Cambridge Audio Alva Solo MM Phono Preamplifier

Enjoy every last detail from your vinyl collection with our highest quality moving magnet phono stage, the Solo Phono Preamplifier.

Every LP you send through this preamp sounds velvety smooth. There’s a complimentary warmth to the sound that works wonders with your vinyl library. Its presentation is spacious but cohesive, offering three-dimensionality while hanging its image front and centre. Healthy dynamics help the music drive rhythmically, supporting the Solo’s confident timing with beats of varying intensity. Thanks to a capable sound and fantastic build, this machine delivers the goods…and then some. Few other options out there can match this kind of listening experience, which to put it mildly, is pretty amazing.

Rarely does Cambridge fire too wide of the mark, but the Solo hits right at the centre of the target. It's a well-specified, full-bodied, dynamic performer. You really can’t go wrong. Indeed, there’s a great deal of transparency and fidelity to this sound – revealing a rich and rewarding listening experience you won't be able to tear myself away from.

Vinyl As It Is Supposed to Sound 

Whether you’re dusting off your record collection or embracing analogue through the vinyl revival, there’s a unique experience to be had from the moment you drop the needle on your favourite album. To preserve the unique warmth of the vinyl sound, the Solo phono preamplifier has been carefully designed with a state-of-the-art switch mode power supply and a new surface mounted circuit board layout to reduce unwanted noise.

Why Choose A Dedicated Phono Stage? 

Due to the low-level signals created by a turntable, not all hi-fi amplifiers will let you connect directly to a record player. The phono preamplifier boosts this signal to something a power amplifier can work with. The challenge at this stage though is that noise can easily be added.

This is why Cambridge Audio designed the Solo around exceptional components that deliver the warm and detailed sound that’s synonymous with vinyl, all without distorting the signal from your moving magnet cartridge. The switch mode power supply improves performance by switching outside of audible frequency to drastically reduce hum and new circuit board layout uses surface-mount components to reduce noise.The Solo can be connected easily to a line-input (AUX etc) of your amplifier or other audio device with an auxiliary input (either 2 RCA or 3.5MM Headphone plug style).

Attention to Detail 

If some records in your collection are a little worse for wear, the subsonic filter will help to eliminate low frequency rumbles that can be caused by imperfections within your vinyl. Combine this with the balance control for handling potential cartridge imbalances in your record player (that can cause a difference between the left and right channels) and the result is a detailed experience with accurate soundstage.

Technical Specifications