AVID Pellar II Phono Stage – AVID HiFi Ltd. presents new phono preamplifier for MM and MC cartridges

With the AVID Pellar II Phono Stage, AVID HiFi Ltd. returns attention to a compact phono stage whose original generation appeared in 2012, now reworked for analogue systems where small signals deserve rather more respect than small boxes often suggest. The company presents the new model as a substantially advanced design, with improvements aimed at noise performance, resolution, dynamic expression and overall musical coherence. This is not being framed as a light model revision, but as a deliberate move forward within the AVID HiFi Ltd. phono stage portfolio. At its core, the AVID Pellar II Phono Stage supports both MM and MC cartridges, offers three gain settings and allows practical adjustment of cartridge loading. Its casework, too, has been revised, bringing the visual language closer to that of the turntables for which AVID HiFi Ltd. is best known.

Key Facts AVID Pellar II Phono Stage

• New phono stage from AVID HiFi Ltd.
• Suitable for MM and MC cartridges
• Three gain settings: 48 dB, 60 dB and 70 dB
• Load impedance: 47 kohms, 500 ohms or Custom
• Adjustment via Resistance Loading Plugs
• RIAA equalisation from 5 Hz to 70 kHz ±0.5 dB
• Noise: less than -81 dB MM, less than -67 dB MC
• Distortion below 0.001 per cent
• Internally regulated power supply with 25 VA transformer
• Dimensions: 160 x 253 x 70 mm
• Weight: 1.9 kg
• Price: € 1.995,-
• Worldwide sales launch: 1 July 2026

AVID Pellar II Phono Stage – A New Generation of a Compact Phono Stage

A phono stage is one of those components that leaves little room for bluff. The cartridge signal is tiny, vulnerable and brutally revealing of everything that happens to it before it reaches line level. Noise is not hidden here. Poor equalisation does not politely step aside. Unsuitable loading, limited headroom or anaemic dynamics are not softened by the format’s supposed romance; they are simply made audible.

That is precisely where the AVID Pellar II Phono Stage positions itself. AVID HiFi Ltd. points to an improved component selection derived from its own reference electronics development, with the stated aim of lowering the noise floor, increasing resolution and improving the portrayal of fine dynamics, timing and tonal balance.

This approach is entirely in keeping with AVID HiFi Ltd.’s analogue thinking. Vinyl replay is not treated as a sentimental pastime, but as an engineering discipline. A phono stage must give the cartridge the right electrical environment, execute RIAA equalisation with precision and contribute as little character of its own as possible. The AVID Pellar II Phono Stage is intended to gather those priorities into a compact and still relatively attainable design.

MM and MC – Flexibility for Different Cartridge Concepts

The AVID Pellar II Phono Stage is designed for both Moving Magnet and Moving Coil cartridges. That matters, because it does not restrict the product to a single tier of analogue replay. It will suit listeners using established MM cartridges, but it also leaves room for those moving towards more ambitious MC designs at a later stage.

Three gain settings are provided: 48 dB, 60 dB and 70 dB. This allows the phono stage to be matched to different cartridge output levels, from conventional MM cartridges to lower-output MC systems that require considerably more gain.

AVID HiFi Ltd. specifies load impedance at 47 kohms, 500 ohms or Custom. Adjustment is handled via Resistance Loading Plugs. It is a sensible and technically clean solution, giving the user meaningful control without turning the product into a menu-driven appliance.

Low Noise, Accurate RIAA Equalisation

With phono stages, numbers never tell the whole story, but they are certainly not trivial. AVID HiFi Ltd. specifies the AVID Pellar II Phono Stage with noise below -81 dB in MM operation and below -67 dB in MC operation. Distortion is stated at less than 0.001 per cent.

RIAA equalisation is specified from 5 Hz to 70 kHz ±0.5 dB. That points to a wideband, carefully executed circuit which does not merely cover the obvious audible range, but also maintains composure at the frequency extremes.

In practical terms, the aim is not to hem the cartridge in. Greater calm, clearer outlines, more stable imaging and stronger dynamic conviction are the improvements AVID HiFi Ltd. places at the centre of the AVID Pellar II Phono Stage.

Revised Casework in the Spirit of AVID HiFi Ltd. Turntables

The electronics are not the only area to have been revisited. AVID HiFi Ltd. has also revised the casework of the AVID Pellar II Phono Stage, stating that the enclosure now reflects more closely the design language of its turntables. That is not merely a matter of appearance. In analogue replay, a solid, properly executed enclosure is part of the technical architecture, not an afterthought.

The front panel remains clean, compact and distinctly in character with AVID HiFi Ltd. On the rear panel are the analogue inputs and outputs, earth terminal and power connection. Dimensions are a manageable 160 x 253 x 70 mm, making the unit easy to place on a rack or within a domestic listening environment. Weight is specified at 1.9 kg.

All Benefits at a Glance

• Ready for MM and MC cartridges
  The AVID Pellar II Phono Stage can be used with different cartridge concepts, making it suitable for current systems while leaving room for future cartridge upgrades.
• Useful gain flexibility
  With 48 dB, 60 dB and 70 dB available, the phono stage can be matched to a wide range of cartridge output levels rather than forcing the system around a single fixed setting.
• Loading via Resistance Loading Plugs
  The load impedance can be adjusted with Resistance Loading Plugs, a particularly relevant feature for MC cartridges where correct electrical matching can have a clear sonic effect.
• Low noise performance
  The specified noise figures support the aim of retrieving fine detail, low-level information and quiet passages from the groove without adding unnecessary electronic haze.
• Compact, system-friendly form
  At 160 mm wide, the AVID Pellar II Phono Stage remains easy to integrate while still presenting itself as a serious analogue component rather than a token accessory.

Price and Availability

The new AVID Pellar II Phono Stage from AVID HiFi Ltd. is stated to be available worldwide from 1 July 2026 through authorised specialist retailers. The price is listed at € 1.995,-.

Conclusion

With the AVID Pellar II Phono Stage, AVID HiFi Ltd. stays true to its analogue priorities: this is a compact phono stage, certainly, but not a simplistic one. MM and MC compatibility, three gain settings, adjustable load impedance and an internally regulated power supply form a notably coherent package. In this price class, the AVID Pellar II Phono Stage could prove a very interesting proposition for vinyl listeners who want a properly engineered phono stage without immediately stepping into the larger reference lines.

Technical Data