SOTA Head Amplifier; Moving-Coil Pre-Preamplifier, JOHN CURL Design

Buy / Sell / Trade / Consign - The Music Room is the Nation's premier seller of carefully selected, pre-owned audio equipment. We have daily phone support at 720-33-MUSIC, and we are always paying cash for quality used gear. Trade offers are carefully considered. Contact us to find out how easy it can be to get a quick, fair, cash price for your gently used gear. Click to get a quote for your gear now. Logistics is our specialty... we can facilitate packaging & shipping from anywhere in the country.

Offered today by The Music Room: One SOTA HEAD AMPLIFIER SOTA HEAD AMPLIFIER, for use with low-output moving coil phono cartridges. This pre-preamplifier was designed for SOTA by the legendary audio engineer John Curl. This is a head amplifier used to step up the output of a low output Moving Coil cartridge. It is very quiet, and adds gain only to a normal phono stage, typical of units made 20 years ago or so. You need a tube or other phono stage for RIAA EQ after the head amp. That's why it's called a 'head amp' and not a phono-stage."This SOTA Head Amplifier is housed in a metal cylinder, 3 1/2" in diameter and 6 1/4" long, and is mounted on a solid wood base. In order to avoid potential hum problems associated with AC power supplies the SOTA Head Amplier is powered by two (2) standard "D" cell batteriesThe batteries are easily installed by simply removing the two screws from the front panel, while supporting the back panel with your other hand. The back panel, with the internal circuit board attached, then simply slides out the back of the cylinder. The SOTA Head Amplifier weighs approximately 2.5 pounds without the batteries, and 3 pounds with the batteries installed.

The back panel has gold-plated input and output jacks, plus a center grounding post. It can be adjusted for 5-ohm, 30-ohm or 100-ohm cartridge loading, using the upper toggle switch, and can be set for either high or low gain, with another toggle switch near the bottom of the panel.

The unit is turned on and off by a push-button on the front, with an orange center "flag" that is visible when the unit is in the "ON" position.

Functional notes: Operational condition of this item is excellent… fully tested and no issues found. Sound quality and performance are outstanding. Every item we offer for sale undergoes a thorough listening session and review of all functions. Buy with confidence.

Included with this sale: Main unit only - runs off batteries... no power supply included (or needed)

Shipping: Cost to ship this item within the Contiguous United States is a flat rate of $12 - including packaging and insurance. For other locations, please request a quote prior to purchase.

Cosmetic condition rating - Average wear for age - no notable blemishes. Please view all of our high-resolution photos for full details of the cosmetic condition as well as exactly what is included. If something is not clear, please inquire with us prior to purchase.