by Noam Bronstein “Holy crap, another phono stage review!?!? Really?? Do you guys do anything else there??” Speaking for myself, well…lately, it seems like this is all I do. I have no idea why! It just seems to happen. Whether it’s my rabid interest in all things analog, the inability to say no, or some other reason…they just keep coming. And honestly, it’s hard to complain. Some firms, somehow, manage to focus (and survive) on analog products almost exclusively – Ortofon and SME are the first, and oldest names that come to my mind. Rothwell Audio, from their base in Bolton (England), is a small outfit that really makes very little else, apart from phono stages and MC transformers. It’s just this kind of dedication that we admire most, here at Wall of Sound. The Rialto is Rothwell’s starting point when it comes to moving-coil amplification. This solid-state unit has switchable MM and MC circuits, with 42 dB and 62 dB of gain respectively. The MC input impedance is fixed at 100 Ohms. The Rialto retails for $849 Cdn. I won’t get into regurgitating specs and talking points, but a visit to Rothwell’s web site is worthwhile – they do [...]
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