Lancashire based Rothwell Audio Products Ltd have announced the release of their Signature Two discrete transistor moving coil phonostage which is the result of over twenty-five years’ experience in the design of these devices. Within the phonostage itself, there are neither transformers nor op-amps resulting in, say Rothwell, “a stunningly clear aural experience”.

The four-stage unit uses discrete transistors operating in class A. Stage one is a low-noise circuit with adjustable load impedance from 32Ω to 1100Ω and variable gain from 52dB to 72dB with load and gain independently adjustable. Stage two precedes the passive RIAA network. Stage three is another gain stage and stage four buffers the output for low impedance.

The on-board linear power supply uses a toroidal transformer, generous sized capacitors and another proprietary low noise discrete transistor voltage regulator. Rothwell state that “the carefully regulated supply to the first stage delivers extremely low noise and ripple, far lower than the common off-the-shelf monolithic alternatives”.

Like all Rothwell products, the Signature Two is designed and built in the UK.

Gain                                             52dB – 72dB
input impedance                       32Ω – 1100Ω
output impedance                     75R
sensitivity for 500mV o/p         0.13mV – 1.3mV
headroom                                   >20dB
signal/noise                                >87dB
power supply                             internal, linear regulated 24VDC
mains voltage                            120 VAC/235VAC
power consumption                  2W
dimensions                                 430 x 250 x 74mm, weight 4kg