Vertere Calon

The Vertere Calon is a shining example of how things should be done. It is a hugely expensive product, but in a price-appropriate turntable system, it's hard to better.

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Vertere Calon

Phono stage £15,500

Any options that come close in ability are priced even more out of reach. Such a towering performance doesn't come by accident.

The Calon’s circuit is dual-mono in configuration, with extensive care taken over the power supply arrangement and shielding. This means the signal from each cartridge channel is treated identically and kept isolated from unwanted interaction by its partner. Doing things this way not only has the potential to improve stereo imaging but also should reduce distortion and interference, so helping performance.

The amplification boards are sophisticated four-layer gold-plated circuits, packed full of high-quality components. Unusually though, Vertere hasn't just crammed them full of fashionable 'big name' audiophile parts, rather it has spent a considerable amount of time testing the various alternatives and chosen those that offer the most accurate musical results.

The signal path is unusual too. Ignoring convention, the cartridge’s minuscule output first enters a user-adjustable gain stage that has 0dB, +10dB and +20dB options. The idea is to boost the signal before any equalisation takes place in a bid to preserve the detail and dynamics present.

The RIAA equalisation is then done with a hybrid circuit where the low frequencies are handled actively and the higher ones equalised passively. Vertere has found that this approach gives the most accurate results. The fully equalised signal then passes through another user-adjustable gain stage (0dB, +2dB, +4dB, +6dB and +8dB) before being routed to the single-ended and balanced outputs.