Muffsy Phono Preamp - Kit

Name: Muffsy Phono Preamp - Kit
SKU: 4472
Price: 99.00 USD
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 4.92 (93 reviews)

(93 Reviews)

DIY KIT - Muffsy Phono Preamp PP-4

Designed by muffsy in Sweden

2018-06-28T05:40:50.445Z-pp-4-complete02.png

2018-06-28T05:40:50.445Z-pp4-complete.png

2018-06-28T05:40:50.445Z-pp-4-complete05.png

$99.00

Out of Stock

Sold out since Nov 16, 2024

Free Muffsy Back Panel with the Phono Preamp in November. Save $29! My store will be closed between December 3rd and January 15th. Please order before December 3rd for holiday delivery.

DIY KIT - Muffsy Phono Preamp PP-4

Free Muffsy Back Panel in November, save $29! Complete information and build instructions at http://muffsy.com All shipments are now with tracking, due to erratic delivery times worldwide Please not…

Free Muffsy Back Panel in November, save $29!

Complete information and build instructions at http://muffsy.com
All shipments are now with tracking, due to erratic delivery times worldwide
Please note that the kit does not include an enclosure or an AC power adapter, see this page for options

The Muffsy Phono Preamp is a complete DIY hifi phono preamplifier kit that anyone can build.

True Hifi

Optimized for any moving magnet or high output moving coil, the Muffsy Phono Preamp offers spectacular RIAA compliance, ultra-low noise, a wonderful great sound stage and superior detail.

Use it together with the Muffsy MC Head Amp for low output MC (LOMC) cartridges.

Everything You Need to Build a Complete Phono Stage

There are currently four products in the Muffsy line-up:

This is everything you need to get a fully functional phono stage, except an enclosure and an AC wall adapter (see here for options). The kits are complete, down to the the cables and the very last connector.

Use a B0905 aluminum enclosure (easily found on eBay), and you won't even have to drill a single hole or do any modifications.

Specifications

SNR: 82.3 dB (Relative to 0 dbV, inputs shorted)
THD: 0.00081%
THD+N: 0.01935%
IMD: 0.0195% (ITU-R)
Crosstalk: -102 dB
Dynamic Range: >110 dB (THD+N: 1%)
RIAA Compliance: +/- 0.15 dB
RIAA Equalization: Passive
Gain: 32-43 dB in four steps
Input Impedance: 17k-150k ohm in fifteen steps
Input Capacitance: Optional
Size: 84 x 56 mm

Great Documentation

Complete step-by-step build instructions are available on the Muffsy home page, as well as a section on how to customize the phono stage to suit your exact needs.

What You Get

The kit comes with all necessary components to build a complete phono stage, and there are additional upgrades that you can add to it. It uses only through-hole components, and you can build it even if you have never soldered before in your life.

High Quality Components:

1x PCB, Dual layer, White with gold plated solder pads
2x Texas Instruments NE5532PA Operational amplifiers
2x 8-pin machined DIL sockets
30x Multicomp Stackpole RNMF14FTC resistors, 0.25W metal film, 1% tolerance, ±50ppm/°C
2x 4-way DIP-switches
2x 2-way DIP-switches
8x Wima MKS2 Polyester Film, box type capacitors
2x 22 uF Electrolytic capacitors
4x 100 nF Multilayer monolithic ceramic capacitors
2x Terminal block, 3 connections
30 cm Two-lead shielded audio cable

Upgrade Operational Amplifiers:

1x Burr-Brown OPA2134PA + 1x LM4562

Muffsy Hifi Dual Power Supply:

Get the Muffsy Hifi Dual Power Supply kit, save money on shipping.

All components needed to build the power supply are included in the kit.

Muffsy Back Panel:

You'll definitely want the Muffsy Back Panel if you're using a B0905 enclosure.

All components shown in the picture are included.

No country selected, please select your country to see shipping options.

Change Destination Country:

Review Breakdown

Average Ratings

Product: (4.95)

Documentation: (4.91)

Shipping: (4.89)

Communication: (4.92)

Paul | April 16, 2024

Simple to build and sounds great.

Shipping was very fast to Canada.

Sounds great.

Well designed boards, nicely laid out.

Post a gainclone or similar design and I will be back to buy it!

Thanks for your work.

Timm | March 15, 2024

Wonderful DIY Phono-Preamp, perfectly documented.

I see why there is a waiting time for this preamp - it is superb sounding, way beyond its price may suggest. The build guide is easy to follow and crystal clear. I built the PP-4 with the Muffsy PSU and it worked perfect from the beginning.
Shipping was blazing fast, I only can recommend the PP-4 and the matching PSU.

Kevin | Aug. 22, 2022

Excellent preamp and the service is fantastic.

Built the preamp with the power supply. Works first time no problems. Sounds great on standard settings but will adjust input impedance and gain for fun. The service from Skrodahl
was excellent and very generous. I highly recommend buying from him. It was great fun building the kit and very rewarding listening to my records through something I built.
Thanks for a great experience.
Kevin.

Kaylyn | June 21, 2022

Well organized kit.

Kit is very well organized. I appreciate the resistors being labeled and sorted. Simple and thorough instructions. Would be a good project for a beginner. Component selection and quality is fantastic.

I cannot comment on audio quality objectively, and I do not have equipment to accurately measure output, but it is subjectively much better to my ears than any of my previous phono preamps. OPA2134PA + LM4562 w/ Ortofon 2M Red.

John | April 18, 2021

brilliant

Really good
fun to make
very nicely designed
sounds superb
they said i had to use 100 characters

well brilliant is brilliant
the lost art of the use of english.......sigh

Geoffrey | Feb. 22, 2021

When it arrived the quality looked good

Yes an excellent product. Easy to build, even though iam 76 years old. Works fine and matches my Ortofon cartridge 2M Blue.

Spencer | Jan. 19, 2021

Excellent kit! Looks great, sounds awesome!

I bought this kit just over 5 years ago, so my review is for an older version of this kit, and as such my comments might be out of date.

Delivery was quick, with top quality components and excellent online documentation. Unfortunately I skim-read this, so assumed i knew what I was doing, particularly with regard to the screw terminals, which I fitted backwards. I deliberated over removing them and resoldering them for over 4 years, but eventually decided to see if it would fit anyway. It does. But it's tight!

Most importantly, though, it works, and it sounds fantastic! I'm running a JVC L-A31 with Ortofon VMS10E cartridge through a Arcam AVR1000 amp and Mission 734 speakers, and it sounds.wonderful!

Tldr; Great kit. Read the instructions. Sounds awesome.

Albert | Oct. 13, 2020

Great Product and Service . . .

The quality of the pcb and components is what you would expect from a highend brand but in reality not always is what they deliver’. This makes the Muffsy Phono Preamp a worthy solution if you want to upgrade your gear.
Unfortunately some components got damaged during transportation, but Håvard reacted instantly and offered me his compensation.

Carl | Sept. 17, 2020

Best Phono Preamp I've heard

This phono preamp is amazing and I could not be more happy with it.
Compared to my built nn MM-stage in my vintage Technics SU-8600 and my external Pro-Ject Phono Box this truly plays in a different league.
I went for the the OPA2134PA + LM4562 combo and Im currently running the preamp through a small tube amp, Musical Paradise MP-3 with some nice tubes and a pair of Klipsch RP-600M.
I would happily recommend this phono preamp to any one.

Sander | Aug. 19, 2020

Excellent product and excellent service!

The kit arrived within a week to The Netherlands and was a joy to assemble with the detailed and very clear documentation. Spend just a few hours on the entire assembly, including power supply and backpanel, having only limited soldering experience.
There was only one issue though, one of the film caps had a wrong value resulting in a wrong RIAA correction. Unfortunately I discovered this AFTER buying a new opamp (thinking this was the issue). But, Havard completely reimbursed me for the extra expenses I made and even offered a full refund. Excellent, excellent service.
If you want a fun project and an excellent sounding phono stage at the end, look no further. Highly recommended.

Vesa | Aug. 9, 2020

Amazing little thing

I found this almost by accident, when I was surfing around web looking for resonable costed phono stage. Delivery was fast and kit itself is good quality and instructions are simple to follow. For me, it took two nights to built it up. I have only listened couple of records so far, but the sound quality is amazing for the money! I'm much pleased to this phono stage and I'm going to carry on listening more records and enjoy the sound it produces. Worth of recomendation to all who can't spend mega bucks to their stereo set.

Jithesh | July 20, 2020

Superb quality DIY phono preamp

I bought this kit because I have very good assembled transistor power amplifier which doesn't have a phono preamp. Integrated into this existing amplifier, so that I can connect my turntable directly to this amplifier.
Assembly: 5/5
Very good documentation provided by the author. Even a newbie can solder it easily. Powered with a 15 volt dual power supply from the existing power amplifier.
Sound: 5/5
I connect this phono preamp to Audio Technica AT-LP5X with AT-VM95E cartridge. Compared to the in-built preamp(3/5), Muffsy is light years ahead. Circuit itself does not have any additional noise. I do have a Denon power amp with phono preamp PMA-520AE. I can give Denon 3.5/5.
With Muffsy, bass tones are very tight and powerful and trebles are very smooth. Vocals sound great as well. I compared with a CD player with an external DAC.
Configuration: 5/5
You can play around with the gain, load impedance etc. Even you can modify the parameters. The suggested DIP switch positions are very useful and works as intended. I opted for 47k input impedance and gain to 43db. 43db gain matches with my DAC output voltage. So my CDs and Records sounds same.

I can highly recommend this product. I guess with the similar sound quality and configuration options, one have to spend another 50-70€ for a finished product.

Nate | May 16, 2020

Great sounding, versatile preamp; satisfying to build

First, the purchasing and building experience:
Purchasing through tindie was a breeze. I was a bit concerned about shipping time, and Havard responded with a helpful message almost immediately. (Using the least expensive shipping option without tracking, it took about a month to be delivered in the US from Sweden - not bad for the height of the pandemic, and I'm sure much quicker under more typical circumstances.) I am a novice builder having only completed one soldering kit previously, but was immediately impressed by the quality of the components. Everything was well packed in an organized fashion, and the online documentation was extremely clear and easy to follow when building. It took me about 5 hours to complete (including the power supply), working at a very relaxed pace and being very picky about my solder joins. One of those hours is because I stupidly mounted two of the voltage regulators backwards despite the clear instructions and markings on the PCB - they're a real pain to get out, but I managed to do so without destroying anything.) Overall, it was a fun and satisfying experience that I'd absolutely do again.

most importantly, the sound:
I noticed an immediately discernible improvement from my previous preamp. Running a Shure v15-III cartridge on a Dual 1215 TT (using a Heathkit ar-1500a reciever and Genesis Physics Model II speakers), there was a significant improvement to midrange frequencies, resulting in improved balance overall. Clarity is wonderful, with each instrument being clearly differentiated within the mix - all sorts of subtleties that were previously muddied are now audible, and this clarity does not come with the detriments of harshness or fatigue (bright treble but it's not a brittle sound in the slightest). I am using the default impedance and gain settings and have not felt the need to change them, but it's nice to know that the option is there for different cartridges.

tl;dr: This is a great piece of equipment that was fun to build and resulted in a significant upgrade to my mid-fi 70's-era system. Thanks, Havard!

