Dr Feickert Analogue

Vero Phono Stage/ Preamplifier

£5,999

Dr Feickert Analogue is a German manufacturer best known for its high-end turntables. Two of the company's vinyl spinners allow a second tonearm to be fitted, so accordingly, the Vero phono stage/preamplifier you see here has no less than four phono inputs – namely, two for moving coil and two for moving magnet cartridges.

This box of tricks can work as a fixed-output phono and/or line stage with its MC/MM inputs adjustable for gain and impedance; there are two line inputs plus (hooray!) a stereo/mono button. Yet it also functions as a regular standalone preamp with an electronic volume control and left/right stereo balance adjustment. This makes it a versatile thing with the accent on the enjoyment of vinyl sources, arguably more so than any other preamp on sale right now.

UP CLOSE

It is housed in two boxes – the preamp measures 300x95x330mm, while the matching power supply is 180x70x200mm. The Vero looks classy and understated with its 6mm-thick brushed alloy front panel and steel top and bottom covers. Noise levels are extremely low, making it among the quietest phono preamps available. Operations – including input selection and volume level – are made via press buttons, and the unit comes with a simple Apple TV remote. There's no headphone socket.

Each of the four phono inputs has four individually selectable gain levels. For MM, this is 48dB, 53.5dB, 57.5dB, and 59.5 dB. For MC, it's 60dB, 70dB, 74.5dB and 78 dB. MM offers a choice of 22k or 47k ohms impedance, with 100pf or 200pf loading. MC has selectable loading resistance in 33 adjustment steps. These run between 25 to 1733 ohms, topping out at 47k ohms. Individual preferred values are stored and remembered by the Vero.

Each input (including Line) has up to +6dB extra gain in twelve 0.5dB steps to facilitate level matching between sources. However, this is only available when the Vero functions as a preamp. Used as a fixed output phono/line stage, the level adjustment feature is disabled. When operated as a preamp, the Vero's electronic volume control has 100 increments (from 0 to 99) in 0.5dB steps. The fixed output option is about 14.5dB lower than the total output – equivalent to setting the volume at 70.

Having a digital readout lets you set volume levels precisely and repeatably. Each individual press of the volume control buttons produces a change of +/- 0.5dB. Holding the volume button down results in a fast increase or decrease in level. Using the remote, you only get a single 0.5dB level change for each separate press; holding down the buttons has no effect. Many modern preamps/integrateds have a built-in DAC or offer the possibility of adding one, but the Vero is analogue-only.

This isn't so much a line preamp with an added phono stage as a dedicated MC/MM phono stage that doubles as a preamp with two line inputs. Its users will be serious vinyl fans, with maybe a CD player and/or streamer and/or DAC as their other source(s). Along with inputs for four turntables, plus two line-level inputs – all unbalanced RCA – the Vero has the option of unbalanced (RCA) and balanced (XLR) outputs. You can select either one individually or have both, so it's a flexible bit of kit.

The unit features dual mono construction, including separate power transformers. During use, the preamp and power supply casework gets mildly warm – around 26 degrees. The units remain warm even when powered down using the remote handset. Some 25W is drawn when the Vero is operational, and 20W when off – so the latter is really a standby mode. The power-on/off switch and IEC mains socket are on the rear of the power supply, while a 1.5m cable connects to the preamp from a six-pin plug on the front. This makes it difficult to hide the wires, as the power supply has two rear panels opposite one another!

THE LISTENING

I began auditioning with vinyl, partnering the Vero with a Pro-ject Xtension 10 turntable and 10-inch carbon fibre arm fitted with a Pick-It DS2 MC cartridge. With the gain set at 60dB, the Vero sounded clean and neutral, with a smooth open tonality. Early impressions were of a firm, well-behaved sound that was truthful and natural. The music was solid and clear, nicely refined with a satisfying weight and substance. The general presentation was quite assertive and dynamic, yet not overtly so.

After a few days spent listening with the MC input gain set at 60dB, I tried increasing it to 70 dB. This gave the sound greater immediacy and attack while enhancing the impression of dimensionality and depth. The extra gain definitely improved detail and dynamics. I briefly tried upping the gain to 74.5dB and 78dB, which further increased immediacy and attack. The 70dB setting is generally fine on most LPs, but some will benefit from higher gain – such as Neeme Jarvi's Chandos LP of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony/Bolt Suite.

The introduction of Compact Disc led to classical LPs with increased playing times. This one had a total of 76 minutes of music, with a 41 minute-long side 2! As a result, cutting levels were absurdly low. Thin shallow grooves led to poor sound that was weak, distant, and lifeless, with compressed dynamics and no bass. The CD sounded bolder and more vibrant, vastly better. I only bought the LP for future times, hoping that one day – when turntables cartridges and phono stages were better – I could get results from it that would approach the vividness of the CD. Now, thirty-plus years on, it's finally starting to happen!

At 60dB gain, the sound was okay but still a bit thin and lacking in body. 70dB brought noticeable improvements, and 74.5dB was better still. At 78dB, the sound was more vivid and detailed, with increased dynamics and impact. Fortunately, increasing the Vero's gain to 78dB comes with virtually no noise penalty. Even putting an ear close to the tweeter, there was hardly any hiss. That's very helpful for low-output pickups and LPs cut at a low level.

