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Cambridge Audio Solo (Graphite) is rated
out of
5 by
62.
Cambridge Audio Solo (Graphite)
Moving Magnet Phono Preamplifier
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Ts&Cs apply - see our delivery page.
One per customer / household.
Perfect for amps without a phono preamp built-in
Many amplifiers no longer come with a built-in phono preamp, which is fine if you don’t use vinyl but not so good if you want to spin some records. The Cambridge Audio Solo is a dedicated Moving Magnet phono preamp, meaning you can add a record deck to just about any amp or system with a standard AUX input. This means your choice of stereo amp or receiver is greatly expanded and, of course, you can retain the Solo phono preamp if you upgrade your main amp.
Perfect for amps with a phono preamp built-in!
Even if your main amplifier already has a phono preamp built-in, the chances are that the one inside the Solo is considerably better. Using a dedicated, switch mode power supply, the Solo is far quieter than most built-in phono preamps. The revised circuit board layout with surface-mount components further reduces noise and distortion. Factor in the shielded casing and you’ll simply hear more music and less background noise.
Subsonic filter
Not all records are pressed the same – due to the poor quality of vinyl used, some sound considerably nosier than others. Wear and tear can play its role in reducing the quality, too. With its subsonic filter, the Solo filters out low frequency rumble; reducing distortion and protecting your speakers’ woofers from excessive wear.
Make a stronger connection with your record collection, with the Cambridge Audio Solo – it’s the best upgrade to your vinyl playback you can make.
Dimensions
Dimensions WxHxD (mm)
176 x 48 x 132
Weight
Weight (KG)
0.68
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Smith number 24 from
Value for money
An improvement over the onboard phono stage. Perhaps I should have gone for the next model up.
Date published: 2021-12-04
Rated 5 out of
5
by
yumyum from
great with great sound
i bought this 3 weeks ago and i am very happy with it my vinyl sounds better and a little louder
Date published: 2021-11-17
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Iain Moireach from
Cambridge Solo Phono Amp
Easy to set up. Minimalist, quality design, good value. Sound open, detailed, spacious with good channel separation. Much better than the built-in phono amp on my Teac TN300 turntable. I upgraded the mains cable - it's good to have that option, especially when you can get away with something shorter.
Date published: 2021-08-23
Rated 5 out of
5
by
DG 2 from
Excellent Sound Brings LPs to Life
I purchased this to replace an ageing Nad PP1 to link a Dual CS506 deck to my Azur 651A. What a difference! Sound quality is truly excellent, really has revitalised my vinyl collection.
Date published: 2021-08-01
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Markymark60 from
Great features and a very rich sound
Had this amp as a 60th birthday present what superp choice .
Date published: 2021-05-14
Rated 5 out of
5
by
billylane from
Amazing difference to the sound
I have the whole 9 yards with Cambridge Audio. The CXA81, CXNV2 and CXC. I had a turntable with a phono output, and as the CXA81 doesn't have a dedicated phono port, the sound was very light and tinny, but not unlistenable. That said, WHAT A DIFFERENCE the Solo has made. Having a dedicated pre-amp has boosted the sound to a level that sounds as good as a CD or any "hi res" digital stream/file. Incredible difference and, at this price, unbeatable value.
Date published: 2021-04-16
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Tom Aspin from
Outstanding value
You think your built in phono stage is good, then you plug this in instead. Night and day improvement in detail, imaging, bass and dynamics. Just reaching for one record after the next. Solid build quality for the money as well.
Date published: 2021-03-17
Rated 5 out of
5
by
BritPole from
Great phono stage for the money!
Hooked up with my Rega P3, this phono preamp is doing great job. Rega, previously playing with Iota VX combo, wasn’t as clear and punchy as it is now. Signal is transferred to CXA81 which is then doing miracles for money paid. It’s all budget on the end, but with amazing value. I would only go for duo if you’re considering moving coil in the future. I’m happy with my moving magnet Ellis2 and solo would do for me. Definitely recommended!
Date published: 2021-02-10
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Tankgirl from
Great sound for the price
Although my old amp has a built in phono stage I found that when I connected it with my recently upgraded turntable it did not cut the mustard. After reading reviews and doing some research I chose the CA solo. Made a big difference to the quality of sound. Very pleased.
Date published: 2021-01-26
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Oldgaffer from
Delighted with my new Cambridge Audio Solo.
I’ve had this disc preamp for a couple of weeks now, to replace the broken left channel) internal disc preamp in my vintage (it was state of the art 50 years ago!) Quad control unit and power amplifier system. By using only the right channels, I could compare the Cambridge unit with the Quad. Difficult to be certain, but I think th3 Cambridge had the edge - which is high praise!
Date published: 2021-01-25
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Anonymous from
Incredible bit of kit
Collected this today from Prestwich, plugged it into my Marantz Pm7001 integrated amplifier, played an acoustic track through it, disconnected and went back to the built in preamp, played the same track, reverted back to the Solo, wow, what a huge difference. Brighter, clearer sound from my turntable and at a bargain price.
Date published: 2021-01-08
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Rural Reginald from
Great value for money, I simply love this preamp
I've got it running from my Technics 1200mk2 equipped with a VM95ML cartridge to this preamp and to my JDS Atom 2, and it sounds terrific. Highly recommend, good delivery too, on time and they didn't just leave it on the porch aha
Date published: 2021-01-02
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Prince Albert from
Warm up
Been on for 3 days now warmed up nicely,
sound vastly improved from cold, I disabled the auto standby
For constant performance
Date published: 2020-12-11
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Anonymous from
Simple to set up
Very happy with my new preamp! Very stylish, well built and easy to set up and use. Cables could have been longer.
