Musical Fidelity has launched a new phono amplifier called the Nu-Vista Vinyl S. The new phono amplifier brings the exceptional performance of the acclaimed Nu-Vista Vinyl 2 to a more accessible price point, while retaining the core Nuvistor tube technology that defines the Nu-Vista series. By optimizing the internal PCB layout and rethinking the arrangement of the Nuvistor tubes, Musical Fidelity claims to have reduced the physical size of the preamplifier by approximately 45 percent without compromising sound quality.
This refinement, according to the designers, makes the Nu-Vista Vinyl S ideal for audiophiles who value high-quality analog sound but seek a more compact and cost-effective solution. The phono amplifier retains a fully balanced, discrete circuit with a three-part Class A amplification stage and, of course, the extensive adjustability of its larger sibling.
The Nu-Vista Vinyl S continues Musical Fidelity’s decades-long tradition of Nuvistor tube innovation. Developed in the 1950s, these small tubes offer high reliability, low noise, minimal microphonics, and excellent consistency, making them ideal for audiophile applications. Historically, Nuvistors were used in professional studio equipment, including the Ampex MR-70 tape recorder and Neumann U47 microphones, prized for their clarity and detail.
By integrating these legendary tubes into a modern, compact phono preamplifier, the Vinyl S combines traditional technology with contemporary design. It delivers high-quality analog performance at a competitive price, ensuring your vinyl library is reproduced with musicality, precision, and emotion.
The Nu-Vista Vinyl S offers flexibility for a wide range of turntable cartridges, with multiple gain settings for both MM and MC cartridges, with an additional +6dB option for each cartridge. The split-passive RIAA, DECCA, and COLUMBIA equalization curves are implemented in two stages, ensuring accurate matching with both older recordings and modern vinyl.
This dual-stage approach improves impedance matching and reduces deviation from the ideal EQ curve, preserving the tonal integrity of every recording. Combined with the fully discrete Class A Nuvistor stages, these features allow the Vinyl S to amplify even the smallest signals without introducing noise or distortion. This results in an audiophile-quality listening experience that stays true to the artist’s intent.
The Nu-Vista Vinyl S utilizes a fully balanced audio design for both the left and right channels. Each channel carries independent positive and negative signals, which are processed separately to maximize noise rejection and reduce interference. This design ensures the purest possible signal path, resulting in a high S/N ratio and minimal distortion.
By treating each channel individually, the Vinyl S achieves superior performance compared to pseudo-balanced designs that combine signals prematurely. The balanced architecture, combined with discrete circuitry and Nuvistor tubes, ensures that every nuance of your vinyl is preserved, from subtle textures to dynamic peaks, resulting in a musical presentation that is both transparent and emotionally engaging.
For maximum flexibility, the Nu-Vista Vinyl S features two RCA and two balanced XLR inputs, in addition to one RCA and one XLR output, allowing multiple inputs and outputs to be used simultaneously. Each input can be independently configured for cartridge type, gain, and load, and these settings are stored for each input for added convenience.
The subsonic filter offers three settings—off, mild, and standard—to remove unwanted low frequencies from warped records or turntable vibrations. This combination of input control, output management, and configurable filtering ensures seamless integration with virtually any analog hi-fi system, while maintaining pristine audio quality.
The Nu-Vista Vinyl S is powered by two symmetrical, low-noise power supplies, one for each channel, combined with a super-quiet toroidal transformer. Each Nuvistor stage is passively filtered and regulated to ensure that delicate phono signals are amplified with minimal interference or hum.
Advanced DC blocking and discrete power filter circuits further protect the integrity of the audio signal. This precision power design allows the Vinyl S to seamlessly handle microvoltage signals from high-output MM and low-output MC cartridges, resulting in remarkably quiet backgrounds, extended dynamic range, and clarity that reveals every layer of your vinyl recordings.
The Nu-Vista Vinyl S features a slim, rigid “S” chassis, milled from extruded aluminum, providing mechanical and electromagnetic isolation. This smaller mechanical footprint, combined with internal PCB optimizations, ensures the preamplifier is resistant to vibration and environmental influences while maintaining the luxurious, tactile aesthetic of the Nu-Vista series.
Although the Nuvistor tubes are hidden from view, the visual design exudes refinement and precision. The included solid aluminum “S” remote control beautifully complements the cabinet and provides convenient access to the load, gain, subsonics, and EQ controls, allowing full control without having to directly operate the preamp.
The Nu-Vista Vinyl S supports MM gain settings of 40, 43, 46, and 49 dB and MC gain settings of 60, 63, 66, and 69 dB, with configurable input impedance and capacitance for optimal cartridge matching. THD is extremely low, less than 0.005 percent for MM and 0.008 percent for MC at 1 kHz, with S/N ratios exceeding 101 dB for MM and 82 dB for MC.
Subsonic filters are selectable and output levels reach 500mV nominal for RCA and 1V nominal for XLR. The preamplifier operates on standard mains voltages with minimal current consumption and is built to ensure years of reliable, high-fidelity analogue performance.
The dimensions are 432 x 88 x 330 millimeters (W x H x D) and the Nu-Vista Vinyl S weighs approximately 4.5 kilograms.
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