I own a coterie of different phono stages. I've recently been using an LFD MC-1, which I bought many years ago. I also have Origin Live's Discovery 1, Sutherland's PhD (battery-powered), a Trichord Delphini, a PS Audio GSPH, a Lehmann Black Cube, and an Audiolab 8000PPA Mk II. They're all good, with various strengths but also some weaknesses. The LFD is holographic and rich sounding, while the Sutherland is subtle and delicate. The Delphini is a fine all-rounder with high gain, and the Discovery 1 is excellent, too, albeit slightly noisy…

Now, all must bow before the Vero! Quite simply, this is in a different class – super-quiet, dynamic, effortlessly detailed, focused, and razor-sharp without being bright or edgy. It has excellent pace and timing and produces musically enjoyable and involving results. It offers a depth and dynamic separation that my other phono stages just cannot match – especially when the higher gain options are exploited. Imaging is very precise, and dynamics expand easily and effortlessly. The tonal balance is crisp and open rather than warm and rich.

Yet, while there's nothing luxuriously rich or euphonic about the Vero's presentation, nor is it cold or antiseptic. It sounds just right – natural, authentic, and vivid. My review unit had seen use before I got it and needed no running-in time. There was perhaps a slight improvement after about twenty-four hours, but by and large, the Vero hit the ground running. Something else that stood out over my other phono stages was the quality of the Vero's lower frequencies.

LOW LIFE

The Vero has a very clean, firm, extended bass response – a solid bottom end that ensures the lows sound weighty and clear without seeming heavy or dense. Nor is this superior bass quality only there when playing vinyl. It's apparent on the line inputs too. I had no subsonic issues on warped LPs, but if there are problems at very low frequencies, the Vero is equipped with an excellent warp filter. This reduces the stuff below 20Hz while having virtually no effect on musical low frequencies.

I tried a direct-cut organ record, The Power and the Glory, Vol 1, with Lloyd Holzgraf on M&K (M&K RT-114) to test this. It's an LP I've owned for about forty-five years, and still my reference for ultra-deep bass. The organ on this recording has 32ft pipes that produce a trouser-flapping 16Hz! When I used tri-amped Linn Isobarik speakers in the early nineteen eighties, the low notes on Vivaldi's Largo (side 1, track 2) were so deep and powerful they made my windows rattle! These days I get my low-frequency fix from KEF's amazing KC62 sub, which can reproduce sound below 16Hz.

However, subsonic information below 20Hz is usually noise rather than music. It might be distant traffic rumble or thumps and shocks physically transmitted from the floor to the microphones. For example, when a pianist vigorously presses the pedals on a piano. As the Vero lets you switch the subsonic filter in and out using the remote control, I could make instant A/B comparisons while the M&K organ record played. Interestingly, the Vero's subsonic filter made very little difference to the weight and fullness of the lowest organ pedals. But playing an LP blighted by cavernous traffic rumble, I could hear a drop in noise and actually see a slight but noticeable reduction in cone movement from the KEF sub's woofers when the subsonic filter was engaged. So it definitely has a worthwhile effect…

As mentioned, the Vero's MC input is very quiet, and being endowed with a high maximum gain of 78dB makes it usable with very low output MC cartridges. As some MC phono stages are limited to 60dB gain, the higher gain option is well worth having. Of course, you could just increase the volume on your amplifier to compensate. Still, a higher gain phono stage adds presence to the sound, subjectively enhancing the impression of dynamics and scale to create a bigger, more powerful sound.

Conversely, if your vinyl replay sounds a bit sharp and too immediate, opting for a lower gain setting can help deliver a smoother, less aggressive sound. Indeed, the Vero's wide range of gain settings on both MC and MM inputs enables optimum matching with just about any pickup on the market. I found that almost every LP I played gave a good account of itself – even some that, via the LFD a few weeks earlier, I'd felt slightly disappointed with. The Vero delivers an immaculate sound with impressive clarity and focus yet is relatively forgiving of things such as surface noise. I played a few LPs that had suffered long-term storage damage, resulting in 'swishy' surfaces. I'm slowly replacing these faulty LPs with clean copies where possible, but having a good cartridge and a phono stage like the Vero helped minimise background noise.

FINE LINE

Although most enthusiasts who buy this will do so because it's an outstanding phono stage, it's also an excellent line-level preamp. You get precisely the same unforced clarity and focus, allied with impressive neutrality and naturalness. I compared the sound of my CD player going through the Vero with it connected directly to the amplifier. Surprisingly, the sound improved through the Vero – the music actually sounded a tad better focused and clearer.

On a slightly dark muddy piano recording, the Vero subjectively improved separation between the notes, making the instrument sound firmer and more solidly placed between the speakers. All at once, a somewhat disappointing recording started sounding a whole lot better. Using it to listen to a CD of Mahler's 9th Symphony with Tomas Netopil, I noticed a quiet bass drum roll at 6m 17s in the first movement. It was deep, like a dark subterranean rumble, yet sounded clear and richly textured. Intrigued, I connected the player directly to the amp, bypassing the Vero. The bass drum now sounded muddier and less clearly defined after replaying the same passage. I reconnected the Vero, and immediately bass definition was restored!

You would think that connecting a CD player directly must result in better sound compared to putting the signal through extra circuitry and cables. Most times, that would be true, but not here. Adding the Vero actually improved the sound. Such effortless clarity, plus the ability to emphasise the strengths of different recordings, made this a musically rewarding component. It allowed me to listen for long stretches, just enjoying the music free from unwanted distractions.

This was especially true playing vinyl. While my old LFD phono stage sometimes gave a wider, deeper and more holographic soundstage on certain LPs, it wasn't as clean and pure as the Vero nor as focused and dynamic. It was also slightly more sensitive to surface ticks and swishy background noises.

THE VERDICT

Dr Feickert Analogue's Vero is a superlative high-end hi-fi product. Its effortless clarity and focus create a wonderfully detailed, musical sound that holds your attention. Despite its clarity, faults are not over-emphasised, and when you do encounter unwanted flaws, subjectively, they seem less irksome than usual. With great sound and exceptional versatility, it will delight those owning more than one turntable with vinyl as their primary source – but it's equally outstanding at line level too.

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