About a phono preamp

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Hello

Here is a phono preamp using the LM318 but at pin 1 and 5 it use a super-matched LM394 transistors pair.

The LM318 are a fast op-amp with no rise of distortions in high frequency or at very low level, its an old but good op-amp.

There is more modern op-amps but most of them do have a strong rise of distortions in high frequency or at very low level.

This circuit use an external LTP input to keep the speed but not the noise.

Any opinions, ideas ?

Bye

Gaetan
 

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It's better to use a modern opamp. This technique was a sign of missing good low noise opamps. You may check for opamps with noise figures of 1 nV/Hz or so. AD797, LT1028, AD4898 etc.

Hello peranders

Yes I know that there is op-amps with much lower noise, but looking in data sheets, most of them do have a strong rise of distortions in high frequency and at very low level, and that are not very good since it's an indication of an input common mode distortions and output crossover distortions.

Thank

Bye

Gaetan
 
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you can take advantage of the fact that the transfer linearity in most op´s is much better
then the common mode case. that requires to use the 0p with phase inverting shunt feedback. you can see that the LT1028 distorts much less if you go for an inverter stage (see distortion at -1000)
there is another circuit that has no common mode distortion and high input impedance if the input impedance of the shunt stage is a problem.
 

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Hello

Here is a phono preamp using the LM318 but at pin 1 and 5 it use a super-matched LM394 transistors pair.

The LM318 are a fast op-amp with no rise of distortions in high frequency or at very low level, its an old but good op-amp.

There is more modern op-amps but most of them do have a strong rise of distortions in high frequency or at very low level.

This circuit use an external LTP input to keep the speed but not the noise.

Any opinions, ideas ?

Bye

Gaetan

I have found this circuit by a commercial preamp from "Musical Fidelity" without type number. The model was simply "The Preamplifier"
 
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Don't forget that starting at 2120Kz, the RIAA response drops off at 20dB/decade, so this makes the loop gain requirement less onerous than say an amplifer that has a flat transfer function. That said, there still some pretty good new op-amps out there (as listed in above threads) that will do an alright job. LT also published a design based on their LT1115 (IIRC) - you mught want to try googling that. Otherwise, Syn08 has some fine designs. Good luck.
 
I built the circuit in question in 1980 - LM318 / LM394. It was published first in National Semiconductor's Linear Application Guide in July of 1979. I used it with my Thorens TD 126 II / Shure 3009 / Pioneer PC1000, and listened through my Tympani IIIs. There's no better phono amp circuit. Not then, not now - 40 years later. The 318's slew rate of 70v / us guarantees unmeasurable slew induced distortion or TIM and excellent feedback characteristics in the RIAA circuit when the feedback gain goes very high. The 394 supermatch pair has a noise level 1dB above ambient. Use all the more modern stuff you want, I'll match my stuff against anything, anywhere, any time. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only setup that will track the Telarc 1812 cannons accurately.
 
Hello

Here is a phono preamp using the LM318 but at pin 1 and 5 it use a super-matched LM394 transistors pair.

The LM318 are a fast op-amp with no rise of distortions in high frequency or at very low level, its an old but good op-amp.

There is more modern op-amps but most of them do have a strong rise of distortions in high frequency or at very low level.

This circuit use an external LTP input to keep the speed but not the noise.

Any opinions, ideas ?

Bye

Gaetan
LM318 is not suitable for audio circuits because it has poor damping, or in other word, it rings. The super-matched LM394 transistors pair may help the noise problem to some degree in low level phono stage. But the overall performance will not be good. You can substitute the LM318 with a NE5534 and get much more audible results, but no better than an active RIAA single stage NE5534.

Most high performance design uses modern low noise opamp with 2-stage passive, active RIAA.
 
You're mistaken. Certainly there are modern op amps that are a better choice than the 318 / 394 pair, but the 5534 is not one of them. It's noisier than the 394, and has a significantly worse slew rate than the 318. Slew rate is critical in this application.

If you had said a 6624 or 6629 I would have accepted your post.
 
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