{"title":"Musical Surroundings","description":"Since 1991, Oakland, California-based Musical Surroundings has specialized in the distribution and manufacture of high performance analog and vinyl playback equipment including turntables, tonearms, phono cartridges, preamps, and analog accessories.","products":[{"product_id":"musical-surroundings-nova-ii-phono-preamp","title":"Musical Surroundings Nova II Phono Preamp","description":"\u003cp\u003eMusical Surroundings Nova II Phono Preamp\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBuilt in California, the Musical Surroundings Nova II is a battery-powered phono stage with incredible flexibility and performance. The Nova II replaces the popular Nova Phonomena, and features dual-mono, discrete circuitry with extensive gain and loading flexibility, delivering the best sound in its price range. Like the Phonomena II and SuperNova II, the Nova II has rear panel accessible switches for easily accessible and highly flexible gain and loading adjustment. It features 2 rechargeable internal NiMH dual-mono battery packs with Smart Sensing auto recharge feature. All AC and charging circuits automatically disconnect when listening in battery mode. The Nova II features enhanced casework design and upgraded internal components.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"The Nova II retains all its forebears' virtues with considerably improved dynamic range, robustness, and perceived life and vitality. [Michael] Yee's designs are always very quiet and extremely transparent, and this latest one is exceptionally so, ranking up there with some of the most expensive phonostages I’ve ever heard. I cannot recommend it enthusiastically enough!\"\u003cbr\u003e– Paul Seydor, The Absolute Sound\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Nova II is a complete phonograph preamplifier with RIAA equalization that amplifies the output signal of a phono cartridge, either moving coil or moving magnet, up to a nominal \"line level\". The Nova II may be used with a receiver or an integrated amplifier. If you use separate components, a line level control unit (preamp) is required before the power amp, since there is no independent volume control for the Nova II. The Nova II's power supply is internal and connects to the wall with the supplied wall mount transformer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFeatures:\u003cbr\u003eNew casework with silver or black anodized finish\u003cbr\u003eImproved resonance isolation for main board and battery power supply\u003cbr\u003e5dB better signal-to-noise ratio\u003cbr\u003eSuper matched transistor pair input for improved linearity and sonic performance\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Musical Surroundings","offers":[{"title":"Black","offer_id":57409342144844,"sku":"MSNOVAII-B","price":1000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Silver","offer_id":57420069765452,"sku":"MSURROUNDINGSNOVA2-S","price":1000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1053\/6891\/2204\/files\/musical-surroundings-nova-ii-phono-preamplifier.jpg?v=1777483221"},{"product_id":"musical-surroundings-phonomena-ii-plus-phono-preamp","title":"Musical Surroundings Phonomena II Plus -  Phono Preamp","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Phonomena II is The Absolute Sound's \"Product of the Year\" Award Winner! \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Phonomena II is a remarkable phonostage for twice the price. Not only is this the most adjustable phono preamp in its price range, allowing you to fine-tune your set-up, but the Phonomena II is extremely accurate and rich sounding. This phono preamp delivers a level of detail that has been obscured by lesser, noisier phono preamps. Why else would The Absolute Sound award the Phonomena II a Product of the Year for 2009? Because this is one serious tool, and its sound quality belies its price. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"The Phonomena worked very well with MM and MC cartridges and was easy to set up...[it is] at the top of the heap in its class and one that I will be recommending highly to anyone asking me for a great budget phono stage.\"\u003cbr\u003e– Jeff Dorgay, Tone Audio\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Musical Surroundings Phonomena II Phono Stage from Michael Yee is built in California; the Phonomena II is a phono stage with incredible flexibility and performance. Based on a fully-discrete circuit the Phonomena II has rear panel accessible switches for gain and loading. The Phonomena II is the most adjustable for gain and loading than anything anywhere near its price. This allows you to dial-in your phono cartridge perfectly!