Date published: 2020-12-06
Rated 5 out of
5
by
lill1971 from
Allowed me to use my Rega Planar 3 with CXA61 Amp
I upgraded my Amp to a Cambridge CXA61 and needed the Solo phono stage to use my Rega Planar 3 turntable, which I recently had upgraded with new wiring. Coupled with the Fyne Audio F501 speakers everything sounds great and I can persecute my family and the neighbours with loud electronic music at will.
Date published: 2020-12-06
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Andyk5000 from
An improvement over the 551P...? I think so..
I recently purchased this to see if this newer Solo MM phono amp was an upgrade on my older, CA551P (also an MM phono amp with no extra functionality). And, I think it is...there's certainly a bit more punch, and I think there's greater detail at the higher end too. Up until this purchase I was fairly happy with the older 551P - it sounded nice and warm, and importantly it matched the rest of my ageing CA kit, with blue LEDs etc....
But now I'm faced with a dilemma...this new Solo pre-amp certainly appears to be an improvement, which, as a standalone upgrade, would be perfectly sensible...however, the difference in appearance to my existing kit might possibly end up with an 'across the board' upgrade..a bonus for Cambridge if not for my wallet!! Oh hi-fi, why dos thou tease me so...
Date published: 2020-11-26
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Juleski from
Pure sound
Not sure whether it's the pre amp or the amp itself (CXA81) but the combination is sounding might fine! Really clear and bright sound.
Date published: 2020-11-08
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Cain75 from
Smart looking, decent sounding pre-amp
Paired it up with my Rega Planar 1 and played thru Cambridge audio 1 hifi .. difficult to big up a pre amp but it’s smart, subtle, small enough to slide down side of the hifi and sounding good!
Date published: 2020-09-21
Rated 5 out of
5
by
PaulShaston from
Excellent bit of kit..
Like many over lockdown I’ve dug out my old vinyl. Had no turntable, so bought a Rega Planar 1. Needs a pre-amp, so purchased a Cambridge Audio Solo from Richer Sounds. It’s a perfect combination. Records sound better than ever, and setup was easy. Looks good too.
Delivery was efficient. Ordered online and delivered 3 days later. Well done all.
Date published: 2020-07-16
Rated 5 out of
5
by
MrsP from
Very easy to set up. Good quality sound
Excellent easy to set up. Simple controls. Good quality sound
Date published: 2020-06-28
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Gilles 27 from
Fantastic phono stage
All i can say i am amazed the alva solo is a special bit of kit it has transformed my vinyl listening pleasure i am using it with a sony amp and a dual 505-1 deck which i love and didn't think i could improve the sound straight after connecting the solo the stereo seperation was enhanced the mid range and top end were crystal clear while retaining the depth of base a smooth but clear defenition i am so glad i chose the solo and experiance made better by the fantastic help from your staff avery happy listner now many thanks s jones
Date published: 2020-06-20
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Stu1973 from
Great amp to compliment my deck
Lovely sounding and looking thing, goes perfectly with Pro Ject deck and Naim Muso
Date published: 2020-06-19
Rated 5 out of
5
by
darkhalf79 from
Fantastic, couldn't be happier
I bought this last month since my old Technics amp had finally died and I'd no way of listening to the stacks of vinyl I have. I connected it to my turntable and the other end to my Sonos system and switched it on and dropped the needle. Perfect sound. I'm so happy I can now listen to my records during lockdown.
Date published: 2020-05-03
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Muso66 from
Solo, So Great
This was a replacement for a previous Cambridge pre-amp. No background hum, no pop when it kicks in, it just does its job perfectly. Sound stage is brilliant, everything in the right place and great definition. If you don't need the headphone socket on the Duo then this is your pre- amp. Great sound and at a great price.
Date published: 2020-05-02
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Dubthewiser from
Great Little PreAmp
Extremely happy with my Pre-Amp, i didn't want to skimp on a cheap generic device so opted for Cambridge Audio Solo, as my AV Receiver was without a phono stage input. Boy am i pleased i did, the sound quality is fantastic and i am enjoying my vinyl records like never before. Installation is simple as you can imagine, and operation of device is easy, the automatic standby feature is great for those absent of mind moments too!
Date published: 2020-05-01
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Rustybolt1971 from
Great phono stage !!!!
I recently had a problem with my Project mm phono stage and I had no sound from my debut carbon
All my other seperates are Cambridge Audio and at the time I purchased them I decided on the project phono stage to match the turntable, I did consider the Cambridge at that point a couple of years ago, wish I did as it is really good.
Obviously there is a price difference of around £60 between the two but you can hear that when you fire up the solo.
Opens ul the music dramatically, very warm sound and bring everything up a level, the project is not a bad phono stage and for the money very good, but this is far superior.
On to the next upgrade now!!
Thank you Richer Sounds brilliant as always
Date published: 2020-04-18
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Nezzer1984 from
Sounds fantastic
Great sounding pre amp best pre amp so far that I have owned
Date published: 2020-04-16
Rated 5 out of
5
by
MarkRob70 from
Super sound
Worked a treat and gives great depth of sound to my set up
Date published: 2020-04-14
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Andyjimb from
Sounds great, tidy design
Got this up and running, linked to Audio Technica LP-5, and the sound was amazing. Couldn't tell how much of this was linked to the pre-amp as I updated my main amplifier to a Cyrus 6DAC at the same time, but the overall effect elevated my vinyl to new heights!
Date published: 2020-03-30
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Sjecrow from
Couldnt have been better
I booked online for collection and the Team bent over backwards to make it easy for me to collect the product. Friendly and extremely knowledgeable staff.
Date published: 2020-03-27
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