“…”Zesto’s George Counnas designed the Allasso (Greek for change or transform) to be both incredibly flexible and easy to use… Best of all, rather than overload your primary and secondary coils, Counnas says that “it’s about the best sound, not the math.” He suggests beginning with the middle load position (5). I’d still use math to set the gain, based on the cartridge’s output, but you’re free to experiment while listening. Turning the Andros Allasso’s knobs produced no thumps or bumps through my speakers….””

What to know about the Allasso Step Up Transformer
“You are now free to roam the cartridge planet”!

 3 Reasons You May Want a Step up Transformer

• You own a very low or very high output MC cartridge.
• Your cartridge Loading/Gain is difficult to match on your current system.
• You own more MC cartridges than MM and don’t want to buy another phonostage.

 Why You Need a Phonostage with a Step up Transformer

A step up transformer does not have the RIAA curve equalizer. It doesn’t have power either. It goes between your turntable and your phono preamp.

Why a Phonostage is So Important

When a vinyl record is made the volume of the bass is reduced and the treble is increased. Otherwise, the bass would cut a groove too big for a stylus to read or for the music to fit the record. The phonostage reverses the process by taking the delicate signal from your cartridge and adjusting it so that the bass and treble are restored to their original volume. This common standard is known as the RIAA curve.

 Works on Any Phonostage

The Allasso is extremely versatile. It will work with any standard phonostage with a 47K MM input.

What Does a Step up Transformer do?

It amplifies the delicate signal from your MC cartridge. An MM cartridge has a higher output than MC, so a MC needs to have a different step up ratios/gain to reach the same output.

 You Have Lots of Choices

You now have 40 options in Stereo and 40 options in Mono. It has enough adjustments to tailor it specifically to your cartridge or your next one. It’s just you and your ears, no math skills required.

 What is Allasso?

Allasso in Greek means to change or transform one thing to another.

Specifications:

• Frequency response -3dB at 0.4Hz to 100 KHz
• Phase deviation 1° typical at 20Hz
• Transformer noise 2 dB @ 20 Ω, 1.8 dB @ 12 Ω
• Hum rejection                 125 dB @ 60 Hz
• Voltage gain                 12dB, 16dB, 18dB and 22dB
• Step up ratios                  1:4,    1:6,    1:8 and 1:12
• MC load 40 positions in Mono, 40 positions in Stereo
• Recommended output load 47KΩ @ 200pF (MM input)
• Inputs Balanced and Single Ended MC
• Outputs Single Ended
• Grounds Independent input ground-lift switches
• Grounds Two ground binding posts
• Mono Takes one input and sends it to both outputs
• Dimensions 4”H X 6”W X 8”L (101.6mm X 152.4mm X 203.2mm)
• Weight 5lb (2.27Kg)
• Shipping weight 8lb (3.63Kg)
• Box dimensions 7”H X 9”W X 13”L (177.9mm X 228.6g X 330.2g)

Gain, Ratio and MC Loading Chart