Clearaudio Nano V2 Phono Preamplifier - Black

The Nano Phono V2 — High-End Phono in a Palm-Sized Block of Aluminum

Clearaudio built the Nano Phono V2 for the system that has run out of inputs. It stands 3.3 inches wide and weighs about a pound with its power supply, so it tucks behind a turntable and stays there. What comes out of it is a proper high-end phono stage.

The circuit board sits inside a block of CNC-machined aluminum. That chassis is the shielding and the damping at once, which is how a preamplifier this small stays quiet enough to run a moving coil cartridge at 54 dB of gain without hum crawling in behind the music.

Dual Mono Circuitry, Set by Hand Underneath

Everything on the Nano V2 is configured from the underside. Turning it over once, at setup, replaces the front-panel controls a larger unit would need — and keeps the signal path as short as Clearaudio can make it.

Gain and Loading

Amplification runs 34 dB for moving magnet and 54 dB for moving coil, selected by a jumper. Moving magnet loading is fixed at 47 kΩ and 220 pF. Moving coil loading is set individually with plug-in links, so a low-output cartridge can be matched to the value its maker asks for.

Noise, Accuracy and Headroom

Clearaudio rates signal-to-noise at 81 dB(A) in moving magnet mode and 70 dB(A) in moving coil, with RIAA accuracy held to ±0.4 dB from 20 Hz to 50 kHz and distortion below 0.04 percent. Maximum output is 10 V RMS at 1 kHz.

The Subsonic Filter

A second jumper switches in a subsonic filter. Warped records push energy below the audio band into your amplifier, where it shows up as visible woofer movement and wasted power. Switching the filter in stops that without touching the music above it.

Who Is the Clearaudio Nano Phono V2 Best For?

• Owners of an amplifier or receiver with no phono input, who want a real high-end stage rather than a token one — and get 34 dB of clean gain to a spare line input.
• Moving coil users on a budget: 54 dB and individually set loading links mean a low-output cartridge is properly matched, not just made audible.
• Anyone short of shelf space. At 3.3 x 4.2 x 1 inches it hides behind the turntable, so nothing needs rearranging to accommodate it.
• Listeners with warped or secondhand records, who can switch in the subsonic filter and stop watching their woofers pump on every play.
• Not for the buyer who wants to tune moving magnet loading by ear — the Nano V2 fixes MM at 47 kΩ and 220 pF. If your cartridge maker specifies a particular capacitance, the Clearaudio Smart Phono V2 offers 150, 250 and 400 pF instead.

How Does It Connect?

One pair of RCA inputs takes the turntable, one pair of RCA outputs goes to any line input on your amplifier — aux, CD, tape, whatever is free. The external plug-in supply delivers ±18 V DC at 300 mA and keeps its transformer away from the circuit board.

Set the MM or MC jumper before you connect anything, because it lives underneath. If you are running a moving coil cartridge, fit the loading links at the same time. After that the Nano V2 needs nothing from you.

Pairs Well With

Three things finish this setup, and one of them matters more than people expect:

• Clearaudio Performer v2 Ebony MM Cartridge — a natural partner at 47 kΩ, and Clearaudio voices its cartridges and phono stages together.
• Moving coil cartridges — the Nano V2's loading links exist for these, and 54 dB will run most low-output designs.
• A tonearm cable — the phono signal is the smallest in your system, and it travels this cable before the Nano V2 ever sees it.
• Record cleaning supplies — a quiet phono stage reveals surface noise you were previously not hearing past.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will it work with my moving coil cartridge?

Yes. Flip the jumper on the underside to MC and the Nano V2 delivers 54 dB. For loading, fit the supplied plug-in links to the value your cartridge maker specifies; leave them out and the input sits at 47 kΩ.

Where are the controls?

On the bottom of the case. Clearaudio puts the MM/MC selection and the subsonic filter on jumpers underneath so the signal path stays short. You set them once at installation and then forget about them.

Does it need to be left switched on?

Leave it powered. Solid-state phono stages settle over the first minutes after power-up, and the Nano V2 draws very little. The external supply runs on 300 mA, so there is no meaningful reason to switch it off between listening sessions.

What does the subsonic filter actually do?

It removes the very low frequency energy a warped record generates. Without it, that energy reaches your amplifier and moves the woofers visibly while producing no sound you want. The filter is switchable, so records that do not need it are left alone.

How big is it, and what does it weigh?

The case measures roughly 3.3 x 4.2 x 1 inches. Preamplifier and power supply together come to about a pound. It is genuinely small enough to sit behind a turntable plinth and disappear.

Is a separate power supply included?

An external plug-in supply comes with it, rated ±18 V DC at 300 mA. Keeping the transformer outside the case is a deliberate choice: it puts the mains hum field at arm's length from a circuit amplifying a few thousandths of a volt.

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