Shortly after Joseph Chow introduced his justly praised Audio Horizons TP 2.0 tube preamplifier (for a sampling of that praise, visit “Audio Horizons TP 2.0” in the Audiogon Discussion Forum, or see our ad in this section) he began to receive inquiries about when he would have a phono preamplifier to go with it.  Now, after a year and a half, Joseph Chow will soon introduce the Audio Horizons TP 8.0, a tube phono preamplifier which comes in integrated or stand alone versions, in moving magnet (MM) or moving coil (MC) versions.  The integrated MM version starts at a low $550 but is available with expensive enhancements that can almost double the price for those who wish uncompromised excellence.

We are taking requests for free home auditions now, and will be sending units out for  free home auditions sometime in late May.

Like the Audio Horizons TP 2.0 tube preamplifier, the TP 8.0 tube phono preamplifier is a superb preamplifier at a reasonable price.  Frankly our affordable prices have led some to doubt the excellence of our products despite the fact that we offer a free home audition and that rather than simply talk about how remarkable our products are, we supply prospective owners with a full complement of specifications that the owner can trust, and that we are certain will be confirmed by listeners in their own experience during a free home audition.

So don't take our word for it or be dissuaded by our modest prices, ask for a free home audition and hear for yourself what all the praise is about.

Specifications and Performance
Specifications, as we all know, are no guarantee of a component's performance excellence since so many aspects of the listening experience are hard to translate into measurable specifications.  For example, decay time is clearly a significant factor in whether a component captures the slow, evolving lingering notes of a musical phase—too fast, and the swiftness of the decay dries out the music and robs it of its intangible musical flow, that expressive phrasing that defines the superior musicality of one musician over another; too slow and the music begins to lose its clear edges and the micro-detail that permits us to distinguish one instrument from another. Here, we know that tubes have a slower decay time than solid state equipment, which is why, in some intangible way, for many listeners they provide more musical satisfaction. But we do not know how to measure the exact parameters that will most please. 

Similarly, our instruments for measuring harmonics are poor, and yet we know that the ability of a component to capture harmonics—that is, the reedy quality of a clarinet, the brassy blare of horns, or the resinous quality of a string bass is indispensable to our musical enjoyment. Again, we know that tubes do a better job of capturing harmonics than solid state equipment, but again, if we could measure this superiority in a satisfactory fashion, solid state manufacturers could have a means by which to know whether they are approaching closer to the goal of reproducing harmonics in an excellent fashion

For more information on this subject of tubes vs. solid state, visit our Audiogon ad for the TP 2.0 tube preamplifier.

But having said that much that increases our musical enjoyment is hard to measure is not the same as saying that specifications are not good indicators of performance excellence in a number of areas. Because they are, many manufacturers, even high end manufacturers, will not supply you with these specifications, or they will report the measurement in so unconventional a way that the reader ends up confused or is led him to believe that the performance is better than it is. 

For example, we know that signal to noise (S/N) levels are almost infallible measurements of the quietness of a component, of whether the sound comes out of a black background or not, and hence of its ability to reach in and capture those subtle micro-details that allow us to differentiate one instrument from another in an ensemble, or the individual vocal harmonies of a choral ensemble.   Here, the numbers not only do not lie, they expose nakedly the limitations of a component, which is why they are often omitted by reviewers. For this reason also, many manufacturers do not report these numbers. 

You can visit the websites of any number of Stereophile's A rated phono preamplifiers and search in vain for a S/N spec presented according to a simple standard.  When signal to noise figures do show up, they often frame the measurement in language which is indecipherable to a lay person by, for example, using an input  rather than an output figure; or by expressing S/N in vague and unclear terms, for example by not specifying the output voltage at all.  A common standard used to measure S/N is to report it in decibels (dB) taken at 1 volt output (v).  Thus an S/N of -90 dB at 1 volt, could be reported that way or as -90 dBv.  Should a manufacturer take the measurement at say 3 volts output instead, he will gain an additional 9 dB over the figure he would have had to report if he used 1 volt.  For example, -90 dB at 3 volts output is equivalent to -81 dBv.  If someone reports -80dB but supplies no other information, we really do not know what the reference voltage was or what it would have been when measured at 1 volt ouput.