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Phonomena II is a complete phonograph preamplifier with RIAA equalization that amplifies the output signal of a phonograph cartridge, either moving-coil or moving-magnet, up to a nominal \"line level.\" The Phonomena II may be used with a receiver or an integrated amplifier. If you use separate components, a line level control unit (preamplifier) is required before the power amp, since there is no independent volume control for the Phonomena II unit. The Phonomena II's power supply connects to the wall with the supplied wall-mount transformer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"...you could qualify this Phonomena II as a phenomenon, when you consider the cost and compare it to other preamps costing many times the price. This unit offers a lot of musical satisfaction for the analog lover on a tight budget.\"\u003cbr\u003e– Todd Sageser, Tone Audio\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpecifications: \u003cbr\u003e• Gain Switches (dB): 40, 44, 46, 48, 50, 51.5, 52.7, 53.7, 56, 57.5, 58.4, 59.4, 60\u003cbr\u003e• Input Loading Switches (Ohms): 30, 40, 50, 59, 80, 100, 121, 150, 243, 280, 380, 475, 660, 1k, 2k, 50k, 100k\u003cbr\u003e• Dimensions: 8.5\" W x 6\"D x 2\"H\u003cbr\u003e• Weight: 3 lbs. \u003cbr\u003e• Warranty: 3 years\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Musical Surroundings","offers":[{"title":"Musical Surroundings Phonomena II Plus - Black","offer_id":57409342210380,"sku":"MSURROUDINGSPHONOMENA2+-B","price":625.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Musical Surroundings Phonomena II Plus - Silver","offer_id":57420071469388,"sku":"MSURROUNDINGSPHONOMENA2+S","price":625.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1053\/6891\/2204\/files\/Musical-Surroundings-PhonomenaII-plus.jpg?v=1777483225"},{"product_id":"musical-surroundings-fozgometer","title":"Musical Surroundings Fozgometer","description":"FOZGOMETER AZIMUTH RANGE FINDER\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\nTo obtain high performance from a modern phonograph system, the tonearm and pickup cartridge must be properly adjusted to within a few thousands of an inch. There are several alignment gauges available to adjust overhang and offset. To adjust cartridge azimuth (Axial Tilt), it has been necessary to use lab quality equipment and a test record. Azimuth may be adjusted using an oscilloscope, AC voltmeter, or computer program. These methods can be expensive and time consuming.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThe FOZGOMETER incorporates a “Log Ratio Detector” developed for surround processor steering logic circuits to measure channel separation over a wide range of signal levels down to -70 dB. The readings are virtually independent of overall signal levels, and can be made with a wide range of input signals without effecting accuracy. It is a small portable battery powered unit that is used in conjunction with a test record. It measures channel separation, channel balance, and signal direction quickly and accurately. Readings are taken without touching the meter, leaving your hands free to work with the tonearm. The meter reads channel separation in both directions, and channel balance. The LED’s indicate Left, Center, and Right signal (test tone) positions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\nTechnical Specifications:-\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\nInput signal\n\n500 Hz – 1 kHz sine wave or pink noise\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nInput level\n\n2.7 VRMS maximum, .4MV RMS minimum\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nInput load\n\n86.6K\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nBattery\n\n9V Alkaline\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nDimensions\n\n6 1\/2” h x 3 1⁄4” w x 2 3\/8” d\n \n","brand":"Musical Surroundings","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57412880859468,"sku":"MUSICALSURROUNDINGSFOZGOMETER","price":291.67,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1053\/6891\/2204\/files\/Musical-Surroundings-Fozgometer.jpg?v=1777537802"},{"product_id":"musical-surroundings-mydac-ii","title":"Musical Surroundings MYDAC II","description":"“If you’re an analog-only audiophile who has listened to a lot of DACs but never heard one that sounds right to your ears, you may want to give the MYDAC II a try. It could be the DAC that makes it possible for you to enjoy digital for the first time.” – Steven Stone, The Absolute Sound\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n“The MYDAC II has stunning performance. It captures low level information better than any DAC in its price range and surpasses the performance of many DAC’s far more expensive than the… price Musical Surroundings is offering it at.” – Audio Direction\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThe MYDAC II is the first digital-to-analog converter using MODR (Musically Optimized Digital Reconstruction). Designer Michael Yee’s digital reconstruction technology is software driven, executed with an FPGA (field programmable gate array), which effectively minimizes jitter and intercepts the digital signal as it comes into the DAC. Furthermore, the FPGA provides a proprietary pre-emphasis conditioning of the signal before the DAC chip (the DAC chipset is the Texas Instruments PCM1798, delta sigma) to remove the DAC’s effect on quantization error. After the DAC chip, an analog stage provides de-emphasis prior to output. MODR was developed to significantly improve the low-level resolution. Basically, it is a reconstruction technique that alters only the sub-quantization changes in the signal. MODR is highly optimized for musical signals. The MYDAC II features three inputs:\u003cbr\u003e\n•The S\/PDIF coax input allows all sample rates between 32 kHz-192 kHz and resolution from 16-24 bits.\u003cbr\u003e\n•The TosLink optical input allows up to 96 kHz and is ideal for use with Airport Express and Airplay.\u003cbr\u003e\n•The MYDAC II supports up to 48 kHz\/16-bit sample rate for USB input from a computer-based music server.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThe ability to recover low-level musical, textural and spatial information buried in digital music files allows the MYDAC II to reveal new levels of musical information and enjoyment. The design allows future upgradability, but the strength of this new technology is the unmatched “analog-like” sound it creates with existing Redbook CD, compressed digital music files such as MP3, and internet music sources. The results are stunning. Listeners expecting to hear the equal musicality of LP experience fidelity only reserved for analog master tape. This digital reconstruction technology is a game changer. Even compressed audio can sound natural.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\nTechnical Specifications:-\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThree digital inputs:\n\nS\/PDIF for up to 24bit\/192KHz files, Toslink for up to 24bit\/96KHz files, USB for up to 16bit\/48KHz files\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nFrequency response:\n\n20Hz – 20KHz\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nOutput voltage:\n\n4 volts\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nOutput impedance:\n\n100 Ohms\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nDistortion:\n\n.02%\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nDimensions:\n\n9 7\/8”w x 9 7\/8”d x 2”h\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nWeight:\n\n3.4 lbs\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nWarranty:\n\n3 years\n \n","brand":"Musical Surroundings","offers":[{"title":"Black","offer_id":57412893901132,"sku":"MSURROUNDINGSMYDACII-B","price":1000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Silver","offer_id":57422790754636,"sku":"MSURROUNDINGSMYDACII-S","price":1000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1053\/6891\/2204\/files\/Musical-Surroundings-MyDAC-II.jpg?v=1777538035"},{"product_id":"musical-surroundings-fosgate-signature-headphone-amplifier","title":"Musical Surroundings Fosgate Signature - Headphone Amplifier","description":"World-class audio engineer Jim Fosgate is the vision and expertise behind the Fosgate Signature Tube Headphone Amplifier. The Fosgate Signature embodies unique and patented circuit topologies, elevating the headphone listening experience. The genesis of the design started over 2 decades ago. Countless man-hours of working with every possible major circuit approach was not just explored, but designed, built, and auditioned by Jim Fosgate himself. Some initial designs used output transformers, some designs were direct drive with no output transformer. Others prototypes used solid-state circuitry and buffers to obtain low output impedance for driving headphones. Through this painstaking and thorough approach, a headphone amplifier design evolved which satisfied the exacting standards of Jim Fosgate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThe chose circuit incorporates 12AX7 vacuum tube amplification in the low distortion SRPP configuration, similar to our Signature Vacuum Tube Phono Preamplifier, winner of the 2011 Golden Ear Award from The Absolute Sound magazine. High speed, high current, video buffers are used to drive headphones directly. This provides a pure audio path with low output impedance, low distortion, and wide signal bandwidth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThe Video Buffers are not Op Amps and have no voltage gain. They offer high impedance inputs so the vacuum tubes are not loaded down, and low output impedance capable of driving most headphones to high volume levels with no audible distortion or colorations. The