Response from muffsy | May 19, 2020

Congratulations on your new phono stage Nate,
I've edited the instructions and added an extra tip on top of the original tip to double-check the power supply voltage regulators' placement and orientation before soldering them in place.

Evert | March 31, 2020

Excellent sound, easy to build, versatile

In the process of building a new amplifier to replace my existing integrated amplifier I needed a phono amplifier. After doing some internet research I decided to buy the Muffsy Phono Preamp kit, not only because it's DIY (and relatively low cost), but it was reported to sound excellent as well.
Delivery of the package took more time than expected (Corona, anyone?) but contact with Havard about the shipment was very good, and eventually it arrived.
I ordered the power supply along with the preamp, and it took me a few hours per PCB to build. Al parts were labelled correctly and building instructions were clear.
After listening to only a few records I can say the sound is very good, with plenty of detail and very quiet (noise wise). I haven't played around with the input impedance and gain yet (they are at the standard setting which on paper suit my cartridge fine), so that's something to try in the future. But first I have to listen to all my other records :-)

Lawrence | March 3, 2020

Very good product. Good quality board.

Have not assembled it yet, but the part and board quality are excellent.

I would recommend this product.

Thomas | March 1, 2020

Extremly good product for the money.

The sound from this phono amp easily beats a lot of very expensive ready made products!
The sound is dynamic with solid transitens.
Very good midrange esp. voices.
Very low background noice.
The build instruktions is the best I have ever sen!
Highly recommended!

B | Feb. 27, 2020

Excellent!

I am looking forward to building the Muffsy! The quality of the board, components, and documentation are all first-rate. It’s clear that this project was designed with a lot of thought towards the builders’ learning, fun, and success. I’m pretty confident that, once it is built, Muffsy will sound great, too. Thanks, Havard!

(One month later). The build process was smooth and presented no problems. Although I expected the Muffsy to sound better than the in-built stage on my amp, I was *not* expecting it to sound as good as it does! Me, my wife, and 8 year old kid all noticed that the Muffsy had a much wider soundstage, and just generally rocked it!

N | Feb. 3, 2020

A review of the Muffsy DIY phono pre-amp kit.

Firstly, I must say a big thank you to Harvard Skrodahl for his generous support to me with this project, he genuinely wants you to succeed in getting things to work. His service is exemplary.
I purchased the full kit, phono amp, power supply, back panel, the recommended case, and an 18V AC power supply from Amazon. The parts from Harvard arrived within a week, and the Chinese case arrived much later!
The documentation provided on line for this project is full and detailed, including circuit diagrams and modifications that can be made to the overall gain, cartridge loading, and DC supply voltage.
The parts are all of high quality and are easily identified, making assembly a breeze – just follow the assembly instructions.
In my time I have done many Veroboard projects and thought I was reasonably good at soldering but I must be honest I did have a few problems with the printed circuit board and the plated through holes. I found some of the pads around the plated through holes to be on the small side and consequently struggled with my chisel tip soldering iron to get the solder to flow as well as I would like. I’m not sure if a chisel tip is the ideal one to use to get the heat into the pcb pad and component leg at the same time. This caused me a few issues with getting the thing to work correctly, but Harvard was very helpful and eventually I found a couple of places where I had not made a good connection.
Another minor problem I had was I always strip, twist, and tin my wires prior to fitting to a board, unfortunately doing this made it hard to fit them through the holes.
Once working it was a pleasure to connect it up and listen to it. The finished case and back panel make a tidy and good looking unit.
The output noise is virtually non-existent and sounds appear out of an inky blackness to produce a wide and stable soundstage with plenty of detail – very nice. I only have an old musical fidelity X-LP phono stage to compare this with but I would say this is easily as good and better sounding than that, there is definitely more detail available. I think for the money this is a very respectable phono pre-amp and will not embarrass itself in front of other more costly units. 5 stars.
N.Gledhill

Response from muffsy | Feb. 6, 2020

Thanks for the great review N, I'm really glad that you're happy with your Muffsy Phono Preamp.

Regarding soldering with a chisel tip (same shape as a flat-blade screwdriver). I only use chisel tips, and I would hesitate to recommend anything else.

Sonia | Jan. 8, 2020

Great Kit, perfect instructions, Spectacular Build

Most importantly, this thing sounds spectacular. My wife gave me this as a Christmas Present to upgrade the very cheap phono preamp i have between my turntable and my hand built DIY amp. The phono stage was the last piece to the puzzle and since my amp was home built from scratch i didn't want to "just buy a phono stage." I'd have preferred to have build my own from a schematic, but due to the sensitivity of a phono stage I decided on a kit. After researching I found the muffsy. .. and asked "Santa" for it. ... he brought it! The build was easy. Instructions perfect. I plugged it in and BAM 110% improvement on my phono sound quality. My ONLY critique, the boards were of such good quality that they required a little bit more heat from my soldering iron making some joins harder (but that's me being used to cheap boards nothing to do with the muffsy) ... in the end this things is really great A+++ Thanks Muffsy, and Santa

Rene | Nov. 21, 2019

Flawless build, very rewarding!

I bought this kit initially to check out and repair various record players lying about with family members. I've read a lot beforehand about the design philosophy and really appreciated the smart board layout, the chosen components and customizable gain and impedance.

I did have some difficulty finding a suitable AC-AC adapter; the author's suggested sites were either out of stock or asked too high a price in my view. Ultimately, I found that numerous vendors on AliExpress sell 18VAC "video doorbell" adapters which work perfectly. As a matter of fact, I found that sourcing all other pieces (adapter, enclosure, LED power-on light and other bits and bobs) were easier to find and cheaper on AliExpress than on eBay.

As for the build itself, it was clear, enjoyable and worked instantly. It sounds and looks great, and I am now in the process of buying myself a new nice turntable to hook up to my Muffsy permanently.

Steven | Oct. 9, 2019

Easy to assemble. Nice sound when finished.

I built it in an afternoon, along with the Muffsy power supply. I've had some experience with soldering components to a circuit board and, frankly, it was a breeze. The instructions on the Muffsy site are comprehensive and there are sections on fault finding and customising what you've built.

For those for whom this is a new experience, all the components are easily identified, all resistors are on a tapes with the values printed, the circuit boards are all clearly printed (pay attention to the 0's and 8's though) just take things slowly, follow the order of the instructions and double check component orientations. You'd be advised to have a digital multimeter to hand so you can make sure the power supply is working properly and to double check resistor values if you think you might have put any in the wrong place.

If you do have questions or problems, Håvard is quick to respond to email and always helpful.

Ultimately, it's how it sounds that counts, and it sounds really good, I actually prefer it to the phono on my (elderly) Naim preamp or the Schiit (yes, really, Google them) phono preamp I've been using until now.

Response from muffsy | Oct. 10, 2019

Thanks for the great review, Steven.

I've added a high resolution picture of the PCB to the instructions, to make sure there are no doubts about the resistor values:
https://www.muffsy.com/files/pp4-pcb-hr.png

Nicolas | Oct. 8, 2019

Easy to build and awesome result!

First, unpacking: hight quality components (nichicon, wima), board looks very nice and solid (way better that what you would have at you local electronic shop, front panel part looks very nice too!

Now, building: It took me 3 hours, no difficulties, step by step explanations are really well done, resistors are labeled with they value (thanks for this, big time saver!).

This is not my first DIY project, but even with little knowledge it should be possible to achieve this :)

To finish, the sound: I am running an old Marantz 1072, with Marantz imperial G5 speakers and a vintage Toshiba turnable with an Ortofon 5m red cardridge.

And… wow, it's just amazing, at the first second I could see the difference, sound is way more clear, with better definition, better dynamic and better clarity! For the price I would recomand that for everyone looking for a nice phono preamp. It's way better that the entry level preamp you can found for the same price!

Some small things that can be noted: The enclosure is not that easy to found (need to order it from China), as well as the AC transformer (AC/AC is not that common).

Eimantas | Sept. 22, 2019

Generally - excellent

Product very good for the price. I upgraded it little bit using few higher grade condensers. Sound quality really good. I am comparing it with my integrated phono stage in the vintage Yamaha A-720 amp which is really good as well. Improvement has a place, not a sort „night/day“ , but still better. Delivery, docs and communication with seller – excellent.

Martin | May 22, 2019

Great experience

I bought the Muffsy preamp kit a while back. Shipping was surprisingly fast. Building was very fun, smooth and straightforward, a lot thanks to the pedagogical documentation provided. After a couple of hours I could plug it into my system, and everything worked perfectly. The difference compared to the built in phono stage on my vintage Marantz was chocking - the music really came to life. I never knew that a phono preamp would make such a difference. Now I rediscover my LP collection :-) If I had my Muffsy stolen, lost or broken I wouldn’t hesitate buying a new kit.

Ho | May 19, 2019

Hi

Great-sounding sub-USD100 phono stages are rarer than hens' teeth, so it gives us great pleasure to see another entrant in the field. Sure, it's small and fairly basic looking, but every effort has been made on the innards: they give sufficient body to a song's vocals without overloading it with bass. It has a great sense of timing, too.

Anders | April 16, 2019

Easy build. Great sound. Stellar service.

When I was 10 years old I owned a radio controlled model car. I recall at some point I had to re-solder a single power cable onto the electric motor. That was more than 30 years ago. Until I ordered the Muffsy Phono Preamp kit, it was my only soldering experience. Having looked at the instructions for the Muffsy Phono Preamp kit I thought I'd give it a go. I'm glad I did.

The kit arrived only a couple of days after ordering. Everything was packaged well and labeled in detail. Having no experience soldering electronics I found the instructions extremely thorough, detailed and easy to follow. I was at one point inattentive and managed to solder a resistor in the wrong slot. I was able to to correct my mistake, although the circuit board received what seemed like a burn mark (which l later realized was mostly burnt solder flux). Certainly, neither component nor instructions were the weak link. I emailed the seller (Håvard Skrodahl) to ask whether he thought I'd damaged the board. He replied (within minutes!) that it would most likely be okay. Although - to be on the safe side - he generously offered to send me a new circuit board and resistor set with no additional cost! Being a novice I also had a few other minor questions during the process, all of which received fast and detailed replies via email. I am amazed at the level of customer service, far above and beyond what one could reasonably expect for a mail order DIY kit.

The rest of the assembly was a piece of cake thanks to the excellent construction guide. The end result is a hi-fi setup which sounds amazing, using the Muffsy Phono Preamp with a Rega Planar 3 turntable (Elys 2 pickup mounted), a Hegel Röst integrated stereo amplifier and Dynaudio Contour 20 standmount speakers. The Muffsy looks good and performs perfectly. Having assembled it myself certainly also adds another level of satisfaction. Without hesitation, I would recommend the Muffsy Phono Preamp kit to anyone who cares for their record collection, regardless of prior experience in electronics.

Anders | Feb. 4, 2019

A super product!

The kit arrived a few days after ordering. It was easy too mount, took me 3-4 hours. I made a mistake with the psu and the support was outstandig from Håvard.
The preamp sounds great, makes me wanna listen to records all day and all night. The feature of having the ability to tweak the load for MM cartridges, makes it an even more attractive RIAA.

Guido | Jan. 8, 2019

Perfect!

