Vinylphile Magazine : Equipment Reviews

NAD • PP 3i Phono Stage

By Rich Teer | March 17th, 2011

NAD has been associated with inexpensive, high-value audio electronics for about as long as I can remember (their 3120 integrated amp was a staple component of many budget systems back in the late 1980s). A notch or two above the mass-market dreck most consumers are subjected to in the big box stores, NAD is, in my opinion, one of the epitomes of entry-level high-end. That is, their gear is designed—albeit to a budget—with audio performance a priority, and priced so as not to induce sticker shock in potential buyers.

NAD sell two phono stages: the PP 2i and the more expensive PP 3i (in both cases, the “i” means improved); it is the latter that is the subject of this review. The two phono stages are essentially the same, except the PP 3i features an on-board analogue to digital converter (ADC) and a USB interface.

Technical Description

The PP 3i is a diminutive solid state phono stage. The PP 3i has three pairs of single-end inputs (one for MM cartridges, one for MC cartridges, and another for line level sources), and a pair of single-ended outputs. The PP 3i also contains a built-in ADC, enabling one to make digital recordings of one’s records. (I despise the term “needledrop” because it promulgates the use of the archaic term “needle” rather than the correct one, which is “stylus”. Needles are an anachronism left over from the time of the wind up gramophones, and have no place in modern record playing!)

The rear panel contains the signal input and output sockets (all of which are gold plated, a pleasant surprise at this price level), a grounding post, pair of switches, and a miniature socket into which the cable from the external power supply is plugged. The PP 3i’s consumption is very small and it is intended to be left turned on semi-permanently; there is therefore no power switch. One of the two switches enables the user to select between MM and MC cartridges; the other selects either the phono input or the line input.

The front panel is utilitarian, housing just a Type B USB socket and a pair of LEDs: a green one to indicate that power is applied, and an amber one indicating that the USB interface is powered (by the external device to which it is connected).

The case is made from black-painted folded steel. Fit and finish are good. The external power supply is of “wall wart” variety. I’m not a fan of wall warts, but I can understand why NAD chose to use one here. It keeps the noisy power source away from the sensitive electronics in an economical and space-saving manner.

As mentioned previously, the PP 3i is also an ADC. The audio signal is sampled and output as 16-bit linear PCM at 48 kHz via the USB port; I did not test this aspect of the PP 3i’s performance. The PP 3i is supplied with a CD containing a copy of AlpineSoft’s VinylStudio Lite to facilitate digitising one’s records. Unfortunately, it is supplied on a mini CD, which doesn’t work with slot fed drives. The good news is that one can download the software—which is available for Mac OS X and Windows—for free from AlpineSoft’s web site, www.alpinesoft.co.uk.

Setup and Listening

Setting up the PP 3i was a breeze: I set the input switch to Phono, selected MC operation, connected the audio leads, and powered it up (I left the PP 3i powered for the entire evaluation period). As usual, after several dozen hours of burn in time and informal listening, I started my formal evaluation.

I should warn you that what you’re about to read may sound overly critical, but that isn’t my intent. My job is to describe what I hear, so it should come as no surprise that a review of a $200 phono stage isn’t as effusive as one of a $2,000 phono stage.

OK, with the caveats out of the way, here’s what I heard when I listened to the PP 3i in my system.

The first thing I noticed with the PP 3i was that of a rolled off treble. This, together with the poor resolution of fine details—details which I know are on the record—gives the impression of a cloth sack being placed over the speakers. For an example of this, consider the glockenspiel in Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells [Virgin Records V2001]. With more expensive phono stages, not only is the transient “ding” clearly audible, but the resonant overtones of the metal plates are faithfully reproduced. With the PP 3i, the initial ding is there, but many of the metal plates’ overtones are diminished or missing.

Somewhat related to the mids and higher frequencies, the PP 3i has a slight tendency to exaggerate sibilances. The first few lines of Will You? from Hazel O’Connor’s Breaking Glass OST [A&M Records AMLH 64820] are a good example of this. (Actually this particular track is a good sibilance test, period.)

