For the past decade, Silbatone has specialized in the design of truly reference grade phono pre-amplifiers, not only because we are great fans of this medium, but also because we feel that the potential of LP playback is only recently beginning to be fully understood. Technologically and in performance terms, the phono preamp has lagged somewhat behind in development compared to power amplifiers. Indeed, phono pre-amplifiers offer very difficult challenges to designers and manufacturers and these have often gone unmet in even very expensive models. We want to do better.
 
Our latest entry in the reference grade pre-amplifier arena is the SQ-101 all-silver LCR preamp. There are a total of six silver transformers in this unit - switchable 1:10 and 1:20 silver litz MC transformers of the finest grade and a silver wired nanocrystal core output transformer. LCR inductors are also silver wired on permalloy cores. Great measures were undertaken to make the SQ-101 a fully direct coupled instrument, with no signal capacitors aside from the few shunt caps necessary for RIAA equalization.
 
The SQ-101 employs only the highest-quality vacuum tubes. A German Post D3a in a super low noise configuration is the input tube, followed by a 7044 buffer, silver inductor LCR EQ filter, a triode WE310A voltage amplifier, and then our 7044 silver transformer-coupled output buffer. The output stage has been refined though several generations of Line amplifiers, including a medium-priced unit introduced last year, the L-103, that was adopted as personal reference unit by the two most prominent audio editors in Japan.
 
We designed the SQ-101 circuit for incredible headroom which we consider a neglected quantity in phono amplifiers. This circuit can tolerate an astounding 0.5V signal at 10kHz before overloading. Sensitivity is 2V output for 5mV in at the MM input. Exceptionally low noise and a combination of great detail, delicacy, and free realistic dynamics make this a true stand-out among reference quality pre-amplifiers.
 
Frankly, it is not easy to equal, let alone surpass some of our best previous efforts in phono amplifier design. Even incremental improvement comes at the expense of considerable resources and experimentation. In the case of the SQ-101, we put forth our best parts and design concepts in a rather ambitious program to create a reference unit that we believe stands with the best phono pre-amplifiers the world has known.
 
We invite analog enthusiasts who are weary of compromises to consider the Silbatone SQ-101 Pre-amplifier. Luxurious in construction quality and execution, and built that way by phono fanatics to bring home the ultimate luxury of profound musical enjoyment of your treasured LP collection.