I'm totally thrilled. The package reached me safely within a few days. There were all (literally all) needed parts, the PCBs make a very professional impression. The assembly took me 3-4 hours (fortunately I had ordered the case in time as recommended). The manual is extremely well written and explained with pictures. Then the big moment when I connected the preamp for the first time: There was absolutely nothing to hear. What was wrong???... Then the needle put on the record and I was released. Everything worked perfectly, but there was no humming or anything like that. Great. I am infinitely satisfied.

Antonio | Dec. 29, 2018

Ottimo

Prodotto ottimo e venditore disponibile.
Documentazione molto chiara anche per un principiante

Torbjørn | Dec. 20, 2018

Fast shipping, Great product!

For me it was easy to build, but I have some experience with electronics. Online documentation is easy to understand for the unexperienced builder. Sound quality is much better than any inbuild preamplifier I have heard before. Noise level is very low.

Ulrich | Dec. 7, 2018

Superb product

The preamp kit is an absolute value its price. The PCB is of very good quality and easy to mount for someone who is a bit experienced in soldering PCBs. It can easily be upgraded to a complete new sonical level by using 4 mono OpAmps OPA 627 by Burr Brown instead of the included NE 5532. Therefore you just have put in Browndog adapters into the existing sockets for the OpAmps extentong the sockets from 2 to 4. The switches on the PCB make it easy ro adjust your cartridge to the amp. The recommended case 0905 fits seamlessly.

Adam | Oct. 30, 2018

10/10 Quality, Service, and Sound!

This Muffsy Phono Preamp kit is top quality. Top grade parts and customer service. The instructions are perfect and build assembly went by flawlessly for a novice like myself. I highly recommend buying the opamp upgrade option, or using OPA 1642/1612 on adapters. I had several conversations with Skrodahl and learned much from him, all replies were fast too. The Muffsy simply sounds amazing! I had fun testing 3 different combos of opamps (included ones, upgraded ones, and 1642/1612), playing with gain, and capacitance. I finally settled on OPA 1642/1612, 40dB gain, and zero capacitance. I also made my own interconnects during this process using Belden 4855R mini coax cable with RCA compression connectors. The wire is extremely low capacitance, skinny and flexible, highly recommended as well. Shipping was 8 days from Sweden to USA! The PCBs are laid out very nicely, easy to read and top quality. The back panel is also laid out well, and has some nice printing on it. All the pieces in the parts kit were accounted for and top quality. I have compared the Muffsy PP-4 to a Yaqin MS-12b and Hagerman Cornet2, and the Muffsy beats them all handily. Thank you Skrodahl for offering this wonderful kit and all your help you have provided. Buy with confidence, simply flawless!

Equipment:
Music Hall MMF-7.1 with Mojo MM Cart
Muffsy PP-4 Phono Pre
Tortuga Audio LDR Preamp
DIY LPUHP amplifiers, or DIY First Watt F5
Fostex FE206En horns in a back-loaded horn enclosure, or Hifiman HE-6 Headphones

Bruce | Oct. 12, 2018

High quality product and service

Very impressive performance out of the amp.
Simple to assemble due to the clear instructions and the very well layed out board.
High quality boards and components.
The sound out of my sound system, and the vinyl, was impressive.

Stig Eirik | Oct. 4, 2018

Great!

I had read a lot of positive reweiws and wanted to try to build one myself.

Ordered the Phono preamp, power supply and backplate and within a few days I got it delivered in my mailbox. I bought enclosure from EBay and AC wall adapter for Schiit.

I have never built anything like this before, so I was a bit nervous before I started..

After four hours it was finished, and after I had checked that it probably would work, I put it in my kitchen stereo. I was really stunned by the sound that came from my stereo, It had never sounded so good before.

Later I will try the Muffsy phone preamp in my main stereo, but I am a bit nervous that it might will make me wounder why I spent a lot more money on the phono preamp I’m using there.

I can highly recommend the Muffsy phono preamp!

Robert | Oct. 1, 2018

Excellent kit

The kit looks exactly as in the pictures. Easy to build too, even without the extremely detailed instructions. I ended up not using the screw terminals and instead soldered all the wires directly. I kept the two boards (I also got the power supply) in a soldering vise while soldering the connecting wires between them so they'd be perfectly aligned and fit into the B0905 case. And they did! The preamp board is a fraction of a millimeter wider than the power supply, so needed a bit more wiggling to get in, but it all fit in the end.

Great kit, and sounds great! Highly recommended.

William | April 4, 2018

A fun kit to build.

Kit got to me in Hawaii from Sweden in 6 days! I have built several kits in the past and I must say the online photo instructions were just great. Everything came labeled and it would be almost impossible to make a mistake.

I bought the whole MM kit and purchased the case from China and the wall wart from Shiit. All bits were here around the same time. Assembly time was just a couple of hours. If you are old like me, you will need a magnifiers. Those resistors are very small.

I had to sand the sides of the circuit boards so they would slide into the case, but I was warned about this. The issue was the blue connectors are too close to the side of the circuit board and the pre amp board will not slide in. I just set it on top of the top rail and all was fine. The wiring to the power supply is very snug so there is no flopping around of the board. I hope the next revision addresses this. Otherwise, just a great kit.

Oh yes, it did work first time.

Gareth | March 19, 2018

What a super little product

I opted for all three components - the amp, PSU and back plate and very pleased I did!

The Sound Quality

It is early days yet but I am very impressed (I opted for the BB2134 Op Amps) and it just seems to suit my system and listening. I was replacing an integrated phono stage (for actually no particular reason other than bang for buck upgrades) so the bar perhaps wasn't massively high (although the amp is a Roksan amp of the 2000s and with their TT pedigree I imagine the phono stage wasn't too shabby). In brief - I like this better than what I had (although it can be more revealing of the downstream system..). There are plenty of folks on the forums who compare the CNC preamp favourably (of which this is a derivative/improvement) to very high end pre-amps) but I don't have any direct comparison other than stated.

And there is more fun to be had with with Op-Amp rolling, gain settings etc. too.

I think for the money this is a really good option.

The Kits

Exceptional. The boards are extremely high quality - thickness, screen-printing, solder pads, conformal coating etc. All the components (including the resistors) are clearly marked so doing an inventory take is a doodle. Everything is included, so bar your solder and tools you need nothing else. I found that all the resistors and capacitors were within the specified tolerances because I chose to measure them but I suspect that isn't necessary - so basically you are ready to go.

The instructions are great too - it's 'painting by numbers'!

(Just to set the context - I've soldered before and have decent mechanical skills but this was my first circuit board in 35 odd years since I was a kid when I did some kits).

The Support

So...... I needed a bit of help.... Everything looks fine but after I constructed it but I got a lot of hum when I first hooked it up without any input. I tried all the suggestions on Muffsy's site (and also got a bit obsessive and read all 140 or so pages of the CNC pre-amp forum thread on Audivarna, of which the PP3 is a derivative/improvement...)

Long story short, after contacting Havard (Skrodahl) by email, he seemed as interested in getting my amp working as I did, including investing time over email with suggestions.

Ultimately I remedied the issue. Cannot be precisely sure of the cause but I suspect some wisp of cable was shorting. The point being I cannot imagine better support.

Some Pointers

Just in case any of these pointers help:

- If you plan on using the suggested 0905 case - and it's very good - especially the large 'billet' of aluminium front cover which is about 5mm thick, then I suggest dry fitting the board(s) before soldering - it's your best opportunity to use a bit of wet and dry if the fit is tight (and as others have observed, sometimes the 0905 tolerances aren't 100% perfect). BTW if you want a black front to suit the rest of your equipment, then go for the muffsy back plate and use the 0905 backplate as the front if that makes sense - that's what I'd do if I had Naim or NAD kit for example..

- Take your time and don't panic - I ended up re-flowing (soldering) the board a few times to track down an issue - it's testament to the quality that the board stood up to quite a few cycles, including pulling the DIP switches etc!

John | March 14, 2018

Wonderful kit

Sound is great. Exceptionally quiet noise floor. The online instructions are good and the seller is very helpful with additional questions. Highly recommend this.

Leigh | March 8, 2018

Perfect, Very easy to build and works flawlessly

What can i say?

I Bought it, Built it, it works!

The preamp was delivered quickly and all parts were present and correct. It took about 30 minuets to solder together, all the components are labled for easy identification so even a novice can construct this kit. I plugged in my own op-amps ( LM4562 ) and dropped the needle. The sound was as expected, amazing. With the needle up I could not hear any background noise, Mains borne or Johnson type hiss ( General low level hiss ) so I was pleased at that. I have not gone as far as verifying the RIAA curve but I see no reason why it wont be as per the designers description.

To sum up, A very well put together, easy to build kit that is value for money. I'm sure it is as good as the rest of the best.

Leigh

Stefan | Feb. 16, 2018

A beautifully made kit

I ordered my kit three weeks ago from Australia, and received the parts in a little over a week. I was expecting a delay of at least a month, so I was pleasently surprised. The aluminium case ordered from china on eBay took three weeks to arrive!

The preamp is great. I really appreciate the gain and impedance matching dip switches. Before construction, I thought these may be a bit of a gimmick, but as it turns out, I required a little higher than the nominal gain to match the levels of my other inputs, and a little higher than the nominal impedance to match the response. I'm glad the design included these options.

The printed circuit board was a fraction of a millimetre too wide to glide into the aluminium case. There are some advisory notes to this effect in the construction instructions, but I found that I needed to remove material from both sides to allow the board to slide in. The placement of the terminal blocks is a little close to the edge of the printed circuit board and I found that these also caught on the side of the case after I completed construction. I was not comfortable removing plastic from the side of the terminal blocks as suggested in the instructions, but a little more fibre glass removal did the trick.

I ended up making my own power supply simililar in design to the suggested supply, however I added capacitance between the regulator adjust pins and common, to further reduce ripple. I'm pleased with the result.s.

I opted for the op amp upgrade and am glad I did. I also recommend this kit.

Response from muffsy | Feb. 17, 2018

Hi Stefan, and thanks for the great review.

Unfortunately, the B0905 enclosures don't have the best tolerances. This is why you sometimes have less space than needed. This is usually solved by inserting the PCB into the other half of the cabinet.

Dana | Feb. 11, 2018

Mission Accomplished!

If it wasn’t for the awesome instructions and detailed illustrations/photos that Muffsy.com offered, I would never have attempted to build this preamp and hifi power supply. I did build them and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Also, the finished preamp works great! It took me about 3.5 hours to build the two circuit boards and make the rca/ power connections so you should set aside a quiet evening to do it. It was very easy and no stress at all.

Zeev | Feb. 5, 2018

High quality product with real support

So I ordered this, and it arrived a couple of weeks later. It is a superb high-quality PCB (this is not one of your bangood products). Really really really high quality.
Instructions work great. But despite the great instructions I still screwed it up. Then Havard worked with me on email and debugged this with me. He was ready to ship new components for free(which I did not need). It sounds awesome.

So if you are looking for a first electronics kit to do this is probably the best choice.