There are a number of other specifications whose translation into a sonic equivalent is clear enough to be comparative, and thus evaluative--for example, Channel Separation (also called Crosstalk), Dynamic Range, Total Harmonic Distortion.  And these, too, will often remain unreported even in components costing thousands of dollars.  Instead a host of other measurements will be reported that are less sonically critical or that have less value to a prospective buyer in making his evaluation. 

We at Audio Horizons believe you ought to have all the key specifications—at least those we can measure--presented in a clear and intelligible form so you can compare Audio Horizons components with other components, at least with respect to the sonic and musical performance delivered by that specific parameter.

So here are the Audio Horizons TPS 8.0's key specifications and a few words about what they mean:

• RIAA Frequency Response accuracy  : + - 1dB
• Noise level:
  • -82 dBv to -90 dBv in the integrated version depending on the load
  • -84 dBv to -92 dBV in the separate version depending on the load          
• Channel Separation (CS): 70 dB
• Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): 0.06 % @ 1 volt output

We are unable to measure the Dynamic Range (DR) but subjectively you will experience a near total absence of compression and the same superb dynamics that characterize all of Joseph Chow's components.

RIAA is the standard curve used by recording companies when recording, and it is the ability to track this frequency response curve that is critical in capturing the balance inherent in the live recording. Since few transducers—cartridges and loudspeakers--do a very good job above 20,000 Hz, and since below 20 Hz, subsonic noise, such as rumble and other resonances, may show up, phono designers often construct their designs to filter out frequencies below 20 Hz.  Thus the frequencies between 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz are most critical.  Many tube phono preamplifier manufacturers, even in the Stereophile Class A, do not report this figure.  The Manley Steelhead priced at $7300 does.  They report it to be “Less than +0.5/-0.3 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz at any gain setting.” Here the TPS 8.0 at about one-tenth the cost, also excels.

Signal to Noise is one of the areas where tubes are hard pressed to match the performance of solid state equipment because of the inherent residual noise level of tubes.  In doing a little research for this ad, I reviewed four of Stereophile's Class A rated tube phono preamplifiers ranging in price from $4000 to $6990.  Here's what I found: Not one of them reported their S/N figures in a way that included the voltage out or in a way that would permit informed comparison with other phono preamplifiers. Despite that limitation, not one of them reported an S/N figure higher than -85 dB.  The most expensive unit reported their S/N to be -83dB. 

The S/N for the TP 8.0 in all versions varies depending on whether the unit is an integrated unit or a separate and based on the cartridge loading.  Compared to a DAC, these figures are nothing to write home about, but for a tube phono preamplifier these figures are remarkable and audibly impressive, delivering a low noise floor rarely found in tube phono preamplifiers.  This high S/N figure translates into an extremely quiet, highly resolved and richly textured sound.  The smooth articulate midrange is made more full-bodied and sweet by the fact that all “n” versions of the TP 8.0 come with the upgraded Hovland cap that raised the TP 2.0n preamplifier to even higher levels of performance.

Like all of Joseph Chow's designs, the sound is spacious because the soundstage is wide and deep.  This is to be expected given that the figures for channel separation, rarely reported in tube phono preamps, are extremely good.  As a result, this phono preamplifier captures some of the superior spaciousness we thought reserved only for digital sources.

In listening to a Joseph Chow design, one is always struck by the lack of compression and the ability of the component to capture the extraordinary dynamic contrasts of live music.  Much of this is due to Joseph Chow's refusal to use feedback.  Like his TP 2.0 tube preamplifier and his TD 3.0 tube DAC, this is a zero feedback design.  As a result the dynamic range figures, which unfortunately we can not measure, subjectively seem to be greater than those found in the TD 3.0 DAC, and are a wonderful match with those found in the TP 2.0, praised so often for its extraordinary dynamic range.

Finally, and this is something someone will notice within a couple of minutes of listening to it, the TP 8,0 is a very articulate phono preamplifier, with clean, clear but soft musical edges and with a transparency of reproduction rare in any component, let alone a tube phono preamplifier. Again, this is due to Joseph Chow's ability to coax stellar performance worthy of a solid state design out of tubes and to translate this into low distortion for a tube design. 

