Clearaudio BALANCE V2

With growing listening maturity, the demands of analogue music lovers also increase. The innovative preamplifier balance V2 is dedicated to precisely this eloquent target group. The successor to the balance + offers some interesting setting and control options for individual sound optimization, while remaining puristic in design and intuitively manageable in terms of usability.

The new balance V2 is not only visually reminiscent of the excellence of the absolute phono preamp, the quality, performance characteristics and processing of each individual component also testify to the highest audio competence. This starts with the precision-milled housing made of solid aluminium, which can also be supplied black anodised on request. The phono stage offers outputs for headphones with a 6.3 mm jack as well as XLR and RCA, which can be used in parallel.

The RCA inputs and outputs are characterized by their high-quality gold plating and thus extremely precise, interference-free signal transmission. On the underside of the phono preamp body there is a switch to choose between XLR and RCA input. The switch between MM and MC operation is in the same place.

This allows audiophile users to adapt the preamp to their personal setup - regardless of whether moving magnet or moving coil technology is used for sound pickup. Further setting options concern the volume control, this can be done manually on the front of the balance V2 and can also be switched to mute or automatic at the push of a button.

In this mode, the output level is at maximum power. Like the basic V2, the balance V2 also has the pickup adjustment feature in order to play back a large number of the MM/MC pickups available on the market without any further settings. The high-precision RIAA equalization achieves a record accuracy of less than 0.1 decibels. The switchable subsonic filter suppresses particularly low frequencies in order to further optimize the level of detail in the playback. Potentially disruptive mains frequencies are suppressed by the external power supply in a separate aluminum housing and by grounding using a ground connection. With this performance package, efficiently compressed into the smallest space, clearaudio transfers high-quality technology into the audiophile living space of convinced music enthusiasts - as if they were sitting in the best seat in a concert hall.

Technical specifications:

• MODE: MM/MC switchable (on bottom)
  Subsonic filter switchable (on the bottom)
  (- 6 dB / Oct.; for each channel)
• GAIN AT 1 KHZ: + 46 dB (MM mode) + 66 dB (MC mode)
• INPUT IMPEDANCE: 47 kO / 270 pF (MM operation), 500 O / 270 pF (MC operation)
• RIAA ACCURACY: ±0.1dB
• THD+N: < 0.001% (IEC A)
• SIGNAL/NOISE RATIO: - 78 dB (MM operation) - 79 dB (MC operation)
• OVERDRIVE RESISTANCE: + 23 dB
• MAXIMUM OUTPUT VOLTAGE: >12 V (@ 1 kHz)
• CUTTING CURVE EQUALIZATION: 75 µs / 318 µs / 3180 µs, 2 passive filters
• CHANNEL SEPARATION: > 92 dB (@ 1 kHz)
• OUTPUT RESISTANCE: 150 Ω (balanced XLR) 75 Ω (unbalanced CINCH)
• INPUTS: unbalanced (CINCH) balanced (XLR)
• OUTPUTS: unbalanced (CINCH) balanced (XLR)
• Headphone output (jack: 6.3 mm)
• POWER CONSUMPTION: Max. power consumption during operation: 6.6 watts
• Standby mode: < 0.3 watts
• Off: 0 watts
• VOLTAGE SUPPLY: ± 18 V DC
  (+ 21 V DC external power pack; 1.4 m cable length)
• WEIGHT PRE-STAGE: approx. 2.3 kg
• WEIGHT POWER SUPPLY: approx. 1.4 kg
• DIMENSIONS PRE-AMPLIFIER (W/D/H): approx. 240 × 145 (158 with cinch) × 62 mm
• POWER SUPPLY DIMENSIONS (W/D/H): approx. 240 × 145 × 62 mm