natural smooth sound of the 12AX7 vacuum tubes pass straight through to the outputs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThe bass boost equalizer circuit is designed to give the headphone listener defined, low frequency bass impact without bass boom. There are three positions on the bass control, Min, Max, and Off. When the control is in the center Off position, the bass boost is bypassed. This circuit has been used in different forms in many products including Rockford Fosgate Car amplifiers. Jim Fosgate received US patent number 3,883,832 for this circuit in 1975. It is called a “SINGLE ELEMENT CONTROLLED TWIN T FILTER” and has a much steeper curve then a bass or loudness control. It changes frequency and amplitude (Boost) with a single control. When the control is set in the Min position, the maximum boost is applied at a lower frequency then when the control is set to the Max position.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\nAll aspects of the circuitry maximize a clean signal path. However, the uniqueness of the circuit does not end here. In order to infuse the sound with a natural sound stage, Jim integrated his surround circuitry design, part of his US patent 5,307,415 “Panorama Control” filed in April 1994. This circuit applies an out of phase cross blend to create a sense of depth and space and moves the dimensional soundstage outside of your head. The control has Min, Max, and Off positions. In the center off position the surround circuit is bypassed so the signal is unaffected and provides normal stereo.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThis Headphone Amplifier’s elegant circuit has the tube amplifiers, buffers, bass EQ, and surround processing configured in a single stage. Negative feedback is applied around this stage in a single loop. Output offset is controlled with DC servos, allowing the video buffers to directly drive the headphones with no output capacitors in the signal path. There is only one coupling capacitor per channel in the signal path, and it is enclosed within the feedback loop, thus capacitor colorations are eliminated. Distortion and noise are below the threshold of hearing. The bandwidth is very wide allowing audio signals to pass through without colorations. Bandwidth is an amazing “ten times” the threshold of human hearing, 2 HZ to 200KHZ at -3DB.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThe power supply is similar to the one used in the Fosgate Signature Phono Preamplifier. It uses separate oversize storage capacitors on each amplification path of each channel to provide a rock solid supply voltage without voltage regulators to affect the signal. The circuit is configured so that audio signals from the one channel cannot couple to the other, preserving soundstage width and depth. This power supply provides the benefits of dual mono and batteries in a simple AC powered circuit.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\nA 35 second muting circuit eliminates turn on\/off thumps from the direct coupled output circuit, and there are two stereo inputs and a stereo tape output are provided for added flexibility. Industrial design by Fred Hulen incorporates the hallmarks of the Fosgate Signature line including classic, open tube design and real wood side panels.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\nTechnical Specifications:- \u003cbr\u003e\n\n\nFrequency response:\n\n2 Hz to 200 kHz at -3 dB\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nVoltage gain:\n\n15 dB\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nSignal to noise ratio:\n\n95 dB\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nHeadphone impedance drive range:\n\n30 – 500 Ohms\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nMaximum output voltage:\n\n26 volts p-p into 500 Ohm load\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nMaximum power output:\n\n1,000MW RMS 30 Ohm load\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nDistortion:\n\n.1% @ 250MW 1 kHz 30 Ohm load\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nMaximum bass boost:\n\n6 dB @ 30 Hz\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nDimensions:\n\n7″ w x 11″ d x 5.5″ h\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nWeight:\n\n5 lbs\u003cbr\u003e\n \n\nWarranty:\n\n2 years\n \n","brand":"Musical Surroundings","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57412894032204,"sku":"MSURROUNDINGSFOSGATESIG","price":1250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1053\/6891\/2204\/files\/Mus-Surr-Fosgate-Sig.jpg?v=1777538040"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1053\/6891\/2204\/collections\/musical-surroundings.jpg?v=1777392752","url":"https:\/\/www.stoneaudio.co.uk\/collections\/musical-surroundings.oembed","provider":"Stone Audio","version":"1.0","type":"link"}