MUSICAL FIDELITY LX2-LPS Phono Stage (Black)

I have several turntables and cartridges. This great pre allows 2 turntables with a MM on one and a MC on the other. No cable swapping and you can select MM/MC on the front panel. This model does not come with loading plugs, but you really don’t need them for great sound. I think the real secret to this pre is you need to get that EPS light to turn on, to the right of the normal power light. It makes the great detailed sound even better. You need a 24VDC power supply. A 24V regulated linear power supply is better, or a 24VDC power bank is the absolute best. Amazing full soundstage and exquisite low end freqs will greet you with the change in power supplies. There is an electronics company in Belmont CA that has the wall-wart power supples that work perfectly and inexpensively. Just Google it. .

The LX2-LPS phono pre-amp is one of many good units under $500. Musical Fidelity has agreat reputation for very clean wide bandwidth products and the LX2-LPS lives up to that heritage. My LX2-LPS replaces a Pro-Ject Phono Tube Box (PJPTB) unit and in my opinion is an improvement in high frequency clarity, air, and spaciousness.The real benefit for me is not even touted in the item description. The LX2-LPS has separate MM and MC inputs and has separate "electronic front ends" for each input which is then switchable MM or MC on the front panel. This means I can have a MM cartridge on one and a MC on another and without unplugging and plugging cables I can switch between them. I have a turntable with two arms and have Decca Super Gold on one arm plugged into the MM input and I have a second arm with an Ortofon Kontrapunkt B plugged into the MC input. I can then just switch between the two - allowing instantaneous best selection of cartridge to record. Nothing else out there except more expensive MF units does this. I am thrilled with it's sound quality and convenience.

I’ll knock off a star for the LX2 not coming with loading plugs like the previous LX version. This model has a wall wart switching power supply that can be upgraded to a linear power supply, but those don’t seem to exist. I can’t even find them on the Musical Fidelity website. Still, this sounds great.

Initially, I plugged this in and thought “huh, that sounds good”. Then curiosity got the better of me and I did an A-B comparison with my Yamaha AS-301 phono stage, and the difference was stark. The LX2 breathes analog warmth and life into the music, almost like it’s a mix being mastered. With my Fluance RT81 moving magnet cartridge, it does provide a significant gain boost, which I was concerned would cause distortion. The LX2 rides the line of audible analog distortion without ever getting there. It just makes everything sound fuller, with better spatial imaging, and a deep, warm low end and low mids. If you’re enjoying the improved fidelity of vinyl and considering whether this is a worthwhile upgrade to your phono stage, it is!

About the phono pream Musical Fidelity LX2/LPS. I was very happy to get it. It worked for almost three months. I don’t know why it stopped working so I had to returned it.Concerning the sound: Very musical. Very clear neutral sound and zero noise behind .Pops/ clips: Happened mainly in older recordings of classical music and I never figured out if it were my speakers, the stylus alignment or the preamp that provoked them.Preamp started reaching its breaking point towards the third month. Soundstage became more open.Well built preamp. Standard AC adapter can be improved. Never used it aboard but supposedly can be plugged in the range 110 to 240.

After spending way too much time researching phono preamps of varying price and condition, I bought this guy to replace the internal phono in my Marantz nr1200 integrated. I’m happy I did. Now, using the lx2, everything sounds fuller, cleaner, more realistic, with a much more pleasant presentation. The unit stays powered on, with just a tiny blue light on the front letting you know it’s powered up. Aesthetically it is very tasteful and discreet. Plug it in, turn it on, set it and forget it. I’d imagine this product is nigh impossible to beat at this price. Go for it before they run out!

This has low noise and does its job, but the lack of line level amplification (getting the signal to a moderate level over the rca cables) is proving challenging with a good analog tube amp. Going to have to find another pre with higher output signal.

