2's Company
The new Dino Phono Amplifier is Trichord's new baby. David Price takes it for a spin.
Recently Michell and Trichord merged (not actually true as Trichord and Michell have always been two independent companies - Graham Fowler). The first thing they did upon forming 'Michell Trichord' was to revamp the Michell range of electronics, and specifically the Delphini phono stage. This is a fine product but a stripped down entry level version would be a strong seller. The Dino reviewed here is the result. However it's more that a low rent Delphini - there are a number of changes which give it a character all of its own.
Most obvious is the case. Gone is the swanky half-metal housing; a new silver all-perspex design takes its place. Aside from reduced shielding from electrical noise (so place with care), this should have little adverse affect on the sound. Inside we find audio grade bipolar and JFET op-amps, metal oxide resistors and ultra low impedance capacitors throughout. Cleverly, the Delphini's internal jumpers have been replaced by four DIP switches mounted underneath. This is a great idea, meaning you can set the Dino up for 100pf, 1.1nF, 33ohms, 100ohms 1K and 47K in seconds, together with 48, 52, 63, 70 and 74dB gain - which means moving magnet cartridges can be used. This is a great feature, meaning the Dino can last from your Rega P3/Elys right up to that LP12/Ekos/Archiv you always promised yourself.
With the same clean, open, up-front presentation, there are plenty of similarities between the Dino and it big brothers sonics. You certainly get the sense that you're listening to a transistor phono preamp rather than a tube one, but by the same token you don't get the sterile, cerebral, analytical rigour of something like Densen's DP-01/DP Drive. Essentially, like the Delphini, the Dino walks down the middle of the road with tremendous alacrity.
I kicked off with Elvis Costello's 'Accidents Can Happen' and was amazed by the maturity of the Dino sound. There's absolutely no sense of listening to a budget product. Rather, it strings the whole acoustic together beautifully, with no particular emphasis on any frequency band. Smooth and even from top to bottom, you could even say it's a little more generous in the bass than the Delphini. Or you could point out that there's less midband energy, giving it a marginally more laid back sound which better suits the budget decks it has been designed for.
Bass is extremely tight and fast (almost more than the cooking Delphini), with an ISOesque zip to it that really sped Chic's 'my Forbidden Lover' along. Indeed it sounds more engaging than any other price rival, save LFD's Mistral which has a more organic (dare I say 'valvey') feel, but less ultimate grip. The midband is also superb, with a tidy but powerfully articulated sound stage that brilliantly communicates the scale and power of any mix. Female vocals shone through with great smoothness - I almost think the Dino is superior to its bigger brother in this respect.
Treble isn't sweet, but nevertheless impressively crisp and clean with no nasties, sibilance or spit. Given my eighties Karajan recording of Beethoven's 'Eroica' on DG, the Dino was again musical yet mature, never failing to catch the rhythmic and dynamic swings that permeate this piece. Essentially it attempts less than the Delphini, throwing out less low level detail, atmosphere and textural information, but still knits the whole lot together superbly. The result is a kind of 'Delphini Lite', which is no bad thing at all!
Overall then, Trichord's new Dino is a cracking phono stage. It's sheer across-the-board strength impresses. Fast and fun - yet polished, it's also intelligently designed and tremendously versatile.
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