Rega Fono MC MK4
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Overview
The Fono MC MK4 is an exceptionally high-quality MC phono stage designed to maximize the potential of any low-output MC cartridge. Although specifically designed to compliment the latest Rega range of moving coils you will find full adjustability for gain and loading via dip switches conveniently placed on the rear panel making the Fono MC MK4 compatible with a wide range of third-party low output MC cartridges.
The High Notes
Amazing for the Money
Trickle Down Tech
Perfect Ania Match
Company & Product Overview
If you’re into turntables, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Rega. They’re one of the best turntable manufacturers in the world. We’ve written extensively about their entire Planar lineup, from their entry-level Planar 1 to the gorgeous Planar 6 and beyond.
They also make great tonearms and turntable cartridges. What you may not know, however, is that they also make a number of great audio components and even speakers.
We love the Rega Brio, which is an incredible integrated amplifier. Today we’ll be reviewing a standalone phono preamp from Rega, known as the Rega Fono. It’s made for low output moving coil cartridges. Of course, they would love for you to use it with their own MC cartridges, and we highly recommend them, but they’re extremely flexible and will perform well with a wide range of moving coil cartridges.
Design & Build Quality
The Fono has the same look as many of Rega’s other electronics. It comes in a black aluminum box -- smaller width-wise than a standard audio component. Other than lights, the silver power button is the only thing on the faceplate.
We like the fact that Rega keeps things simple. By reusing basic aluminum boxes for their components, they can save cost and put the money into the audio performance.
The rear panel includes two sets of dip switches, a solid pair of RCA inputs and outputs, instructions for the dip switches, and a ground connection for non-Rega turntables. Finally, there is an input for the 24v external DC power supply.
If you pop the cover off, you get a better sense of where Rega invested. The build quality is impeccable and every internal component is top-notch.
Features & Technology
In 2016, Rega introduced their Aria phono stage. The Aria is capable of working with both moving coil and moving magnet type cartridges. It quickly won a number of rewards from the British press for its high-level audio performance.
When Rega designed the Aria, they spent a lot of R&D time looking at new components that could offer a lower noise floor than anything they had used in the past. This is very important for a phono preamp, particularly when you are dealing with a moving coil cartridge, which has a very low signal level. Any noise that might come into the signal path could potentially mask those tiny details in the music that make your records sound more like a live performance.
The Rega Fono MC benefits from what Rega learned in the much more expensive Aria, and its circuitry is very similar. To accomplish such a low noise floor, Rega uses a FET (field effect transistor) from a company called Linear Systems. They are a 30-year-old Silicon Valley company specializing in high-end components for the audio and medical business. A FET like this one has a very high input impedance, so the tiny coils in your moving coil cartridge will effectively “not see” the FET as any type of additional load.
The RIAA section of the Fono MC uses a MUSES series op amp from a Japanese company called New Japan Radio. These are known around the world for audio purity and are found in uber high-end audio components all over the world.
Feature-wise, the Fono MC has about everything you would want in a phono preamp. While its adjustability is not quite up to our reference Sutherland Audio products, it gives you a lot more than most phono stages in this category.
A moving coil cartridge is somewhat like a work of art in that there are no real standards. Each designer comes up with what they think performs best. The way they design those tiny windings of the coils works best if the cartridge electrically sees a pretty specific type of load. If you load one incorrectly, the difference is dramatic. For instance, if you have a cartridge that wants to see a 400-ohm load and you set the load at 100, it will literally sound like you have thrown a thick blanket over your speakers. It’s that much of a difference.
By using different combinations of the dip switches on the back of the Fono MC (you have a selection of 70, 100, 150, and 400), it can work with 90% of all the MC cartridges on the market.
Moving coils also vary in the output. The Fono MC gives you what is basically a high or low gain setting -- either 63.5 or 69.5 dB of gain.
Rega also gives you adjustable capacitance, which is not something you see in a lot of moving coil phono preamps. You have a choice of 1000pF or 4700pF. For those of you picking up one of these to work with your new Rega Ania (or any Rega MC), you set it up for 1000pF, 100 ohms, and the higher 69.5 gain setting.
We do have one small gripe about these dip switches. When you look at the back panel, they are labeled left and right. At first, you may think that this means the left and right channels. It’s actually referring to the left and right side of the switches.
When you consider the modest price of the Rega Fono MC, it has a ton of great tech for its sub $500 price tag.
Performance
We tested the Fono MC with a Rega P6 and Ania cartridge. To complete the Rega circle, we used an Aux input on the Rega Brio integrated amp and a pair of the new Elac Adante bookshelf speakers.
This combination was just stunning. The Fono MC provided plenty of gain for the low output Ania with virtually no background noise. Bass notes reach very deep while the presentation of the treble and midrange is very smooth, yet you hear all kinds of tiny details in the upper end -- a trait most great moving coil cartridges have.
Overall Recommendation
If you are considering a Rega Ania Cartridge for your turntable (probably the P3 or P6), the Fono MC is a perfect match. If you are one of those people who likes to play around with different cartridges, you might be better served with something like a Sutherland that offers more adjustability, but for the Ania, this little jewel is a real winner!
Details & Specs
- Output impedance: 200Ω
- Recommended minimum output load resistance: 5K
- Frequency response (50KΩ output load): 13Hz (-3dB) to 100KHz (-0.3dB)
- RIAA accuracy (50KΩ output load): Better than +/-0.2dB 100Hz to 100KHz
- Power requirements: 24V AC at 150mA maximum. Only to be used with Rega PS1.
- Input sensitivity (for 200mV output)
- 4 off: 133uV
- 4 on: 67uV
- Input loading resistance
- 1 and 2 off: 400Ω
- 1 on: 100Ω
- 2 on: 150Ω
- 1 and 2 on: 70Ω
- Input loading capacitance
- 3 off: 1000pF
- 3 on: 4300pF
- Gain (at 1KHz)
- 4 off = 63.5dB
- 4 on = 69.5dB
- Maximum input level (at 1KHz)
- 4 off: 6.7mV
- 4 on: 3.4mV
- Load settings for adjustable MC stages
- Impedance: 100 Ω
- Capacitance: 1000pF
- Gain setting: High ('On' position for Rega phono stages)
