Musical Fidelity revisits the highly regarded Nu-Vista Vinyl 2 phono stage with the new Nu-Vista Vinyl S, upgrading circuitry and internal component layout, reaping a slimmer chassis and additional cost savings.
Musical Fidelity has revitalised and improved the original technology developed for Nu-Vista Vinyl 2 in the new Vinyl S via a number of enhanced circuit board strategies and layout changes on the eight 7586 nuvistor valves. The new engineering and topology have resulted in cost savings while maintaining the performance excellence of the Vinyl 2. The Vinyl S operates in Class-A and is a transistor-based, fully balanced, three stage discrete design (eschews lower-performance integrated circuits).
Being a fully-balanced design, naturally, the Vinyl S features two XLR balanced inputs in addition to catering to two single-ended options via RCA sockets, opening up the choice of multiple tonearm and cartridge combinations. Each input option features its own gold plated ground post. Output options include XLR balanced and RCA unbalanced connectivity.
Like the Vinyl 2, the Nu-Vista Vinyl S’s EQ stage is fully passive in “two separate stages (split-passive)” a methodology Musical Fidelity states is more challenging and costly to design and implement. However, the strategy can provide better impedance matching and lower deviation from the optimum EQ curve. Musical Fidelity has included not only the standard RIAA curve, but also provides DECCA and Colombia curves, two less commonly offered options among competing phono stage products.
The Vinyl S provides for a wide variety of cartridge loadings. Of course, each set of connection sockets can be configured for Moving Coil (MC) or Moving Magnet (MM) cartridges. The gain range is equally wide, with its spread starting at 40dB going up to 69dB while switching values is conducted via high quality relays. Capacitance and impedance switching, however, is done via JFET transistors. Musical Fidelity states that the combination of gain, capacitance and impedance values caters to any cartridge on the market.
Musical Fidelity continues to refine its power supply technology, with the Nu-Vista Vinyl S employing the company’s highly effective Super Silent Power Transformer, a purpose-designed, encapsulated toroidal. It features low core saturation and “extremely low electromagnetic radiation”. Further distortion, noise, and transformer hum reduction comes via an industrial grade power socket incorporating EMI filtering and a DC blocker.
In line with the high-tier Nu-Vista line, the Vinyl S features a superbly assembled, “uncompromisingly rigid” and refined chassis design. As per the ‘S’ in its product name, Vinyl S is a slimmer design, when compared to the Vinyl 2, yet it’s no less heroically built. The heavy gauge front and side panels are milled from extruded aluminium while, overall, the heavy chassis acts as a Faraday cage, protecting the phono stage from EMI. Also streamlined is the new solid aluminium remote control.
The new Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista Vinyl S phono stage will arrive in Australia in Q1 2026 and will be available via importer Audio Marketing’s countrywide dealer network.
Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista Vinyl S Phono Stage
Price: AU$12,000
Australian Distributor: Audio Marketing
+61 2 9882 3877