Phil | Feb. 4, 2018

Great Phono Preamp

Wanting to combine a hobby of past years and the need for a phone pre amp for my new turntable i began my search for an "ideal" diy kit.
After much research a came across the Muffsy pre amp and took the plunge to buy and build.
Here's my thoughts on the build, and performance.
So kit duly order via Tindie and arrived from Malmo Sweden in around five days.
All parts came well packaged and well labeled for easy identification of parts.
I wanted to work though as methodically as possible to ensure I got maximum enjoyment and zero frustration.
Double checking the kit contents against the BOM on Muffsy's site https://www.muffsy.com/
i had a few queries. A quick email to Skrodahl quickly had me back on track and ready to go.
I'd taken the advise on the web site and read all of the instructions twice over, that way I would be familiar with the build process, but it also allowed me to think about the finished product, how I wanted this to look and where i might source additional items.

With the build progressing I turned my attention to the case.
The ones recommended on Muffsy were all overseas and likely to take several weeks to arrive so i limited my search to UK stock and found a ideal unit (slightly larger than the one on the Muffsy site) that would match my little dot headphone amp case, I added some self adhesive feet, and a spacer kit so I could mount the PCB's avoiding any risk of short circuits. (see links below)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222693680910

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180pcs-M3-Black-Nylon-Hex-Spacers-Screw-Nut-Assortment-Stand-off-Plastic-Kit-Set/272566279379?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-X-SELF-ADHESIVE-STICK-ON-RUBBER-FEET-21MM-X-21MM-X-8MM/191815397408?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

When it came to wiring up I wanted a neater and cleaner look so took the option to mount the screw terminals on the underside rather than on the top face as directed. I made doubly sure that all the connections were reversed to ensure no "surprises" on power up.

So how does it sound ?

Initial setting of 47k on the dip switches it sounded a little bright, but no denying it had a great sound stage, dropping this down a setting (all covered on the build guide on Muffsy) had it sounding sweet. I can see this getting better as it wears in.
I'm genuinely delighted with this build, and even happier it worked first time out, in no doubt thanks to Skrodahl for his detailed instructions and excellent customer service and support.

Would I recommend this build / project YES!

I'm now pouring a nice glass of red and looking forward to exploring my vinyl collection again.

Anastasios | Jan. 14, 2018

A grade phono stage kit with a very nice price!

I am just finish the assembly of Muffsy MM phono preamp kit with DC supply. I finish all assembly in two days working on it relaxing.
The kit is so easy to assembly due to a lot clear instructions in Muffsy site.
I use the BB2134 OPA and also I change the signal output capacitor 1mF with another same capacity JFX Series Polypropylene Cap, also the four electrolytic capacitors with four 22uF 25V Elna Silmic II.
I use the GRADO Reference Platinum MM cartage fitted in SME 3009 and a Thorens TD150 turntable (This is my second system witch I add Muffsy phono stage kit, the main system is a Michel Gyro with Ortofon MC30).
I also add two silver mica 200pF caps in the signal entrance.
I use an aluminum enclosure, close type witch is IP65.
My other (second audio system) consist from a custom made tube preamp, cathode followed, a Bryston 4BST power amp and custom made loudspeakers with Fostex units.
Now I am listening jazz music from my old LP vinyl’s, all in perfect conditions, and I am thinking I must listen again all my LP vinyl’s which are more than 500pic because I listen new organs new details….
The phono stage has also very very nice music stage all organs are mounted in the right place because there are a lot of dynamics.
A very nice thing in this kit is that you can adjust a lot of parameters for cartridges so you achieve the best result from it.
It’s a very nice phono stage witch I strongly recommend.
Thanks Muffsy for this lovely phono stage kit.

Here is some photos from my assembly….

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/245wzwbzpa5exhl/AAD-Krt-gOgHnAf811YD0oVMa?dl=0

Tasos Architektonidis
Athens GREECE

Rune | Jan. 11, 2018

Fantastic!

Great product! Very proffesional seller!
I dont really have much, to compare with, but it sounds great!
Recomeded.

Tobias | Dec. 20, 2017

Excellent sound, excellent support

A few years ago I was bitten by the audio DIY bug and every so often I feel the need to indulge. Having recently done as many others have, I bought a turntable. I have a Yamaha R-N500 amplifier with a phono stage and was quite happy with it. However I came across the Muffsy Phono Preamp and decided it was time for a little DIY.

Soldering was straightforward. I bought a Stickvise PCB holder which made things that much easier. After putting together the PSU and preamp kits I found there was only a loud hum. I noticed that the 4R7 resistors on the PSU board were scorched - clearly something was wrong!

I contacted Muffsy support and the response was excellent. After some initial debugging I ordered another PSU kit (thanks for the free postage, Havard, most generous!) and assembled it, and in doing so I spotted my previous error which was to reverse the polarity of the connection between the PSU and the preamp. With the new PSU I was up and running in no time!

In the past I've made some tweaks to my system and to be honest I haven't really noticed any difference. However with the Muffsy preamp the difference is clear - everything simply sounds better. I don't possess a good vocabulary for describing hifi experiences, but I can simply say that each instrument on the soundstage has more space around it, everything is more distinct (my acid test is a cymbal crash, and these are clearer).

Thomas | Nov. 13, 2017

Great kit from a great seller!! Fast shipping too!

If you want a nice phono preamp kit then this is the one for you. It is all here -design, parts, and documentation. This went together very quickly and the results are superb!
Thanks Again

Justin | Oct. 29, 2017

Outstanding Phono Preamp by far!

The muffsy was easy to put together. The experience of assembling it was therapeutic - dreaming of what it might sound like.

In the end it sounded awesome in every way imaginable. Gorgeous tone. I left it at its default setting which was perfect !

Overall outstanding !!

Evenden | Oct. 27, 2017

What a blinder!

The only kit I've made is the bat detector from Tindie, good practice but the Muffsy kits are so easy to assemble. If you can solder a phono plug you can make this.

And when you plug it in you're in for a treat. I got the Muffsy to replace the phono stage in my Musical Fidelity A3. I have a Michell Gyrodec with Origin Live motor and controller, with a Manticore Musician arm and Grado Reference Platinum cartridge with Vdh leads and cable. The A3 has always sounded a bit dull with the built in phono stage. With the Muffsy it feeds my Lowther horns via Origin Live Solicore cable and I'm dancing round the room! The foot tapping doesn't stop with the Stones, John Coltrane is so cool and there is so much detail coming through it's like sitting in the piano as Ashkenazi bangs the ivories on Rachmaninov's 3rd concerto.

Must go, the music is freed and calling me!

Btw the name makes my other half laugh!

David R | Oct. 18, 2017

very impressed. best upgrade yet to my phono.

I have assembled and tested the phono pre amp riaa converter and power supply. Everything seems to be working well. I have about 20 hours of playing time on it. It sounds much better than my Yamaha rv-1900 riaa, which this is replacing. I have 2 simaudio moon amps driving 2 polk audio rtia7 speakers modded with Von schwiekter VR4jr drivers and crossover. I have a Bel Canto 2.5 DAC and a technics SL-Q2 with an AT440MLa cart. I am very happy with the sound 47k seems to be the happy spot for my combination. Thanks for the great product. If there are other things I could try to make it even better then please let me know. Thanks Havard
Dave S

Aaron | Oct. 16, 2017

Totally awesome kit, worth every penny!

I recently began exploring vinyl and wanted to go beyond the phono stage built-into my Parasound Halo Integrated amp. I'm pretty handy with a soldering iron so this seemed like a good chance to take. I got the Phono Pre-Amp and the Power Supply from Skrodahl (here). Soldering took a little over 2 hours but I was intentionally going very slowly. I spent a bit more time on wiring because I'm a spaz (but not related to the kit). I used the optional OPA2134 op-amps. I connected it to my U-Turn Audio Orbit w/Ortofon 2M Red and was very pleasantly surprised. Listening on my B&W 705s, this is no small improvement: detail, musicality and punch are all dramatically improved. I don't have a huge frame of reference for this sort of thing but I think you'd be hard pressed to do better with a ~$500 class pre-packaged amp from Whoever Audio.

Trygve | Oct. 5, 2017

Super

With very little soldering experience, I managed to assemble the kit easily over a couple of Sundays. Take your time, follow the instructions and you will be rewarded with a very good MM phono stage. I will be ordering the MC Headamp too!

Felix | July 6, 2017

A high performance kit!

G'day there, I recently completed successful construction of this kit, and I've been listening to it extensively for some days now on my system in here with my Marantz TT1200 turntable and OEM stylus Shure M97xE moving magnet cartridge.

The kit was easy to build although the board is small and I have an aversion to double sided boards which makes component change and/or removal next to impossible once soldered in.

I also consider the input impedance switching of very little value, and I also found one of the switches on one bank failed completely with very little use. I was 'disappointed' at that. Sonically though, it is a superb MM cartridge phono stage and equal to any of my other high performance phono stages.

I regard passive RIAA equalisation as the preferred approach to optimum sonic quality with RIAA playback correction! I have my 'Muffsy' strapped for maximum gain (a very nice touch). I am using the supplied NE5532 op amps, which I regard very highly. Regards, Felix Scerri, Queensland, Australia.

Response from muffsy | July 9, 2017

Thanks for the nice review Felix,
A new kit has been sent to you since the original one had a faulty component.

Tonghai | June 30, 2017

Muffsy

This amp arrived 2 weeks since the order. power connector was missing but that's no big deal as everything else was fine. very easy to build, layout of pcb is very neat. documentation is quite well explained. I spent 2 nights for it although I could had got it done in one night.
Sound wise the amp is smooth with quiet back ground. I believe it has low noise floor as i couldnt hear any noises through my headphones.I part it with bottle head crack head amp for some hd600s/hd650s. they sound so sweet.
Thanks to the owner of muffsy who is a nice guy and is easy to communicate with.

Robert-Jan | June 20, 2017

Fantastic product, great fun and the best customer service.

What A fantastic phono kit it is, high quality components and due to the extensive documentation even for a novice like me a piece of cake to build it.
Unfortunately my power button was broken but was being replaced in a blink with a new one.
Hard to express why you should buy this kit but everybody who is looking for a high quality phono pre and want to have some fun with DIY, go for it....

And yes....it does sound better when you have build it yourself 😉

Robert

Michi | June 19, 2017

Really Happy!

I had been looking around for a phone pre for some time and finally settled on this kit. The great reviews and the quick responses of the seller even before buying made the decision fairly easy. The kit arrived much quicker than anticipated - I believe within 2 or 3 days. Everything was nicely packaged and labeled. The PCBs look really nice and are clearly above all the others I have used since. With the detailed instructions from the website the build process was really straightforward. I had never soldered before but there are even instructional videos for that on the website and it was really easy to learn. I've been using the amp for a few weeks now and I couldn't be happier. The sound is really clear and I believe it picks up a bit more detail than my previous phono preamps.

I had some questions for the seller along the way - considering this kit and also on how to integrate the phono stage into another project I am working on. He was super helpful all along the way, responded instantly and I learned a great deal. Thank you!

I can recommend this kit to anyone looking for a great phono preamp!

Callum | June 13, 2017

A few issues with shipping but to no fault of the seller

I ordered the Phono Preamp kit to try and get some good sound out of my records at a great price. The $20 one from the local electronics store was not appropriate for my love of music. I gave the product 5 stars but I haven't built it yet (it just arrived). This review is more to talk about my experience with the seller, Skrodahl.

