Clearaudio Compact Phono Preamp Supports MM and MC Cartridges in a Pocket-Sized Design

The vinyl revival has created no shortage of affordable turntables, but listeners still need reasonably priced phono preamps from companies that actually know how to design them. Space is another consideration, especially as more people build desktop, bedroom, and smaller living-room systems where another full-width component is not particularly welcome.

Clearaudio is addressing both issues with the new Compact Phono, an external phono stage measuring just 80 x 115 x 26 mm (3.15 x 4.53 x 1.02 inches). Despite its pocket-sized dimensions, this is not a stripped-down accessory designed merely to get a turntable working. The Compact Phono supports both Moving Magnet (MM) and Moving Coil (MC) cartridges and is designed to deliver the performance expected from a company with decades of experience building turntables, cartridges, and phono stages.

For vinyl listeners looking to improve upon the phono stage built into an amplifier or turntable without adding another large box to the system, that combination of flexibility, pedigree, and space-saving design makes the Compact Phono considerably more interesting.

Active Feedback

At the heart of the Compact Phono is what Clearaudio calls an Active Feedback Topology, built around extremely low-noise, high-precision operational amplifiers. Rather than asking a single gain stage to do everything, amplification is divided across two stages. The first provides most of the gain, which helps preserve the very small signal coming from the cartridge while maximizing the signal-to-noise ratio.

The second stage handles additional filtering at both ends of the frequency spectrum. A 16Hz subsonic filter reduces very low-frequency energy caused by record warps and turntable rumble, while a 70kHz ultrasonic filter is designed to suppress high-frequency cartridge resonances that can compromise stability even though they sit well above the audible range.

The practical benefit is lower noise, better control of unwanted frequencies, and a more stable signal path while maintaining the required RIAA equalization. That is particularly important with low-output moving-coil cartridges, where the phono stage has to provide substantially more gain without turning background noise into part of the performance.

Maximum Flexibility for MM and MC

The Compact Phono is designed to work with everything from conventional Moving Magnet cartridges to low-output Moving Coil designs. In MM mode, input loading is fixed at 47 kΩ / 100 pF, while MC mode uses 100 Ω / 100 pF. Gain is set at 40 dB for MM and 60 dB for MC, providing the additional amplification required by the much lower output voltage of most Moving Coil cartridges.

Those gain figures are higher than Clearaudio offered with some of its previous compact phono stages, but the more important specification may be the 29 dB of headroom in MC mode. Headroom determines how much signal the phono stage can accommodate above its normal operating level before overload becomes an issue. With highly dynamic recordings and cartridges capable of producing larger transient peaks, that extra margin reduces the likelihood of the input stage being pushed into clipping or distortion.

The practical advantage is straightforward: the Compact Phono provides sensible loading and gain for both major cartridge types without requiring internal adjustments, while offering considerably more operating margin than its tiny enclosure might suggest.

Construction and Power

Clearaudio designed a dedicated power supply for the Compact Phono that delivers ±18 V to the phono stage, with two linear voltage regulators used to provide a stable, low-noise supply to the audio circuitry. Inside, the electronics are built around a four-layer PCB with separate ground and power-supply planes, an approach intended to keep signal paths short, reduce impedance, and limit unwanted electrical interference.

Selected thin-film resistors and high-quality capacitors with tight tolerances are used throughout the circuit. In a phono stage, component consistency is particularly important because small variations can affect RIAA equalization accuracy and channel matching. The electronics are housed in a low-resonance metal enclosure with isolating feet that provide additional mechanical protection.

Power efficiency has also improved significantly. The Compact Phono consumes just 0.7 watts during operation, compared with 2.3 to 2.7 watts for Clearaudio’s predecessor models. With consumption already this low, there is no separate standby mode.

The result is a compact phono stage that generates less heat and consumes considerably less power while still using the regulated power supply, carefully laid-out circuitry, and tightly specified components expected from a serious MM/MC design.

Clearaudio Compact Phono Preamp Specifications

The Bottom Line 

At $639, the Clearaudio Compact Phono is neither the least expensive MM/MC phono preamp nor the most adjustable. The iFi ZEN Phono 3 costs $249 and offers four gain settings from 36 to 72 dB, multiple loading options, balanced output, and an intelligent subsonic filter. The $249 Andover Audio SpinStage provides extensive MM loading adjustments and a current-mode MC circuit, while Cambridge Audio’s $399 Alva Duo supports MM and MC cartridges and adds a built-in headphone amplifier. Pro-Ject also offers several MM/MC alternatives with considerably more cartridge-loading flexibility, including its balanced Phono Box S3 B and tube-based Tube Box S3 B.

So what makes the Compact Phono interesting? It packs serious MM/MC capability into an exceptionally small 80 x 115 x 26 mm enclosure without making everyday operation unnecessarily complicated. Switching between MM and MC is handled externally rather than through internal jumpers, while 40 dB and 60 dB gain settings, 29 dB of MC headroom, 16Hz subsonic and 70kHz ultrasonic filtering, a regulated ±18V power supply, and just 0.7 watts of power consumption suggest that Clearaudio concentrated its engineering effort on noise, headroom, stability, and efficiency rather than loading menus and rows of switches.

That makes the Compact Phono less about winning a specification war and more about delivering Clearaudio’s analog engineering in a space-saving design that can sit beside almost any turntable without taking over the shelf. The iFi and Andover models remain formidable values, while Pro-Ject offers greater adjustability for listeners who regularly experiment with cartridges. The Clearaudio makes the stronger case for someone who wants a compact, straightforward MM/MC phono stage from a company that has been designing serious analog playback equipment for decades.

Price & Availability

The Clearaudio Compact Phono is available in black and silver from authorized dealers at a suggested retail price of $639 (US) / £490 / €490. 

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