Clearaudio Nano V2 Phono Preamplifier

Editor's Choice Award Winner - Hi-Fi News Magazine

"The Heart of a Lion"

Barely larger than a deck of playing cards, the Nano Phono compact phono preamplifier from Clearaudio delivers real high-end performance at a budget price, thanks to its highly effective design.

"For such a little fellow, sonically the Nano has the heart of a lion and gives its all in every performance," reports Andrew Simpson in a January 2012 review for England's Hi-Fi News magazine, which honored the Nano with an Editor's Choice Award.

"The Nano is a fantastic value; offering great versatility in a tiny package for a tiny price," notes Sixmoons.com for October 2008 in a review of the original version Nano.

Extracts the Best Results from Any Cartridge

The printed circuit board is embedded within a solid CNC-machined aluminum block, which forms a resonance-free chassis. The latest sophisticated surface-mount technology is used in conjunction with precision electronic components, such as Burr-Brown (Texas Instruments) integrated circuits, and extremely short signal paths leading to pure, hum-free, noise-free music reproduction.

The fully dual-mono design features separate left and right switches for input loading, gain control, and choice of MM or MC sensitivity, extracting the best results from virtually any cartridge.

A gain attenuator located on top of the unit allows precise level matching between the phono input and other line inputs in your hi-fi system. A power on/off button, also located on top of the chassis, is another new feature for the v2 version of the Nano.

Loading Options

The Nano Phono V2 uses a fully dual mono design for best sound quality. It may be used with either MM or MC cartridges. Cartridge type is selected with individual jumpers for the left and right channels, which are located on the underside of the unit.

The standard input impedance is set at 47 k ohms, which ensures an optimal setting for all MM cartridges. For the perfect input matching with MC cartridges, Clearaudio now includes resistor pairs, which you insert into sockets on the bottom of the chassis for loading options of 51 ohm, 200 ohm, 402 ohm, and 1 kohm. If there are no resistors connected to the jumpers while in MC mode, the cartridge is automatically loaded with 47 k ohms.

The 402 ohm resistors are recommended for Clearaudio MC cartridges. It should be noted that sometimes your personal preference for cartridge loading may differ from that recommended by the cartridge manufacturer. If so, Clearaudio recommends that you trust your own listening abilities in your own surroundings.

• MM / MC phono stage
• Extremely compact design
• Dual mono circuit design
• Inputs / outputs: unbalanced (RCA)
• Subsonic Filter: switchable (at bottom)
• MM / MC input: switchable (at bottom)
• Includes resistor pairs, which you insert into sockets on the bottom of the chassis for loading options of 51 ohm, 200 ohm, 402 ohm, and 1 kohm
• Gain attenuator allows precise level matching between the phono input and other line inputs in your hi-fi system
• Resonance-free chassis made from a solid CNC-machined aluminum block

• Amplification: 54 to 68 dB (MC-Mode); 34 to 48 dB (MM-Mode)
• Input load: 47 kohm / 220pF / MM-Mode; User / MC-Mode
• RIAA: 75μs / 318μs / 3180μs
• RIAA accuracy: ± 0,4 dB @ 20 Hz - 50 kHz
• THD: < 0,006% MC ("A" weighted @ 1kHz/-1dB @ Max
• Headroom: 18 dB / MC
• S/N: 70 dB ("A" Weighted); 81 dB ("A" Weighted)
• Power consumption: max. 2.3 Watt; in operation: 2.3 Watt
• Standby mode: < 0.3 Watt
• Channel separation: > 80 db (1 kHz)
• Max. output voltage: 10 V eff. (1 kHz)
• Power supply: ± 18 V DC/300mA (external power supply)
• Consumption power: < 0.3W/Standby mode
• Dimensions: 3.3" wide, 1" high, 4.1" deep
• Weight: approx. 1.1 lbs (phonostage and power supply)
• Manufacturer's limited warranty: 3 years (only if the Manufacturer's guarantee card is filled out correctly and sent back within two weeks to Clearaudio)

Editor's Choice Award Winner - Hi-Fi News Magazine

"For such a little fellow, sonically the Nano has the heart of a lion and gives its all in every performance."

- Andrew Simpson, Hi-Fi News magazine, January 2012

On its own, the Nano is a fantastic value; offering great versatility in a tiny package for a tiny price. As importantly, it also offers a very pleasant and easy-going presentation. The Nano is warm and dynamic if not ultra detailed and will be a perfect match for many entry-level cartridges that usually shine more with their treble peakiness than tonal precision.

- 6moons.com, October 2008