[Listening test] The Audiofiles Tippi - A pre-phono-pre-amplifier

Product: Tippi Trans Impedance Phono Pre Input current gain moving coil cartridge pre-amplifier - oh yes it is
Manufacturer: The AudioFiles (ebay shop and direct)
Price: £650
Reviewer: Mark Wheeler - TNT-Audio UK
Reviewed: August 2023 - October 2024
Published: November, 2024

"What on earth is a Tippi?" ask Plebs chorus, stage left, "Is it a misspelt circular footprint cone shaped tent?"

It's a BPS amplifier or Before Phono Stage. Possible the second most difficult amplifying job in modern analogue audio playback systems. The design of any phono gain stage is possibly the most challenging task in analogue audio although perhaps analogue tape head stages offer similar levels of challenge). Moving coil cartridges add a whole extra level of challenge. Their tiny output signals can be as low as tens of nanovolts at the bottom of their dynamic range, where all the subtle nuances of musicianship and ambience lie and are most vulnerable to loss in playback systems. Solid state designers tend to add gain while minimising noise while valve designers tend to use step-up transformers.

A Tippi is a pre-pre-amp for low output moving coil cartridges. It requires no DIP switch impedance matching selector because it is a fully balanced current amplifier requiring no input load across which to measure pd (potential difference). The Tippi is an alternative to the Step Up Transformer (hereafter SUT) often employed ahead of phono pre-amplifiers stages. The Tippi is also an alternative to the additional voltage gain stage in typical solid state phono stages. Voltage gain is certainly a handy way of organising the business of raising moving magnet/moving iron output voltage while simultaneously applying the RIAA curve, but for moving coil cartridges there are theoretically better alternatives.

TIPPI is an acronym for Trans Impedance Phono Pre Input which might be as good an explanation as any. It's great that manufacturers choose something more imaginative than Oggleclunk PP5379 mkii and reminiscent of the playful days of Pink Triangle (Armagiggle), Naim (Armageddon) and Linn (Linnk). This sample is number 3 and like several of their products and services, it is not even listed on The AudioFiles website yet so you, dear reader, will have to drop them an email.

"What kind of business fails to list their own groundbreaking product?" challenge Plebs, stage left

The Creation Myth

Most societies have creation myths as an attempt to explain our origins, the laws of nature, and our relation to the cosmos (Maclagan, 1977). On a lesser scale, the creation of the Tippi came about, when Colin Yallop (of Chevron Audio) made his first current amplifying MC step up prototype, which impressed everyone who heard it, especially at audio shows. The AudioFile guys expressed an interest if Colin could find time to build some more in production quality casework and he obliged. One of these first batch went to a new era Thorens TD1600 customer where the balanced IP/OP option could exploit the similar offering on the Thorens. That customer uses and advocates it to this day. Sample 3 is this one which has remained in your Old Scribe's system for over a year because it deserves this scrutiny as both a component and as an original concept.

Technology

The Tippi is connected to the pickup arm leads either with RCA plugs with flying chassis earth or proper balanced XLR connectors. Similarly, the Tippi is connected to the usual 47k MM phono input with either RCA plugs (your Old Scribe's least favourite connector, the whole design concept of RCA plugs that deserves its own circle of Hell) or the far superior XLR connectors on those phono pre-amps with balanced inputs. There are too few of such pre-amplifiers on the audio market. The Tippi is housed, with its own internal linear power supply, in an extruded aluminium case about the same size of one volume of Lord of the Rings in paperback (a reference just for prog rock fans there). On the flat underside of the Tippi are 4 rotary switches which optimise gain settings for any MC coil characteristics. So the Tippi claims to be capable of exploiting every last electron from the cartridge. As an entirely new highly specialised product, just 10 samples were tooled up for creation. Your Old Scribe is auditioning one of these. It looks like a well finished full production product.

Those low output moving coil cartridges generate so few electrons you could practically count them on your fingers and toes. This is up to 75dB below the typical moving magnet cartridge output often expressed as at 5cm/s groove modulation. At the scale of vinyl replay this can mean the significant audio data is in the order of a fistful or electrons. The usual response to such tiny signals is either a step-up transformer (SUT) or a solid state voltage amplifier impedance matched to that particular cartridge. Any loss here cannot be regained or mitigated further down the replay chain.

The typical moving coil (MC) cartridge is inherently balanced electrically. Moving iron and moving magnet (MM) cartridges rely on a chosen input impedance (combination of resistance and capacitance) to generate the linear voltage/current signal. MC generators can operate this way but they also have another trick up their coils. They will work into a current-mode input which presents almost a dead-short to the cartridge because MC cartridge impedances are inherently low (due to fewer coils than MM) and resistive. Dynavector's own phono stage works this way and a Dynavector XX2 Mk2 is the primary cartridge used for this review.

A current-mode input for moving coil cartridges operates directly without the input impedance needed to load the coil output, thus generating a current proportional to this voltage. In theory, this arrangement removes or reduces the tendency for the output impedance and input impedance relationship to affect frequency response. Many of us have spent many hours playing with R and C to try to flatten the midrange of MM cartridges or trying various R settings to get the bass response of MC cartridges just right. Current amplification neatly side-steps the whole issue.