If you are one of those people like me, with a large collection of LP's but who finds himself listening to them less and less because his solid state phono stage sounds compressed and lacking in all those wonderful intangibles that define digital sources, then you really should audition the TP 8.0.  It won't give you everything a digital source will—namely extraordinary S/N--but it will give you so many of them that in a driect comparison of CD's and LP's of the same performance, we agreed that the 8.0 was superior in so many areas to the Audio Horizons TD 3.0 DAC that it was hard to feel the 3.0 really held its own against the TP 8.0.  Best of all, the TP 8.0 preserves all those wonderful analog virtues—soft musical edges, a tendency to caress the notes instead of clip them, and an intangible musical flow that just makes even a dramatic work easier listening than the same piece played over a digital source.

Free Audition
Please don't take my word for how fine the TP 8.0 is. Listen to it yourself over your own sound system playing your favorite LP's.  We'll even pay the freight to you.

Since we will have a limited number of audition units, please begin making your reservations now.  We will ship units out in the order requests are received.

To qualify for a free audition, you must:

1. Have an Audiogon Positive score of 30 or better and no Negatives
2. You must be willing to allow us to put a hold on your credit card for the amount of the item—a hold is not a charge; it will not show up on your monthly statement. A hold is a reserve against your credit limit. If the unit is returned, the hold will be lifted. If the unit is purchased, the hold will be converted into a charge or you can pay by another means if you choose.

Of course, as we indicated, you can purchase the TP 8.0. If within 30 days you are not satisfied with it, you can return the unit for a full refund of the purchase price.

Versions of the TP 8.0
The Audio Horizons TP 8.0 comes in a number of different versions:

• TP 8.0iMM.  This is a moving magnet version designed to be integrated into the TP2.0.  It boasts wonderful specs at a remarkably low price. 
• TP 8.0iMC.  This version adds two expensive, high performance Jensen moving coil transformers to the TP8.0iMM to give you sterling MC performance.
• TP 8.0sMM            This version of the TP 8.0 comes in a slim line separate 17” wide chassis. It includes an on/off switch.   All 8.0s versions boast an independent transformer and ample room to optimize layout for maximum performance. These enhancements result in superior S/N figures.
• TP 8.0sMC  This version of the TP 8.0sMM adds two expensive, high performance Jensen moving coil transformers.  It, too, comes with an on/off switch.
• TP 8.0cMC  This version of the TP 8.0sMC adds a volume control to the unit for those who wish to run the TPS 8.0sMC directly into their amplifier.   
• TP 8,0iMCp            This version of the 8.0 uses high cost premium transformers in the integrated MC unit in order to extract an even higher level of sonic excellence. 
• TP 8.0iMCpn            This version of the 8.0 adds additional noise suppression, and upgraded Hovland capacitors to the 8.0iMCp. 
• TP 8.0sMCp This version of the 8.0sMC uses high cost premium transformers to the separate phono stage to extract an even higher level of sonic excellence.
• TP 8.0sMCpn adds increased noise suppression, a power supply upgrade and Hovland caps to the TP 8.0sMCp for the truly superb reproduction at any price.
• TP 8.0cMCp This version adds the premium transformers to those who wish to run their phono stage directly off their amplifier. 
• TP 8.0cMCpn adds increased noise suppression, power supply upgrade and upgraded Hovland caps to the volume controlled TP 8.0cMCp..

Like all of Joseph Chow's zero feedback designs, TP 8.0 versions are very sensitive to cabling and tube complement. Because the TP 8.0 is so transparent, different tubes and cables will alter its sonic signature significantly.  Obviously, the finer the cable and tubes the more the TP 8.0 versions will show to advantage.

To insure that TP 8.0s versions are shown to good advantage all free audition units will come supplied for purposes of audition with Transparency IC's and Transparency power cord, which you may buy at a package price or return as you choose.

Current Pricing
(requires Abobe Acrobat Reader)We want you to audition this phono preamplifier in your own home over your own system.  If you can figure out a way we can make it easier for you to do that than we have, please let us know.  Why wait?  Ask for a free home audition now.