I was told 15 business days was the typical shipping time for delivery to North America. When my kit didn't arrive after a month, he sent me another one with tracking. After another month Skrodahl inquired if the kit had arrived yet. It had not, and he discovered the shipping company was having issues sending the product to Canada. He offered me a full refund on the product and sent yet another kit with a different shipping company complete with tracking info. The day after he sent the third kit the original kit arrived at my door, two months later.

Despite the shipping issues (which I'm sure were an anomaly), my experience was quite positive. All the components arrived accounted for and intact. Communication with Skrodahl was constant. I never doubted that I would receive the kit. I can't yet speak for the product itself, but the components appear to be high quality and the instructions/resources are excellent.

Petri | May 15, 2017

Absolutely nice preamp

Well i did build this and it was pretty easy to make. The PCB's look absolutely professional. There were at least mistake in the documentation what i was wonder about. The picture of the RCA connectors there were only 2 of them getting the earth pin in the picture. I did it like it was in the picture. When i did get it done, the amp i mean. First test was promising. Sound quality was very good actually. I think better than Bugle 2. Only problem was the buzz. Then i was starting to look what the problem is. And i found the problem or should i say solution. A little extra wire coming from the gnd pin of the psu to the case. The buzz was totally gone. I attach a little picture of that:

https://ibb.co/iMH3bQ

What do designer think about this solution?

Response from muffsy | May 17, 2017

Thanks for the nice review Petri.

The there are tracks inside of the back panel that connect the RCAs and ground screw together. It's important NOT to use the plastic shims on the inside, or there will be no grounding.

The grounding that you did is essentially the same as the one shown here: https://www.muffsy.com/eliminate-hum.html

John | April 9, 2017

Marvellous DIY kit. Highly recommended. Sounds superb.

The kit arrived promptly, well packaged and clearly labelled.

The instructions on Muffsy's website could not be clearer. The links to "learn how to solder" were invaluable - I've not soldered anything in decades.

The last few bits of assembly are fiddly and frustrating, but that's a function of cramming so much into a nice small form factor.

My only advice would be - order the third party case well in advance of completing the kit. I finished the kit before the case arrived from China. Nobody's fault but my own.

Just spent an hour listening and being proud of myself.

Many thanks.

Rob | March 29, 2017

Easy and fun to build Phono Stage + MC Head Amp.

I needed a separate Phono Stage, I hoped to upgrade from my Luxman L430 onboard MM/MC stage, moreover I needed a standalone unit to connect to my tube amplifiers/dedicated headphone amplifier that lacked a Phono Stage.
Building Muffsy and the PSU was a dream, the circuitboards were perfectly finished.
I decided to order the kit complete with all components, to make sure that everything would fit (which it did) and I did not have to hunt for parts, I am glad I did, I could start building straightaway.

I also ordered the housing Skrodahl advised, the circuitboards were a perfect fit.
Everything was included in the kit even the wiring and a length of solder, fantastic.
My Muffsy played without issues from the start, it was perfectly silent without hum.
Skrodahl was not sure if he could call Muffsy High End, I think he can.
Last weekend I finished the MC Head Amp and fitted a Paradox Pulse Denon DL 103, this combination blew my socks off, realistic sounding instruments and voices that became tangible. Lower bass than I had experienced before, but tight and clean.
Overall the Muffsy + Head Amp are very enjoyable units, being a lover of tube amplifiers, I always fear solid state equipment and the harshness that sometimes comes with it. Muffsy sounds neutral with a touch of warmth, you can listen to it for hours without listening fatigue, but it is certainly not lacking in detail.

I feel Skrodahl is doing the Vinyl community a favor by supplying such a fantastic piece of kit, for such a nice price.

Pro's and con's:

1) Skrodahl is a nice guy he offers relentless Customer Service, which is amazing in this day and age.
2) The kits are easy to build and complete.
3) The website offers step to step instructions and clear pictures, if you follow these steps, nothing can go wrong.
4) The equipment works and performs way above expectation, mine anyway.
5) If you use or plan to use an MC cartridge in the near future, do yourself a big favor, buy Muffsy as well as the MC Head Amp.
6) At the price Skrodahl is asking, buying the equipment is almost mandatory.

Con's
1) None actually.

Mike | March 7, 2017

Easy to build. Great sound quality.

I was in the market to upgrade my Rega A2D fono preamp and was researching the best possible phono preamp for the money. Then I read about the CNC phono preamp on Audiokarma and with such positive feedback on its performance I decided I was going to build one. It is then I discovered Muffsy and was impressed with the professional PCB build and supplied with all the components required. The kit arrived within a week and took several hours to build. A nice touch was the resistors had values stamped so didn't have to decode the colour codes. The kit was easy to build with full step by step instructions on the Muffsy website. I bought the full kit with PSU and backpanel and it all worked first time and heard very little background noise. At full volume there was a slight hiss but no hum at all. After a few hours use, I compared it to my Rega A2D and can confidently say the Muffsy sound quality was noticeably better, I'm well pleased. Also Skrodahl replied to all my queries very promptly and in full, and gave confidence with his knowledge of his products.

In summary the Muffsy preamp sounds great equivalent to any other costing at least £200, with great support from Skrodahl.

Tomasz | March 1, 2017

It's a great little phono preamp!

I've bought Muffsy phono preamp with back panel and Muffsy power supply.
All fitted nicely in b0905 case.

The package came very quickly (around 1 week from Sweden to Poland) The packaging was very good, all elements were sorted and marked with proper stickers. It was a pleasure to build as the pcb is marked superbly.

The sound quality is very good, there is no hum or weird noise. My Vinyl collection is alive again :)

Definitely worth the money!

Json | Feb. 27, 2017

Great, especially for us beginners.

I looked quite a while for a DIY phono stage. I'm a bit OCD at times when picking something new out. This kit flips all the triggers for me, a person trying to learn the DIY audio game. The adjustability built in the kit with gain and impedance settings will help one learn how those factors integrate into a system. The board is set up very well, clear labeling and room left for tinkering with the signal path, something which also helps us newbies learn the trade. Soldering all of the components was helped by very clear and easy to follow directions (read the correct set of instructions, I happened to use an older set until I realized my mistake, completely my fault.) Even after a mistake made in soldering (my fault), the board showed its toughness with my ham-fisted and unskilled attempts at removing one of the screw on terminals. Very quality board, I must say, since after completing the phono kit, along with the PSU and back panel kit, the unit powered up the first time showing no ill effects from my rough ways. No hums or buzzes, even sans the 0905 case (mine is currently sitting uncased on a piece of wood playing just fine).

It is a very clean sounding phono (I have the OPA2134s). It treats all music the same, clean and clear with good separation and definition. Compared to a Bellari tube phono I was using, it is much more neutral and defined. This is where I get the idea that it treats all music the same. The Bellari, for some reason, seemed to play rock, country, and jazz with less enthusiasm/soul than electronica or hip-hop, but it did those last two very well and soulfully. I'm not sure how much system dynamics may have effected that conclusion. As a newbie, I really appreciate this neutrality that I am perceiving. I have another blank board here at home and one more on the way which I am going to populate with different resisitors and capacitors in order to be able to see what kind of changes can be had with the switching of basic parts of a piece of equipment. For the price, general enjoyment of listening to music as well as for learning, I think, would be harder to find in other kits that might even be quite a bit more expensive.

And then there is the customer service. Skrodahl (hope I spelled that right) has been top shelf! He has answered the questions I have emailed him better than I had hoped for. After asking about a certain capacitor on the board and giving him a part number he replied soon after with a link of caps that would work (the one I had sent him would not) as well as another link with brand specific caps that would work that I had missed. He also gave me some advice on what to look out for with regards to what might harm the end result. Like I said, top shelf.

Bottom line, I am not sure how you could go wrong with this kit. Great sound, easy to do if you take care and follow the instructions, customer service is top shelf, and will help you learn aspects of audio in ways I haven't seen in other kits. Thanks again, Havard.

Adam | Feb. 26, 2017

great

Everything went along smoothly when assembling it. the screw terminals were a little tricky for me, make sure to strip the wires short so that the terminals have some insulation to grab on or you'll be doing it again and again as the wires keep slipping out.

Mark | Feb. 21, 2017

Awesome preamp

First a quick rundown of my current equipment - Project Debut carbon with acrylic platter, Ortofon OM30, Art DJ Pre II (now retired), Denon X1300W.

After researching preamps for the last couple of weeks, and almost buying the Hagerman Bugle 2, I came across the CNC which then led me to the Muffsy which I decided to try - mainly due to the separate power supply and the clear instructions on how to build it. I opted for the preamp, power supply, back panel, and the stock 5532 op-amps.

Shipping took about 10 days to east coast Australia, upon opening I found everything to be clearly labelled. I seen some reviews that mention a small amount of solder coming with the kit, mine did not have this but I have plenty of solder so wasn't fussed.

Assembly took about 4.5 hours for the preamp, power supply and back panel. My soldering skills are pretty decent but this is definitely the biggest kit I've done. I had a bit of a mix up with the regulators on the power supply as I didn't notice they were all different and was a bit too eager to get everything done, so I mixed up 2 of them and it was quite a challenge to get them out. Luckily I realised before connecting the power.

The instructions are very well done, the only thing I would add is when stripping the audio wires, it would be good to specify the 3cm ends go to the back panel.

Once powered up, there was an instant lack of hum or buzz. I thought for a minute it wasn't working, until I put a record on. My first thoughts were WOW, this thing is amazing. Bass presence was there but not overwhelming, mids were clear and highs were crisp. The overall soundstage feels very realistic, every instrument has it's own voice and placing.

After a few hours of bliss and annoying the neighbors, I couldn't help but to start tinkering. First I had a look at my OM30 specs, which note that the output is 4mV. From there I found an online preamp calculator at kabusa.com/pregain.htm which says the ideal gain for 4mV is 38db. So I set the Muffsy at 36db gain (was at 40db), and found just a slight hint of more dynamics. This was then confirmed when I did a couple of needledrops in audacity at 36 and 40db. At 40db the highest peaks were smoothed off but did not look distorted as such, whereas at 36db those same peaks were very sharp - imagine ( vs <

I also played around with the loading but found 47K sounded the best to my ears, I don't think I'll play with capacitance loading but it's great to have that option too. Next up is to test out a couple of other op-amps. The great thing about the Muffsy being so easy to modify is also a bad thing for people like me who just can't stop messing with it.

Response from muffsy | Feb. 21, 2017

Thanks for the great review Mark.

The solder wire has been removed from the kit, as it contains lead. I have edited the documentation so it says which end of the shielded cables go where.

Jesper | Dec. 9, 2016

One word: Amazing!

Previously I hade a Pro-ject Phonobox DS and my vinyl-sound was just plain boring. I decided to order and build the Muffsy Phono Preamp kit, and the end result is amazing! Suddenly it is fun listening to my vinyls!
The shipping was extremely fast, and the documentation was perfect. And I had a question about an AC/AC adapter I found, and got answered almost immediatly!
Highly recommended!

/Jesper

Hardijs | Dec. 5, 2016

Prefect

Very nice pre amp and psu, excellent sound.