The news is a bit better with bass reproduction: although it doesn’t go particularly deep, the PP 3i’s bass reasonably tuneful and rhythmic. It is not bloated, nor does it suffer from “onenoteitis” (a term I like to use to describe the condition where most bass notes sound the same, regardless of their actual intended frequency). The problems I hear with the PP 3i’s are best described as errors of omission rather than commission; the former being the lesser of the two evils. It is nearly always better to have more tuneful bass of limited extension than it is to have subterranean bass that is poorly defined and bloated.

Another area I found the PP 3i to be wanting was dynamics, which are quite constrained and compressed. Take, for example, the bass drum whacks in The Great Gate of Kiev from Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition on The Power of the Orchestra [Analogue Productions AAPC 2659-45]). Although the drum can be heard, the sense of air being moved is missing. Similarly, the foot stomping parts in Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s Who Were You Talking To (from Shaka Zulu [WEA 925 582-1]) are audible, but lack dynamic impact. In fact, they almost sound like hand claps rather than foot stomps.

Finally, we come to imaging and soundstage size. While not vast, the image size presented by the PP 3i was pretty good, if somewhat flat. It (just) extended beyond my speakers, but had very little depth: the image was very two dimensional so hall acoustics (for example) aren’t very well reproduced. Image specificity was fine for simpler pieces of music, but loses precision in more complex works (for example, the Nasal Chorus bit in Tubular Bells) such that separate instruments and voices are presented as a homogenous lump, rather than a group of distinct individuals.

Verdict

Upon reading my description of the PP 3i’s sound quality, it may appear that I’m slamming it, but I’m not. Yes, the PP 3i has several serious shortcomings in its audio performance, but let’s not forget that this is a $200 phono stage. (If this was a review of a $2,000 stage then yes, it could be considered a slam.) I’m not very familiar (yet) with the entry-level phono stage market, so I don’t know if the PP 3i’s performance is typical for this price bracket or atypical. But given NAD’s justifiably good reputation, I’m prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that the PP 3i’s performance is typical of $200 phono stages.

Let’s also not forget the context in which the PP 3i will most likely be used. I evaluated it in a high resolution system, one that ruthlessly exposes shortcomings in the gear I listen to. What’s more likely in practise is that the PP 3i will be used in a system that has less resolving power than mine, where the other components are likely to have their own serious sonic flaws. It could also be that my Lyra Parnassus and the PP 3i are a poor match.

On the positive side, the PP 3i is well made and has a very useful feature set. Not only does the inclusion of an ADC allow one to make copies of one’s records for mobile or music server use, it also (somewhat unusually for a phono stage at this price point) has an MC-capable input. The latter helps protect the end user’s investment should they desire to upgrade to an MC cartridge because they can still use their current phono stage. With all this in mind, I’d say that the PP 3i is at least worth considering if you’re in the market for an entry-level phono stage, especially if making digital copies of your records is of interest.

Specifications

Description Solid state phono stage with external power supply.
Frequency response RIAA ±0.3 dB.
Gain 35 dB (MM); 58 dB (MC).
Distortion < 0.03% THD (20 Hz to 20,000 Hz).
Input impedance 47k Ohms (MM), 100 Ohms (MC).
Input capacitance 200 pF (MM), 180 pF (MC).
Phono equalisation RIAA.
Maximum input voltage (@ 1 kHz) 100 mV RMS (MM)i, 6.5 mV RMS (MC).
Signal to noise ratio 76 dB (MM), 78 dB (MC).
Dimensions (hwd) 43 mm x 135 mm x 72 mm.
Weight 440 g.
Finish Black painted steel.
Serial number of unit reviewed H07PP3IG15525.
Price $199.
Warranty Two years non-transferable.

Manufacturer

NAD Electronics
633 Granite Court
Pickering, ON L1W 3K1
Canada
(905) 831-6555
www.nadelectronics.com

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