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Austria, Vienna
1 Level
765 Review
53 Karma

Review on Nobsound T12 Phono Preamp: turntable preamplifier, headphone amplifier for MM & MC with built-in RIAA by Stephen Doyle

Revainrating 3 out of 5

Good for volume controls and headphones - not great sound quality

I'm not a big music lover to begin with - I collect records and like things to sound halfway decent. Here are my thoughts. Pros: I bought this preamp because it was affordable, it had a volume control (I like being able to adjust the level of the phono stage with other components and also being able to control the level throughout the room). ) and because it had a headphone jack. I have a DAC/Amp (Douk Audio P1) on my desk and a TT across the room. Sometimes I like to sit in front of my turntable and listen through headphones while turning the volume what the T12 can do. Being able to switch between MM and MC seems pointless to me, because if you use a system of this caliber, you have to pay more for a preamp. I would prefer if they remove this functionality and improve the rest of the components. Now for the bad: the sound just isn't very good. I don't mean from an over-the-top, audiophile standpoint - I mean it sounds muddy and muffled, even without A/B testing with the best preamp. I wouldn't call it passable. Again, I love the features, but I can't get over the bad sound. It works. Maybe a good start. But there are other options in this price range that will give you better results - maybe just without the headphones and volume controls.

Pros
  • Great construction
Cons
  • Crumpled packaging