black backgrounds that the mega-buck phono stages routinely provide. The Sutherland Ph3D, at $1,000, is one of the most affordable battery-powered phono stages on the market…Overall, the Ph3D was an energetic and expansive phono stage, giving the music a great sense of momentum and size…an extraordinary amount of detail and life…The Ph3D is at the top of the heap for phono stages in this price range and I give it our highest recommendation." – Marc Phillips, Tone Audio, No. 15, 2008

"…In the Ph3D, however, Sutherland trimmed construction costs in largely inconspicuous ways to create arguably the finest phonostage $1000 can buy…the Ph3D combines refinement, on the one hand, with a muscular, energetic sound, on the other. In short, the Ph3D offers serious high-end performance at a near-entry-level price." – The Absolute Sound 2007 Product of the Year Awards, January 2008

"Sutherland's PH3D has a simplicity and cleanliness that matches the elegance of its design...This sense of relaxed, unhurried ease allows music to develop in its own time and with its own price. Combined with the textural and temporal insights the Sutherland makes vocals come alive. Great singers capture the listener, be it Neil Young, Lou Reed or Ella, their subtle vocal inflections and mastery of phrasing and placement making their voices captivatingly expressive…For fans of vocal and acoustic recordings this could be a no-brainer." – Roy Gregory, Hi-Fi+, Issue 50

"...The first thing Ph3D users will notice is how profoundly quiet the battery-powered phonostage really is. But more importantly, the Ph3D fills the silent spaces it creates with a wealth of low-level detail that translates directly into a heightened sense of three-dimensionality and focus...musical material that normally sounds flattened in perspective suddenly snaps into sharp 3-D focus, so that the back wall of the listening seems to melt away, revealing the world of the original performance...this Sutherland is no wimp; it offers refinement and serious muscle, too...One of the most compelling aspects of the Ph3D is that it can achieve surprisingly satisfying results with modestly priced phono cartridges...the Ph3D makes a great place to stop and listen while saving up for dream phono preamps such as the Ph.D." - Chris Martens, The Absolute Sound, April/May 2007

"…behind the music, it does sound drop-dead black…The Ph3D's overall tonality resembled the Grado cartridge 'house sound,' with a slightly soft top end and an overall pleasing, addictive liquidity throughout the audible bandwidth…the sound hung together from top to bottom. There wasn't a hard edge to be heard anywhere…if your system sounds a bit fizzy and tight, the Ph3D could be the ticket to sonic happiness, regardless of what kind of music you listen to." – Michael Fremer, Stereophile, March 2007

Ron Sutherland’s at it again – introducing his third phono preamp. The Ph3D brings the virtues of a battery-powered phono stage to an even more affordable price point. Sutherland’s new design can be considered an introduction to high-end or a final destination – the Ph3D comfortably plays both roles. By focusing on the essential elements of “high end” values, Sutherland was able to make design decisions that deliver “high end” character and good value for the money. Everything Sutherland’s designed has resulted in rave reviews from throughout the Hi-Fi editorial community. The Ph3D is destined to be yet another classic. But don’t take our word for it. Try it now, and enjoy a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Just like with Sutherland's more expensive Ph.D., the battery-powered Ph3D means complete isolation from the noisy AC power line. There's no chasing down elusive ground loops and the power supply is an easy-to-find, easy-to-buy and easy-to-replace set of D-cell batteries. A low-battery indicator light lets you know when it's time to replace the batteries, but you can expect about 1,200 hours of effective use per set of 16. The Ph3D includes five cartridge-loading values and five gain settings, both easy to adjust. The unit features a dual mono circuit board layout for the best channel separation.

Conventional designs use inexpensive, low-quality computer rocker switches. Their design is inadequate for configuring the low-level signal from a phono cartridge. To offer the user a wide range of configurations while maintaining signal integrity, the Ph3D uses gold-plated header pins and gold-plated shunts. They offer high-pressure and large surface area contacts.