Audio Research PH9

The PH9 has a fixed gain of 58dB. It is designed to work exceptionally well with a wide variety of cartridges, but you should verify that this gain level is compatible with the output voltage of your specific moving coil or moving magnet cartridge before purchasing.

The PH9 allows you to change input impedance settings directly from your listening chair using the remote control. You can toggle between 47k, 1000, 500, 200, and 100 ohms, making it easy to hear which setting best suits your cartridge's loading requirements without needing to manually adjust switches on the back of the unit.

The front panel menu tracks the usage hours of your vacuum tubes, which takes the guesswork out of maintenance. This ensures you can enjoy the PH9's signature sound with confidence, knowing exactly when it is time to replace the tubes to maintain peak performance.

The PH9 utilizes a single-ended topology. This design choice is intentional, focusing on maintaining the shortest, most transparent signal path possible to preserve the purity and detail of your vinyl playback.

With 58dB of gain, the PH9 is well-suited for many moving coil cartridges. However, if you are using an ultra-low output cartridge, you may want to ensure your system's overall gain structure is sufficient, as the gain on this unit is not user-adjustable.

The unit measures 19 inches wide, 6.5 inches high, and 13.7 inches deep. Because it uses vacuum tubes, ensure you place it on a stable surface with adequate ventilation space above and around the chassis to allow for proper heat dissipation.