I was very positively surprised that the kit included soldering wire.
Everything was packed in small plastic bags, with labels
I have some experience in soldering but not with so small components.
But on the muffsy site it's very well explained with text and pictures how to
put it together.

If you have any questions feel free to ask Skrodahl.
Responses from Skrodahl are excellent, BEST costumer service ever! Seriously!

Martin | Nov. 27, 2016

Excellent

Having bought the excellent power supply and front panel I reciever the preamp quickly and well packaged. The parts are of high quality and construction is straightforward as long as you follow the online instructions which are clear and consise. It is pointed out in them to check and double your component placement with the photos and diagrams before soldering ... an important piece of advice. Any problems or questions were answered quickly, such as post build checks.
The finished kit looks good and professional. The results confirm the high standard of design and componant choice and sound quality is excellent.

Justin | Oct. 27, 2016

Lovely little preamp

Shipping to Western Australia took just under three weeks (Australia Post has gotten pretty slow lately).

Took me maybe four hours to populate and solder the boards, mostly since it's my first project in a while and I wanted to take my time. Helpful to have the resistor values written on the strips, too, since I'm always forgetting the stripe colours.

Nice tight and tidy layout on the boards, values labelled on the top side making stuffing the board easy as pie. Plenty of impedance and gain options for future proofing, plus fitting tidily into absurdly affordable yet aesthetically pleasing 0905 enclosure means it doesn't look out of place next to my turntable and will probably reside there for quite some time.

As for the sound, it's clearly miles ahead of my other phono stage (integrated into an old but good 2ch amp) and for the handful of albums I own on both CD and vinyl the sound quality is near indistinguishable bar the expected vinyl surface noise, clicks and pops.

Tiny bit of mains hum which is due to my rather messy entertainment cabinet - I'm yet to try the suggested enclosure grounding (it's been playing music basically since I finished it), but in any case it's only really noticeable at enormously loud volumes.

Great work mate.

Robert | Oct. 20, 2016

Truly impressed.

I used to wear my Sheffield Labs "STOP DIGITAL MADNESS" T- shirt with pride. That said, when audio engineers finally figured out how to actually take advantage of what the digital medium had to offer....well let's say the t-shirt eventually ended up in the rag drawer, and the turntable was more eye candy for my generation and proof to my children that there father was as much an antique as his record collection.
Still...always have had a love for vinyl....(To heck with the kids!)...slapping an album down on the platter occasionally for old times sake. Recently my old phono preamp had decided that noise floor should be somewhere barely south of audio output. Fix? Replace? I remembered the fun I had with the old Heathkits. I was rarely successful, but in that my frontal lobe was poorly developed when Heathkit existed, I thought I might have better luck this time.
Doing the research (frontal lobe fully engaged) I discovered the Muffsy web site. I couldn't believe how incredibly well documented and intuitive the directions were. The reviews sold me. Everything was delivered well packaged and in a timely manner...The case from China and the Muffsy preamp/power supply kits actually came the same day.
Build was relatively easy. The recommended videos on soldering technique are a hoot, and worth watching even if you are an old hand. I was soon soldering away like it was second nature, starting with the PSU because it seemed like the easier task for someone who's soldering skills were a bit rusty. The biggest issues I had was bringing it all together in the end. The whole unit is quite small, and for those of us who are ham fisted and fat fingered, getting those wires into those tight places is a bit of a challenge. Without question, wire the blocks prior to soldering them onto the pcb, otherwise you are going to hate yourself. Also, when I wired the input/output jacks, I tinned the ground shield and made it shorter then the positive/ negative 24 gauge wires, so that the ground could act as a stress relief...as getting the PSU and the Preamp wired together and in the box can be a little rough on 24 gauge wire connections. Then again, I am fat fingered and ham fisted, so delicacy is not my forte. My way of saying, if I can build this kit...anyone can.
Hooked everything up, and with a certain trepidation, turned on my system. Instead of the expected fireball and suffocating smoke, I got nothing. No noise. No hum. Put on an album. Whoa! Seriously? This pre sounds great! My old worn out crappy albums sound worn out and crappy still, but my good, carefully preserved recordings (those purchased after the frontal lobe decided to show up) sounded amazing. I had no idea how much clear, tight bass existed in those records. Separation and stage depth...all those things that "audiophiles" comment on while sipping their tea with extended pinkies was really evident.
Bottom line, this is a wonderfully crafted, well designed, incredibly versatile and exceptionally well documented kit. If you have reservations about your skillset, put those aside and take the plunge. You'll be glad you did.
How about Muffsy line stage preamp and power amplifier kits in the future? ...Just planting the seed! ; ~ )

Fred Arne | Oct. 1, 2016

surprisingly easy to build

I was surprised twice with this product, amazingly easy to build even for a novice like myself.
But the real surprise came when I connected the riaa to my stereo ,and I was hoping to hear
some difference between the NAD PP 3i and the Muffsy.
Well it was no match at all , the Muffsy outperformed it , everything got better.
Music listening is now again a real pleasure .
Regards Fred.

Adam | Aug. 9, 2016

Great product and great fun!

It took some time to submit this review since the purchase, but we wanted to have our Beogram 4002 restored to test the preamp where it belongs :)

First of all, the assembly was fun and flawless – Skrodahl provided great assistance and the product shines of quality (we opted for OPA2134PA version). We can also second the suggestion of securing the wires in connectors before soldering them – it’s much easier and more precise that way. The preamp worked from the first run, no difficulties whatsoever.

Then we've done the tests with our friend's turntable (an old Thorens turntable with new MM cartridge coupled with Sony stereo amp), and the results were stellar. No hum at all and concerning a comparison between his Sony-integrated preamp and Muffsy, well - there was no comparison - on multiple UFO, Mike Oldfield, Dire Straits discs the sound was whole, never lacking detail and getting the best of his equipment.

Now, it was B&O time (coupled with Denon amp and B&W 604s3 speakers) and this is where this preamp belongs. On MMC20EN moving iron cartridge that outputs ~3 mV @ 1 kHz the suggested gain set at 40 dB and 47 Kohm input impedance were spot-on. Even on dynamic-lacking discs all the details were there, but then, starting from JM Jarre through Vangelis, Abba, Elton John, Dire Straits and Vladimir Vysotsky included it was all pleasure and nothing lacking from the sound.

Concluding: fantastic product, great experience and precious support – we can only recommend it all :)

Peter | July 3, 2016

Great kit, superb sound and excellent support.

Came across this kit whilst building my new Power and PreAmps, it seemed exactly what I needed to complete my setup.
The kit was easy to build with clear instructions and excellent support.
As I wanted to include this phono stage within my PreAmp I decided to change the input connector to a Mini Din and fit the board into an Edeystone diecast box. Also, as the cable Mini Din connector had limited reach I decide to remove the end of the box and use the PreAmp back panel to 'close' it. The box only needed two fastners to secure it to the panel, with one of those screws reversed to provide a terminal for the turntable earth.
I am very pleased with the results and it has given my old vinyl collection a new lease of life!

Jeffrey | June 25, 2016

5 Stars

Excellent kit. Almost too easy for anyone with basic soldering skills. How too tutorial is spot on. Thanks for this great kit!

David | June 23, 2016

Value for money

Built this recently and have had it in my system for a week or two now. Right, let's do this review in two parts then.

First, how does it sound, as that is the most important part. That's simple. Very good. I got this so I could have a second phono amp for a second system. It is better, to my ears, than my Rega Fono Mk2. The Rega has been shifted to the second system.

Building it. Easy. Very straightforward. Did it in less than a day, with interruptions, and meeting a friend for lunch.

Parts came in well marked bags, website had all I needed and a couple of questions that I asked before building it were answered very promptly.

If you are thinking you need a lot of skill to do this, you don't. A bit of practice with a soldering iron and you are good to go.

Build. Enjoy.

Arno | May 22, 2016

The "Muffsy" experience.

The "Muffsy" phono stage review
-------------------------------
-The Why:
Did I need a new phono stage? Well perhaps not.
But as I was looking at the CNC phono stage thread on Audio Karma something caught
my attention.The "Muffsy" by user Skrodahl.
Looking at the pictures one of the first things that got me interested was the size.
I was thinking.....maybe I should look into it.

On to the Muffsy site it was :-)
To my surprise Skrodahl was offering a complete kit and the only things needed
to get yourself were an AC-AC adaptor and an enclosure in which the PCB's would
fit like a glove.
And since its much fun building stuff I ordered one.

-Building it:
Only a few days later the small package arrived and a few days later the AC-AC
wallplug and enclosure arrived as well.
Lets build it !
On the Muffsy site its very well explained in text and pictures how you should
put it together. Since I have soldering experience it was a breeze putting it together.
Tripple checked if I had put everything in the correct spot.
Also checked the output voltage of the dual power supply.....no problem there :-)

-Just one thing:
Time to put it to the test!
Before I go into detail I had a hum at first but that problem was fixed by adding a
ground wire from the groundlug on the back of the Muffsy (which is made of PCB
material and therefore non conductive) to the enclosure. No hum or noise after
that little mod.
Also see: http://www.muffsy.com/blogs/

-The sound:
Well I could just use one word and that word would be "Excellent".
Audio is crystal clear. Very nice to listen to.
I use a Thorens TD-147 with an Audio Tecnica AT440MLA cartridge and the Muffsy
paires excellent with it.My other phono stages are a CNC and a Musical Fidelity X-LPSv3.

The Muffsy performs audible slightly better than the CNC (the Muffsy has it roots in
the CNC but still performs a bit better).
The biggest difference in my case is when I compare it to the Musical Fidelity.
The MF sounds a bit cold where the Muffsy sounds alive and kicking and very detailed.

I ordered the Muffsy with the OPA2134 but for those who like opamp rolling thats
not a problem.
Just be aware that some opamps need less than the standard +/-15V (which can be
altered using different resistors on the power PCB, more info on that on the Muffsy site).
So check before rolling opamps !!

-Why should you buy a Muffsy?
-Anyone can build one. Beginners might have to practise their soldering skills first.
-Well designed and very compact PCB layout.
-Kit comes well packaged and organized.
-Nothing beats that "I've build it myself" feeling :-)
-Communication with Skrodahl is excellent.
-You can't get a better phono stage for that money !
-Easily change impedance and capacity values to accommodate any cartridge.
Now thats something you can't find on every phono stage.
-Perfect for people who like to build or are (re)discovering vinyl and find out their
current amplifier have no phono pre-amp build in as they used to have in the "old" days.

-So whats next? :
Well obviously go get one and start playing those records :-)

Bruce | May 14, 2016

An Excellent quality kit, pcb first rate, components top cla

Very easy to build, first class pcb, components top quality, using this amp to review my existing vinyl collection. I would recomend this pre-amp for it`s top quality performance and outstanding value for money,

Alaisdair | May 2, 2016

An excellent phono preamp and service to match.

I recently bought a replacement for my amp and required a Turntable Preamp. After some investigations came across the Muffsy Phono Preamp - Kit. This looked like the best option. I was not disappointed. What follows is a short review of the whole process from ordering to receipt, build and use.
kit was well packaged and all components for each unit (pre-amp, power unit and back panel) were in clearly labelled packets. What was really helpful was that all resistors were clearly labelled which made it easy to identify the correct item. The kits were very comprehensive containing everything you needed including solder and wire as required. What was really great was that once you started to build the unit there was no need to look anywhere else for material to complete each unit. The only other additional items required are a case for the preamp and AC adaptor. Again options are detailed on the web site and can be purchased prior to building the kit.