Far and away the most involving and satisfying sub-$600 phono preamplifier on the market. Even with strong competition from Schiit, Parasound, Rega, iFi and others, the LX2-LPS would be a bargain at full retail price, let alone a paltry $199. Even using expensive and potentially finicky MC cartridges from Zyx and Hana this preamp punches way above its weight. In short, if you're contemplating a change from any of the aforementioned brands and don't want to spend a king's ransom, do yourself a favor and snap up one of these, pronto. It's that good.

Macht was es soll, jetzt kann ich meine LP im super Klang hören. Und habe es nicht bereut es zu kaufen, ist jeden Cent wert. Würde es immer wieder kaufen und weiter empfehlen.

Very good value for money. The MF phono stage can take either MM or MC cartridges and you can change the loading by building different plugs to add to it. Great sound from this stage. Accurate , detailed , nice bass output and detailsd highs. You can also add an external PSU should you wish.

Pre phono dal suono gradevolissimo. Da dei punti anche a pre phono integrati in molti ampli, anche dal costo abbastanza elevato. Il guadagno è molto buono, soprattutto con le testine MC. Davvero un bel gingillino.

This phono stage is quite remarkable at this price point . Small , unobtrusive and sounds very good .

Eines vorweg: Ist der Musical Fidelity den Preis wert? Ja, auf jeden Fall. Der LX2-LPS ist ordentlich verarbeitet, simpel zu bedienen und anpassbar. Im Vergleich zum Vorgänger LX stelle ich einen Unterschied im Klang fest, der LX2 bietet mehr Bass. Zudem haben die Schalter nun eine definierte Raststellung. Als wichtigste Änderung sehe ich die bessere Stromversorgung.Anschließen lassen sich MM und MC Systeme. Meine Bewertung bezieht sich auf den MM Eingang. Leider macht Musical Fidelity keine Angaben zur Eingangskapazität in der Bedienungsanleitung. Diese beträgt gemessen ca. 5pF. Somit hat man die Möglichkeit, mit unterschiedlichen Cinchkabeln die notwendige Kapazität für das verwendete MM System zu erzielen, sofern man die Kabelkapazität kennt. Alternativ können sogenannte Laststecker in den "MM Load" Anschluss gesteckt werden. Diese muss man sich aber selbst organisieren oder zusammenlöten. Letzteres ist die günstigste Lösung, die Widerstände kosten nur ein paar Cent, Cinchstecker auch nicht die Welt. Eventuell kann der Vertrieb von MF mittlerweile auch schon was anbieten.Vergleichen konnte ich die Musical Fidelity mit der Pro-ject Phono Box SE, der Phono Box DS+ und der Musical Fidelity LX-LPS.Die beiden Pro-ject sind ordentliche Geräte, die neuere DS+ kann mit sehr bequemer Bedienung und praxisgerechten Einstellwerten trumpfen. Auch der Klang ist richtig gut, besser als die alte SE.Die alte MF LX-LPS kann klanglich mithalten, fällt aber bei Komfort und Bedienung deutlich ab. Hier hatte ich besseren Klang erwartet als bei der Pro-ject, dem war nicht so. Leider wurde meine Phono Box DS+ während der Garantiezeit defekt, ging zu Amazon zurück. Als Ersatz habe ich dann die aktuelle Musical Fidelity LX2-LPS bestellt. Angeschlossen, eingeschaltet, gestaunt. Der selbe Plattenspieler Dual 750-1 mit Audio Technica AT-VM95ML, alle Kabel identisch, gleiche Lastkapazität (gemessen). Dagegen fällt die Phono Box+ im Bass deutlich ab, klingt vergleichsweise schlank, erscheint mir ein wenig räumlicher aber auch nervöser im Hochton.Die Musical Fidelity hat einen vergleichsweise vollen, satten Klang, übertreibt es manchmal im Bass schon ein wenig. Höhen, Auflösung, alles passt. So kann stundenlang entspannt Vinyl gehört werden.