Boulder 2108 Phono Preamplifier

Boulder 2108 Phono Preamplifier

In 2002 Boulder released the 2008 Phono Preamplifier. At the end of that year, it was placed in the A+ category of Stereophile magazine’s recommended components, a category created for electronics that are so far ahead of their peers that they justify an entirely new classification.

And now we present the 2108, the next generation phono preamplifier built upon the fundamentals of the past while making meaningful strides forward in technology and design. Countless changes have been made to insure that the 2108 significantly improves upon the 2008 in every way.

Why? Because the best phono stage in the world is the one that makes you focus on the music instead of the electronics. The very things that make analog playback so special are the things that the 2108 passes along without alteration. Dynamics are quick and powerful. Bass is taut and solid. Images are distinct. Silence is just that. Nothing should be added, nothing should be subtracted. Music shouldn’t just play, it should transport you to another place. It should thrill.

And with the 2108, it does.

Features:

• Three pairs of balanced inputs allow connection to three different turntable, tonearm, or cartridge combinations at the push of a button, without any reconfiguration
• Fully-balanced circuitry rejects noise and keeps the delicate signal from a phono cartridge in balanced mode, maintaining balanced operation throughout and eliminating noise that would otherwise obscure critical musical information
• Entirely separate power supply chassis houses four independent power supplies: left audio, right audio, control, and standby, for total isolation of all supplies from the sensitive analog audio circuitry
• Standard RIAA equalization as well as EMI, FFRR (London/Decca), and Columbia EQ selections enable proper playback of collectible records made prior to 1955
• Modular and discrete Boulder 995S phono gain stage is exclusive to the 2108, hand-manufactured and calibrated to spec in a potted and precision-machined housing
• Non-resonant and expertly machined casework protect the delicate analog signal from microphonic and resonant distortions
• Customizable Personality Cards for each input to match the exact individual needs of various phono cartridges: MM, MC, resistive and capacitive loading, high or low gain, and demagnetizing
• Switchable outboard demagnetizer pass-through connections for use with specific MC phono cartridges
• Front panel selectable, three-setting low-cut filter removes turntable rumble or low frequency noise from warped records

•  

  INPUTS

  Three pairs balanced,
  converts to unbalanced

  OUTPUTS

  Two pairs balanced,
  converts to unbalanced

  INPUT IMPEDANCE (MAXIMUM)

  MC: 1000 ohms
  MM: 47k ohms
  Resistive and capacitive loading adjustable on individual Personality Cards

  OUTPUT IMPEDANCE

  100 ohms balanced

  PHONO EQUALIZATION

  RIAA,
  FFRR (London/Decca),
  EMI,
  Columbia

  MAXIMUM OUTPUT LEVEL

  28 Vrms

  DISTORTION, THD

  0.005%

  1 KHZ GAIN, RIAA

  MC: 70 or 60 dB
  MM: 50 or 40 dB

  NOISE (EIN), MC

  65 mV A-weighted, 105mV flat,
  20 Hz to 20 kHz

  FREQUENCY RESPONSE, 20 HZ TO 20 KHZ

  RIAA: ±0.10 dB

  CROSSTALK, L TO R OR R TO L

  -100 dB or better,
  20 Hz to 20 kHz

  PHONO PREAMPLIFIER WEIGHT

  37 lbs. (16.8 kg)
  Shipping: 51 lbs. (23.2 kg)

  POWER SUPPLY WEIGHT

  48 lbs. (21.8 kg)
  Shipping: 69.5 lbs. (31.6 kg)

  POWER REQUIREMENTS

  90-120V / 200-240V, 50-60 Hz

  POWER CONSUMPTION

  75W maximum