The build itself was very easy and straightforward as the instructions and pictures on the web were very clear and effective. Where there was a
Ordered this via Tindie on a Thursday and had received this within less than a week which is impressive considering it came from Sweden. The need to insert components in a certain orientation the instructions clearly stated the correct method. I choose to solder all connections between boards rather than use the terminal blocks. On hindsight I would recommend the use of the blocks for the power supplies and only solder the phono in and out.

I have only just started to use this and so far I am very impressed with the sound.

The service I have received from Skrodahl has been excellent. Any question asked of him have been answered very quickly. His attention to detail from start to finish has been exceptional.

Overall it was a pleasure to build the preamp and I have no hesitation on recommending this kit and the service I have received. Once again thanks.

Regards,

Alaisdair.

John | March 17, 2016

A very excellent phono preamp in kit form for the money

I decided to not just buy a new phono preamp, but decided to build one and in my initial research, stumbled onto the Muffsy as well as some others, such as the Boozehound Labs unit, and 2 ready built units from eBay Hong Kong and most of the kits I found either looked hokey or inadequate, or left too much out of the kit, forcing the builder to not only buy the kit, but the majority of the parts to assemble it separately through their own sources, such as through Mouser or DigiKey or whatever.

the kits themselves come fully self contained as a preamp, a power supply unit, and a back panel with all the components needed to build each kit included, outside of the case and power adapter and good news there is Skrodahl even now has the sources for both the recommended enclosure (necessary if you buy the back panel kit) and the wall adapter, both for 120V and 220V countries, so even that is a no brainer to get, and yes, they do add to the cost, but when you add in the whole kit it's $110 US and the recommended enclosure cost me $9 US, excluding shipping, the recommended wall adapter $12 US, also excluding shipping for a total of $131 US, not bad when you consider the ready made Shitt Mani is abut the same price, as is other units of similar quality, and other kits aren't much less and are less complete as a kit, and you'd have to source a PSU from someone else if you wanted to go the AC route in many cases, and they may not be as easy to do as they may require torroidal transformers to step down the AC and then have the power supply board rectify and convert to DC, and you are at that point, dealing with full AC mains and ground loops, which may be over the heads and skills of the more novice kit builders out there.

I do have a smattering of electronics knowledge, in that I can kind of sort of read a schematic, and had basic soldering skills and a decent little soldering station so that helped, but the kit is designed for those with even less but want to build this kit anyway.

The circuit boards are small, but not difficult to work on, if you have what is called a third hand apparatus. It's essentially clamp that you can clip your board to and tilt it, flip it etc and will keep the board in place while you solder and the board is very easy to solder to, using even if regular ol' leaded rosin core solder like I used.

Since I've built the kits, there have been some changes to the instructions and one of them was with the power regulators on the PSU. In the instructions I had, there was no mention for those not in the know to ensure that not only do you get them in the correct spot, but oriented the right way. There is now those instructions as I've contributed that and several other suggestions where improvements were needed in the documentation and Skrodahl was quick to make those changes. Otherwise, I'd give his documentation a 5 star rating, but it is how one improves things. :-) Thankfully he is quick to making changes where necessary and that is a sign of good customer service, and something you don't always get with most kits.

Overall, the build experience was great even though I had to redo the power supply board due to the lack of the knowledge to get the power regulators oriented correctly and my wall adapter came DOA and had to RMA and thankfully, Jameco was quick to rectify that so now I can enjoy the preamp without worrying about the two 9V batteries dying every 3-4 days.

I bought the Burr Brown (OPA2134PA) OpAmps as I am familiar with Burr Brown and their sound and am glad I did it lends a warmth that you don't always get with solid state devices, and my SHURE cart is also warm sounding but with also a rolled off top end and I love how this kit has variable loading options along with variable gain options. Currently, I run the cart at 53K Ohms, gain at 36dB and that seems to be a good setting with my current, but crappy interconnects and the cart.

Overall the sound is much fuller than my stock Sherwood receiver's phono preamp, and while I got good bass with the SHURE M97xE cartridge with that preamp, the Muffsy brings out even more bass and I get great detail and clarity and a wide stereo separation/sound stage. There is also much greater dynamics and punch to the overall sound too, making music sound much more alive than it ever had before.

I'm using this as a personal preamp in my stereo and the turntable is a very humble and vintage Kenwood turntable, model KD 12-RB that my late parents originally bought new in 1985. As a table, it's nothing to write home about, but it performs more than adequately, and with the SHURE cart and the Muffsy preamp, it punches well above its weight class as a result.

Overall, I'd buy this kit again, and now that I know a little bit more, I'd probably mod it a little and hope he can in the future look into a mono switch, something that is woefully missing in so many preamps of this price point as there are lots of vintage mono recordings out there that benefit from being played in mono and not in stereo for a cleaner sound and imaging.

Nils Ole | March 11, 2016

Superb riaa

A great Product it smashed my 90" sony riaa. I take it to a friend for a test, and he not let me take it with me back home.Soo i have buy 2 kit :)
Sound: Bass: very good and tight middel woofer: give me lots of detail i never hear before on my vinyl. Tweeter:Crystal Clear.
Seller is very active and aswer very fast if it is somthing i ask about. Instruction is exelent.
Quality of the Component in the kit is the best i have ever seen.
Thank you for the best sound improvment both me and my friend ever had by just change 1 Component. Best Nils

Christoph | Feb. 24, 2016

All in all: a very satisfiing product

I had great fun building this kit. It was very easy to put together.Even if you do not understand much about electronics you can build this great Phono Amp! Outstanding documentation ! Outstanding ideas implantated to the board! Be sure to get the case recomended!
All in all: a very thoroughly designed product!
The sound is very natural with lots of detail!
Have fun!
Chris

Alan | Feb. 18, 2016

Straightforward construction, very good sound.

Very complete kit.
I bought the preamp, the psu, and the backplate with its components.
Good to see the clear information about what else was needed,i.e. the A/C supply and the box---using the info had me supplied with everything needed to finish the job very quickly--a big plus point in my opinion.
Excellent instructions---difficult to see how they could be improved.
My soldering technique is OK, I'd say, but my iron is ancient, and the tip really a bit big for the task on the pcb in particular---the result being that there wasn't enough solder supplied---but there's enough space on the pcb for soldering with the rather larger-gauge silver solder that I have around anyway, to finish the assembly with no problems--and everything worked first time with absolutely no false starts.
The only very slight change I made to the work order suggested, concerned the screw terminals for signal and power inputs and outputs.
Whilst understanding the reasons for orientating the openings inwards on the pcbs, this does make inserting the wires more awkward.
So I inserted and screwed the wires securely, before soldering the terminals to the pcbs---just gives a little more room for manouevre.

Albert | Feb. 17, 2016

A very good Phono Stage for the money :D

The Muffsy Phono Stage was purchased on October 2015 so this review is indeed very late.I ordered the Whole Kit (Except the Back Panel) with the Power Supply included.Before having the Muffsy Phono stage,I was using a Musical Fidelity VLPS-2 and I bought the Muffsy as I had purchased another turntable and therefore,I had to purchase another Phono stage set.
HOW IS IT?: This Phono stage adds a fair bit of clarity and detail in the mids and lows as compared to the Musical Fidelity. Bass also definitely has improved,clearer and more well defined and definitely a whole new level.For 70US dollars it really is well worth it and almost a no brainer. The Phono stage is used with an Ariston RD11 running through Dali Ikon 2 speakers and an average Tube Amp.
INSTALLATION:Unfortunately,I did not install this myself and had a friend to do it for me as he was much more experienced and I did not have the tools. However,it should be very simple and many kind reviewers before me has given much more detail as to installation so it will be helpful to refer. I bought the parts required for the PSU from a electronics place here in Singapore so that really wasn't that big of a problem. Element14 is a fairly good bet as well
SERVICE:The seller provided excellent service throughout and was very helpful.He answered all my inquiries within a day so Kudos to him:)
SHIPPING:Shipping took about one to two weeks or so,and I'm in Singapore so that is fairly quick considering the fact that the product is from Sweden,so that is a huge plus.
CONCLUSION:For 70 US dollars,I feel there really isn't much to lose,especially considering the fact that The Musical Fidelity is about
2 times more than the price of this,I will heartily recommend them.

I hope this review has been helpful to everyone who is contemplating a decision :)

Best Regards
-Albert

David | Feb. 16, 2016

Great DIY experience, even better sounding phono preamp

If you want to build a phono stage preamp and you're not an expert, your options are pretty limited. You could find something on that big auction site, but, chances are, it'll come with missing and poor-quality pieces and incoherent instructions and if you get stumped on something you won't find much help there, either.

Not so with the Muffsy preamp. I bought the power supply, phono stage and front panel. All were a breeze to assemble, had all the high quality parts and detailed instructions. I didn't need to ask the seller anything to complete the project, but that didn't stop me from asking him a million other questions about a thousand other things I'm working on. Great communicator who is extremely knowledgeable about all things audio.

A few tips: The kit takes time. It took me several hours and a few beers to complete everything. I did the project over several nights and moved slowly, checking the orientation of things and the values of the parts before assembling them. I did the kit with a $20 Weller solder kit. An inexpensive vice or $5 helping hand would make the job a little easier. You might want to grab a bit of 60/40 solder to practice a bit on something else. Not necessary but it's nice to get a few tries in on something cheap or free.

The circuit boards are thru hole and are the nicest I've ever worked with, by far. That's great that it's high quality and durable BUT not so great if you solder a piece in the wrong spot. All that thru-hole solder is hard to get out with a solder sucker or braid, so try to get it right the first time.

The seller knows this product inside-out, so be sure to hit him up if you have a custom idea for it. I plan to grab a couple more of the phono stage for other projects.

Also note that this thing is infinitely customizable, and many of those customizations are detailed on the seller's website. No matter how much your equipment changes, you'll be able to ready this phono stage for the task, even MC cartridges, a rarity in this price range.

Many other reviewers have noted the sound quality, so I'll keep that brief. It's true that this is the best sounding phono stage you'll find south of $500 USD. I have plenty of other integrated amps, including the Harman Kardon 430 Twin Power, noted for its phono awesomeness, and I'll never plug it in on phono again. This thing blows all my other amps out of the water. The soundstage is flawless, and it perfectly melds the highs, mids and lows of music together.

One thing I love, as a listener of R&B and other bass punchy music, is the preamp's ability to not turn those sounds into mushy bass soup. Even music like Pink Floyd or Radiohead or Miles Davis benefit from the crispness in the lowest of lows to the highest of highs. Nothing gets muddled. Nothing.

To summarize: Great experience, top-notch, knowledgeable seller who cares more about the product than the sale, and a preamp that makes you hear all that you've been missing in that priceless collection of records you've amassed.

