Iota Signature Reference & Median phono stage ...upgrade offer ***
iota signature reference & median
Balanced phono stage, now 2016-Rev II
“the second incarnation of these high spec reference products”
We are offering an opportunity for all existing owners of iota Signature Reference, and the iota Median balanced phono stages to upgrade any previous version of this product to the recently released REV II -2016 versions. The cost of the upgrade is just £240.00(**), and this will include any service or repair that may be required to the phono stage or power supply, and this will apply whether you are the original owner or you purchased the equipment second hand. Following this significant performance upgrade the recalibrated item will also then benefit from a full one year guarantee, whatever its age, and remember the first version of these products was introduced in 1998!
(**excluding the cost of carriage or insurance to or from our company).
Background & History.
The*origins of this product go back to 1995 when the speaker and electronics designer Mark Hudson (of HIQ Sound) and I began the development of these phono stages.
Mark Hudson has been responsible for the design of many other phono stages, as well as numerous speakers, amplifiers, DAC’s and other electronics for many internationally known Hi-fi and professional audio manufactures.
A number of the products that we have collaborated on have been marketed under the names of HIQ Sound / Q series and then Iota. Since the early 1990’s I have also produced several different turntables, power supplies, and arm modifications under the QT & Iota names.
This balanced phono stages were a development of an original idea aiming to produce a phono stage that could extract the highest quality of sound reproduction from vinyl records, with the minimum of noise and interference, whilst still being compatible with the widest range of equipment, and in order to achieve this it would operate in true differential balanced mode; potentially from any Hi-fi arm and turntable. The units were also designed through variable loading and gain to be compatible any phono cartridge, whatever its output or loading requirements.
The very first units produced were single box items, with a bespoke cartridge loading, provided for the customer’s chosen cartridge, on individual removable headers.
A revised MKII version some two years later offered the present day arrangement of “dial in” loading and gain switches that could be customer set, as well as revised casework and signal circuitry. It also incorporated a two box construction with the external power supply to further enhance the noise performance of this product. Over the next few months some owners, so delighted by the jump in performance offered by our products over their original equipment, asked if it would be possible to take the idea any further? The first “Signature version” products were designed and produced following this request.
The procedures adopted in the “Signature version” were to optimise the original circuit design, and hand-select all the components in the signal path. Unfortunately due to the laborious and time-consuming nature of this work the cost also increased. As a result it was expected that only a limited number of signature products would be ordered, however the original production batch, expected to sell over the next year was sold out in less than three weeks! All ordered by existing owners of the previous versions after hearing the improved signature product.
The original Iota range was created to incorporate three different phono stages, at different performance levels, The Iota LCP 2, the Iota Median phono stage with a dual output power supply, this supported the phono stage and other Iota products, and finally the revised Iota Signature Reference where the original concept has been taken even further.
Unfortunately as a result of the significant changes required between the standard Median and the Signature Reference it was impossible to provide a direct upgrade path from the Median to the Signature Reference due to the added complexity, despite being a development of the original design concept & using similar techniques. The Signature Reference products differ in many key areas; e.g. different signal circuits with dual mono construction, and larger power supplies, with higher current delivery and extra stages of regulation, plus selected higher-grade, close tolerance selected components used throughout the dual mono design.
However recent developments and improvements in components now mean that all existing customers with both models are able to benefit from these changes offered within the scope of this 2016 - REV II upgrade.
[B][SIZE=4]Please see our web site for more details @:- www.iota-audio-design.com
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