Mola Mola Releases Highly Versatile and Connected Phono Preamplifier
From the northern Netherlands, Mola Mola has announced its Lupe standalone MM/MC Phone Stage.
Originally conceived as an optional add-on for the company's award-winning and highly prized Makua Preamplifier, the standalone Lupe version "has evolved the product into one of the quietest and most versatile phono stages ever built", says the company.
The latter brag is down to the high-end phono stage, featuring several levels of fine signal adjustment. Input gain is switchable in 5dB steps over a 40dB range. Input resistance and capacitance are individually switchable. Available EQ settings cover practically all known cutting curves, including 78 RPM. Mola Mola states that Lupe's input noise is rated at 0.35nV/rtHz (MC) and 0.9pA/rtHz (MC) with RIAA conformance +/-0.1dB.
Mola Mola has developed the RIAA phono stage from its Makua pre-amplifier and Kula integrated amplifier to create an enhanced standalone component dubbed Lupe, which aptly appears to be German for magnifying glass given those small signals it will be taking care of.
Lupe's vast array of features, including four multiple independent MC/MM input stages, remotely switchable gain, resistance, capacitance, and EQ settings for various cutting curves, highlights the product's sophistication. There's also a switchable subsonic filter. The convenience of software-controlled settings via the Mola Mola Remote app also adds a layer of modernity to an already cutting-edge device. Of particular convenience is the ability to make on-the-fly adjustments or recall settings under the four preset buttons - all from the listening position.
Mola Mola's "half-sized chassis" design provides elegance and functionality, emphasising the meticulous attention to detail that Mola Mola has poured into this phono preamplifier.
Available now, the Mola Mola Lupe sells in Australia for $12,950 RRP.
For more information visit Mola Mola
Gallery
Marc Rushton
StereoNET’s Founder and Publisher was born in England and raised on British Hi-Fi before moving to Australia. He developed an early love of music and playing bass guitar before discovering the studio and the other side of the mixing desk. After a few years writing for audio magazines, Marc saw the future in digital publishing and founded the first version of StereoNET, known at the time as Planet Audio, in 1999.
Posted in: Hi-Fi
JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION
Want to share your opinion or get advice from other enthusiasts? Then head into the MessageForums where thousands of other enthusiasts are communicating on a daily basis.
CLICK HERE FOR FREE MEMBERSHIP
Trending
applause awards
Each time StereoNET reviews a product, it is considered for an Applause Award. Winning one marks it out as a design of great quality and distinction – a special product in its class, on the grounds of either performance, value for money, or usually both.
Applause Awards are personally issued by StereoNET’s global Editor-in-Chief, David Price – who has over three decades of experience reviewing hi-fi products at the highest level – after consulting with our senior editorial team. They are not automatically given with all reviews, nor can manufacturers purchase them.
The StereoNET editorial team includes some of the world’s most experienced and respected hi-fi journalists with a vast wealth of knowledge. Some have edited popular English language hi-fi magazines, and others have been senior contributors to famous audio journals stretching back to the late 1970s. And we also employ professional IT and home theatre specialists who work at the cutting edge of today’s technology.
We believe that no other online hi-fi and home cinema resource offers such expert knowledge, so when StereoNET gives an Applause Award, it is a trustworthy hallmark of quality. Receiving such an award is the prerequisite to becoming eligible for our annual Product of the Year awards, awarded only to the finest designs in their respective categories. Buyers of hi-fi, home cinema, and headphones can be sure that a StereoNET Applause Award winner is worthy of your most serious attention.