Brian | Jan. 17, 2016

The Muffsy is extremely satisfying and a great value

I have used commercial and DIY, integrated and separate phono preamps including Bottlehead Seduction, Boozehound phono pre, Music Hall mmf & Marantz 2230. So, not a huge experience level, but a good variety in the price range of the Muffsy and higher. I built the Muffsy in totally stock form. The Muffsy destroys them all, except for maybe the Seduction. The Seduction had some really magical moments, but it costs about 7X as much and it always seemed to lack bass, so overall, I would choose the Muffsy.

My system consists of a 5 watt KT88SE power amp, a Forewatt tube preamp and 3pi speakers. My TT are Pioneer PL-41 with a Denon DL-110 cart and a Garrard LAB 80 with a Shure M91E. The 3pi speakers are very revealing and sensitive, so I can really tell the difference between poor and good quality recordings. I just mention that to give some perspective to this review.

This preamp exceeded my expectations by far! I am using (2) 9V batteries. The background is black as night. It is so quiet, I didn't realize it was on. Even before I put it in an enclosure and just had it rigged up as a bench unit for testing.

It sounded great from the first listen. Just stunning. My test albums were Steely Dan Gold, George Benson Breezin' & The Carpenters (don't laugh, they are recorded extremely well).

I think for the first time, I can truly hear things that I have not heard on the recordings before. I can hear deeper into the music and can hear the fade out of songs for longer. Meaning, the most tiny of signals and detail is detectable. I can pick out individual vocal harmonies and instruments. I have to use a sub with my 3pi speakers, but the bass is just right. The sound stage is excellent. The locations of instruments and voices are very easily pinpointed. Sounds seem to come from mid air in the middle of the room, which is what I would consider "holographic" sound. The texture of the sound is liquid. Detailed, but very smooth. It sounds solid state, but in a good way. The bass line on "Hey Nineteen" is nice and rubbery.

I tried both op amps and I would say the OPA is worth the extra (if nothing else than the peace of mind and knowing that the OPA is newer and designed specifically for audio). However, I couldn't hear a huge difference.

Overall, I am very pleased and would highly recommend this preamp.

Oh, one word of caution, I would strongly advise you to face the inlets of the terminal blocks OUT. Facing them in makes it a major pain to get wires into the block.

I'm going to go and get on with listening to my whole vinyl collection. I'm so excited that finally, vinyl sounds better than streaming!

Joseph | Jan. 14, 2016

EXCELLENT

The kit was very easy to build. I ordered the pre amp with optional op amps, the power supply and back panel. Instructions on line were a plus for assembly. Sound is exceptional for the price. The parts are of very good quality and the boards are as good as you'll see. You would have to spend way more to get better sound and that would be dependent on your front end to even hear a better phono pre amp. I run mine directly into a Zen SE84C single ended triode 2 watt tube amp by Decware. Works exceptionally well with this amp. It would be nice if they offered the AC to AC 18 volt wall wart. Trying to find one was somewhat difficult. Powering mine with (2) 9 volt batteries until the wall wart arrives. Would I buy another??????..... in a heart beat. I may buy another one any way. On line support via email with the seller was EXCELLENT! Quick answers and precise instructions. This Phono pre amp is a WINNER at 5 times the price.

Mish | Jan. 8, 2016

Great sounding pre-amp and terrific beginner project in one!

I bought this as a project to get me back into dabbling with electronics after 3 decades of computing. To successfully complete a fully functional phono pre-amp was good fun, and it was satisfying to see my soldering improve as I went along. Even more fun, however, was the learning that came with the project, especially with power. One thing I didn't expect was having to wrangle with ground loops, which turned out to be dodgy RCA cables and a very noisy Raspberry Pi adapter, and NOTHING to do with the Muffsy preamp!

I did resort to seeking help from skrodahl, and the replies were very prompt, very patient and extremely detailed. I could not have asked for more.

I am very pleased with every aspect of this preamp, from the packaging (all present and correct, and impeccably marked) and the quality of the parts, to the instructions and, of course, the finished product.

Lastly, if anyone is concerned about this as a beginner, don't be. Watch the youtube clips if you are uncertain before starting, and then take it steady.

Thank you:)

Nicolas | Dec. 28, 2015

First DIY => Sounds good !!

OK, this is my first DIY Kit and... really amazing, shipping was fast, documentation was very clear with a lots of detail and mod.

Scott | Nov. 9, 2015

Very happy with my Muffsy phono preamp

I got it in my head that I was going to build a DIY phono preamp for my turntable. I started looking around to see which plans were available. Although I had soldered simple connections in the past, I'm a beginner when it comes to audio components or printed circuit boards. First, the level of difficulty had to be within my capability. Secondly, the parts had to be easy to source. I chose the Muffsy kit because it had a track record with years of what appeared to be crowd-sourced collaborative development. Plus, the features and flexibility can't be beat for the price. If I move to a different cartridge that requires different gain or impedance, the Muffsy will still work. Ordering was easy and shipping was fast. I ordered the entire kit with power supply board and back panel. I sourced the power supply components from a local USA supplier, and found the enclosure on the big auction site. Assembly went pretty smoothly for a beginner. Whenever I had a question, the seller always got back to me within hours. Finally, it works and sounds good! How exciting it was to connect the cables, turn the power on, and out came nice, clean sound. I'm very pleased.

Stephen | Oct. 29, 2015

Great seller to deal with.

Had a slight issue and skrodahl was understanding and went above and beyond what was necessary to remedy the situation. Excellent service and a great little preamp with some of the best instructions/documentation I have seen for diyaudio yet.

Also grabbed the power supply board as well and like others have said would have liked a parts kit for this as well looking on the board build page gives a list of all components needed and sourcing these on Digi-key (for canadians) or Mouser (american) it was a breeze.

Response from muffsy | Nov. 24, 2015

Hi Stephen,
You'll be pleased to see that the power supply now comes as a kit. The documentation has been updated based on feedback from yourself and others.

Hope you enjoy your phono stage.

-skrodahl

Daniel | Oct. 21, 2015

Excellent preamp

This is a quality kit that arrived very quickly.The online instructions were well explained and had detailed pictures.I am also building the power supply and wish it was also a kit with all the parts included.

For the price, I'm glad I bought it and hope to see more of your kits in the future.
Thanks
Da,

Response from muffsy | Oct. 22, 2015

Thanks for the great review Daniel.

Mouser and Farnell component alternatives have now been added to the instructions, I hope that will improve the experience:
http://muffsy.com/build-the-muffsy-psu.html

James | Sept. 22, 2015

Excellent low cost DIY phono stage with lots of options

Even a complete novice can build this kit. The instructions and documentation are the best I've ever seen. The Muffsy web site even provides instructions to learn to solder. You can purchase a good quality temperature controller solder station at Amazon for less than $50. I built my phono stage using the recommended aluminum enclosure that can be found on Ebay. Note this is a phono stage for all moving magnet / moving iron cartridges as well as high output moving coil designs.

My build includes signal path Vishay nude resistors sourced from Texas Components and Vishay MKP film resistor sourced through Mouser. I decided to also use the Muffsy power supply with 18V wall wart. You can get crazy and try other IC's and even better capacitors. For those with moving coil cartridges you can purchase a larger enclosure and integrate some nice Lundahl transformers. as a step up stage.

I have not quite finished with my build but I anticipate the Muffsy will indeed sound very good.

Yngve | June 22, 2015

The best Phono stage I ever had.

I ordered this kit with upgraded components and opamps because I wanted to build my own RIAA. I was using a Musical Fidelity V90 LPS and didn't expect this one to be any better. Boy was I wrong!
Powered by 2x9V batteries it sounds amazing. I never thought that a phono stage could make that big difference. The MF RIAA was sold immediately. With adjustable input impedance and low capacitance It's a perfect match for my Audio Technica AT150MLX

This kit is perfect for both beginners and novices. The PCB have great component location markings and also all resistors are properly marked with it's resistance value so It's quick and easy to populate the board. I double checked all resistors with a DMM and there was no errors in the marking. There's even soldering wire in the kit so all you need to build it is a soldering iron, a wire cutter and 60 min of spare time.

Skrodahl offers excellent customer service and very quick shipping. If you need a great phono stage, look nowhere else.

+ Show 88 more

$99.00

Out of Stock

Sold out since Nov 16, 2024

muffsy

Malmö, Skåne County, Sweden

Ships from Sweden.

114 Reviews | 1,093 Orders

View Store

More From This Seller:

Muffsy Phono Preamp Back Panel

muffsy

$29.00

Muffsy Relay Input Selector - Kit

muffsy

$79.00

The Muffsy BSTRD - Class A Tube Preamp PCBs

muffsy

$39.00

Muffsy MC Head Amp - Kit

muffsy

$99.00

Muffsy Hifi Dual Power Supply V4 -Kit

muffsy

$45.00

We thought you'd like these too…

Rakit Metal Synth Kit/Assembled

Rakit

$65.00

Rakit Drum DIY Synth Kit/Assembled - Amdek PCK-100

Rakit

$65.00

Discrete 555 Timer Kit

Sloth Byte Ltd

$19.99

EMF Detector

The Curious Electric Company

$24.00

Tindie

Muffsy Phono Preamp - Kit

Out of Stock

DIY KIT - Muffsy Phono Preamp PP-4

Free Muffsy Back Panel in November, save $29!

True Hifi

Everything You Need to Build a Complete Phono Stage

Specifications

Great Documentation

What You Get

High Quality Components:

Upgrade Operational Amplifiers:

Muffsy Hifi Dual Power Supply:

Muffsy Back Panel:

Rates to

Review Breakdown

Average Ratings

Simple to build and sounds great.

Wonderful DIY Phono-Preamp, perfectly documented.

Excellent preamp and the service is fantastic.

Well organized kit.

brilliant

When it arrived the quality looked good

Excellent kit! Looks great, sounds awesome!

Great Product and Service . . .

Best Phono Preamp I've heard

Excellent product and excellent service!

Amazing little thing

Superb quality DIY phono preamp

Great sounding, versatile preamp; satisfying to build

Response from muffsy | May 19, 2020

Excellent sound, easy to build, versatile

Very good product. Good quality board.

Extremly good product for the money.

Excellent!

A review of the Muffsy DIY phono pre-amp kit.

Response from muffsy | Feb. 6, 2020

Great Kit, perfect instructions, Spectacular Build

Flawless build, very rewarding!

Easy to assemble. Nice sound when finished.

Response from muffsy | Oct. 10, 2019

Easy to build and awesome result!

Generally - excellent

Great experience

Hi

Easy build. Great sound. Stellar service.

A super product!

Perfect!

Ottimo

Fast shipping, Great product!

Superb product

10/10 Quality, Service, and Sound!

High quality product and service

Great!

Excellent kit

A fun kit to build.

What a super little product

Wonderful kit

Perfect, Very easy to build and works flawlessly

A beautifully made kit

Response from muffsy | Feb. 17, 2018

Mission Accomplished!

High quality product with real support

Great Phono Preamp

A grade phono stage kit with a very nice price!

Fantastic!

Excellent sound, excellent support

Great kit from a great seller!! Fast shipping too!

Outstanding Phono Preamp by far!

What a blinder!

very impressed. best upgrade yet to my phono.

Totally awesome kit, worth every penny!

Super

A high performance kit!

Response from muffsy | July 9, 2017

Muffsy

Fantastic product, great fun and the best customer service.

Really Happy!

A few issues with shipping but to no fault of the seller

Absolutely nice preamp