What Hi-Fi? Verdict
This PS Audio is an excellent phono stage. Provided your deck is good enough you won't be disappointed
Pros
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A clean, detailed, dynamic sound
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transparency
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useful features
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build quality
Cons
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Chunky by phono stage standards
Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.
PS Audio isn't short of confidence. On its website, the company claims that the GCPH phono stage is the best available, at any price. We don't share that view, but have no doubt this unit is astonishingly capable.
The GCPH is a fully featured device, accepting both moving coil and moving magnet cartridges, thanks to wide-ranging gain and loading adjustments. The settings can be changed via a pair of rotary switches on the back panel.
In addition, there are balanced and unbalanced analogue outputs, phase and mono switches, and a volume control.
If you're a vinyl purist, you can connect the GCPH to a power amplifier to create a system with an uncluttered signal path. Oh, and there's a remote to control all the switching.
In use, the GCPH is immensely capable. It's very quiet, too, with low levels of hum and hiss. It's as transparent and clean a phono stage as we've heard at this kind of money.
Composed with all music
This PS Audio is a precise, detailed performer that doesn't get fazed by musical complexity. Spin John Coltrane's Love Supreme and this unit produces cohesive and musically communicative results.
The presentation is even and has bold dynamics. There's plenty of passion and drive in Coltrane's playing and the PS Audio delivers the full dose.
Move to gentler music and the GCPH responds with plenty of subtlety, making the most of Ella Fitzgerald's gorgeous voice on Can't We Be Friends?
This is a very fine sounding phono stage. Use a suitably high quality turntable – think Thorens TD160HD as a minimum and you'll get fabulous results.
Highly recommended.
