The Iridium is a valve phonostage for moving magnet and high-output moving coil cartridges.
Finance example
£275.00 initial 20% deposit then £91.67 per month for 12 months. Other finance terms available. Finance subject to statusIridium
£1,375
Valve phonostages from Rothwell aren’t new – the first one dates back to
1990 with pre-production prototypes going back to the 1980s. Remember,
that was back when CD was a relatively new medium, most integrated amps
and pre-amps still had on-board phonostages and the very idea of an
out-board phonostage was pretty much unheard of. A valve outboard
phonostage was very radical at the time and companies like Musical
Fidelity or Cambridge Audio hadn’t even started making outboard
phonostages. With a quarter of a century’s experience in phonostage
design, the quality of the Iridium is assured.
The gain stages in the Iridium are built around ECC83 valves, chosen for their proven track record in small signal audio amplification and because they are widely available and easy to replace when required.
RIAA equalisation is achieved passively with audiophile polypropylene
capacitors and precision resistors, the valve heaters are powered by a
regulated DC supply to eliminate low level hum, the HT supply is
multi-filtered to eliminate ripple and separate left/right filters are
used to minimise crosstalk and internal wiring uses solid-core
silver-plated oxygen-free copper with PTFE insulation. No global
feedback is used.
The cliche of valve “warmth” implies a distinct colouration which the Iridium simply doesn’t have. Instead the listener enjoys very finely revealed detail, a wide and deep soundstage and freedom from harshness at high frequencies. Dense recordings with many overdubs reveal all the individual parts with each instrument having room to breathe. The acoustics of the recording environment are also revealed, giving a satisfying sense of scale.
