The business end of the BC703                                                  

Rather than presenting you with all the techincal details about the development of our new flagship phonostage, we will simply tell you that this new design was 6 years in the making. We could write a book!

High precision? We say that for a reason. The RIAA equalization curve tracks within 0.1dB of its specification. When we say reference we mean it. It is THE new reference standard for every specification that we have tested. It has been through the toughest tests in terms of high gain and low noise. No other phono stage is as quiet as the BC703. Just plug it in and enjoy the music. It has topped the best tube phonostage that our collective ears have heard. It has gain that can match any CD level. It has 5 levels of gain settings with the highest one being a remarkable 87dB without using an input transformer! That s 10 times louder than most MC phonostages and with less noise. Without input transformer, that means you are totally free to experiment with different loading to optimize the MC cartridge.

Why are there no knobs on the front panel? Gilbert has decided there is no need for knobs or front panel controls with the exception of a mute switch. All the switchable gain, impedance and capacitance loading is done internally with gold-plated jumpers. Jumpers provide the most reliable long-term connections compared to switches, including front panel or internal dip switches. The BC703 also has a separate MC and MM input for optimum matching. It also features a switchable rumble filter for those listeners who have full-range speakers. The BC703 is truly a no compromise design.

Shown with optional purpleheart/walnut faceplate.  Stainless steel is standard.

Is it a discrete or op-amp design? It is both. It uses the best of both circuitry types. The design is simple, yet functional and certainly not trendy. You won t find the usual fashionable brand name parts inside. What you will find is the best components used in the most suitable fashion. The power supply is the venerable Gilbert type with heavy filtering. It comes close to 680,000uF, and will operate for nearly a minute with the A/C power off!

Fundamentally the BC703 is sonically neutral. What you hear is what s "there." It lets everything from your vinyl come through. At this level of performance, there is no point in discussing how it sounds more than we already have. We will leave it to reviewers to do that.

If you are serious about your vinyl-encoded music and are ready or think you are ready for the last phono preamp you will ever buy, feel free to contact us for an audition.