Sound Quality

If we were to plot the performance of amplifying devices on the axes of a quadrant, we might imagine the X axis as frequency range and the Y axis as dynamic range. First impressions of the Tippi are that it stretches the performance out to the four corners of the chart. Most well designed transformer based step up transformers might be imagined as a circle on such a chart. Transformers excel around their design centre frequency. A transformer has its widest dynamic range and best phase performance close to its design centre. Choices of winding patterns and core type (material and construction) will affect how this circle of performance stretches towards a more barrel shaped envelope in this visual analogy. A notional really high quality step up transformer (hereafter, SUT) might stretch to a quartic shape, like an Austin Allegro steering wheel.

"Following an inevitable, if unusual motoring analogy, there must be a photographic analogy on the way too. Oh yes, here it is..." quoth plebs, stage left [Austin Quartic]

If we liken that two axis quadrant to the coverage of a camera lens, the transformer is like a lens with less coverage, vignetting towards the corners. As if a digital photographer has upgraded their camera to a 'full frame' or FX format body while still owning some DX/2Thirds lenses. The more limited coverage lenses might be doing something wonderful at the centre that the photographer wants to keep for certain subjects. An example of a traditional SUT might be like this, it might be one that is glorious for blues vocalists, matched with a particular cartridge. However this will not be a universal solution for a range of cartridges and music. For a walkaround lens a full frame prime will be preferred over that older lens. In this analogy the Tippi would be preferred to match a wide range of cartridges and musical material. So the Tippi could be the preferred device for audiophiles with collections of moving coil cartridges or those wanting the widest, cleanest window on their front end.

This TIPPI has been tried in two system contexts in various configurations, both familiar high resolution systems. One is the Old Scribe Euterpe active system. The other a very high resolution active system fronted by either a Technics SP10 or a Dr Feickert and Dynavector DRT XV-T, Hana MC and the latest iteration of the Ortofon SPU Royal G. In your Old Scribe's system fronted by two different samples of heavily modified Michell Orbe SE, both a Dynavector XX2 Mkii and an old Linn Asak were used (latter merely to establish if the popular Supex derived generators suit this mode of gain). The question arises whether the sound quality experienced is a function of the more optimal loading or of the different mode of increasing gain? The theory is that the load can 'encourage' the better resolution as a by-product of the cartridge enabled to exploit it's natural ability for current delivery rather than voltage delivery.

Your Old Scribe cannot decide what the first thing a listener will notice about the Tippi. Sometimes, switching from a Lundhal SUT to the Tippi the dramatic improvement in bass resolution is most noticeable. With a different disc the change might be the enlarged, more stable soundstage. Another time it is both the big dynamic swings and the subtle micro dynamics. This could be because the lack of cartridge resistive loading allows the moving coil cartridge to deliver its full potential current from those little groove wiggles. In this system context it seems to achieve this to a greater extent than the Aqvox 2Ci, reviewed nearly 2 decades ago and therefore subject to memory fallibility. Both achieve superior power transfer from the coils of the cartridge than any alternative gain topology.

Deeper more extended bass is very noticeable on Dave Clark's Archive 1. The inherent different ambience around simultaneous samples is more explicit with the Tippi than with the Ludahl SUT in the Canor TP306 VR+. This could be because the circuit has better high frequency phase linearity than is possible with transformers. Gary Hargreaves of distributors, The AudioFiles, tests the plebs' patience with another motoring analogy. Gary invites us to imagine two similar cars. Both have engines of equal peak power and peak torque but one has a low-revving V8 while the other has a more efficient and highly tuned slant 4. The V8 has relaxed reserves of power and more torque below the peak so feels more relaxed to drive briskly. Gary states that the Tippi likewise has greater reserves of dynamics to deploy, which for him helps to propel the music, and preserve the timing. The aforementioned other system owner bought a Tippi to use with his Hana and Dynavector DRT XV-1T and Hana cartridges while retaining his matched high-end SUT for his Ortofon SPU. Context and priorities are everything in high-end audio. If we own several pick-up cartridges because of their different reproduction priorities for different recordings, it is quite possible that one size may fit 4 out of 5 (80%) of cartridges tested, but there may be one outlier. This is why readers should be very sceptical of all those advertising driven reviews that claim "The whizzoboffo 5000 is the best signal processor we've ever tested"

There is the expected expanded downward dynamic range (as Allen Wright called it) promised by the technology employed, apparently extracting every last nuance from every MC generated electron. What about the top of the dynamic envelope? With the Dynavector used in this test, the Tippi never ran out of steam or even electrons. In both the wide dynamic range systems used, any macro-dynamic limitations were the inherent in the RIAA microgroove recording process, not the playback system. Of course, the Tippi's Headroom invites us to imagine some connection with the Holywood star Tipi Hedren.

"Oh No! The AudioPhiles folks are as bad punners as the Old Scribe, is he biased towards them after bad pun fuelled conversations?" complain plebs, stage left

No coincidence apparently. Gary and Simon (of The AudioFiles) are suckers for wordplay as much as your Old Scribe and claim that they wanted a word which captured the dynamic performance of the product and thought about the word Headroom. Suddenly out of nowhere came 'Tippi Headroom' - a reference to the actress Tippi Hedren and thus the Tippi name was born..."Quirky, odd, and hopefully, unforgettable", they said, when asked. As unforgettable as a Boney M earworm while lying at the foot of a crevasse in an ice field.

Bass resolution is so good it prompted your Old Scribe to start writing a piece what vinyl is best to test front-end bass resolution. This became particularly apparent while listenning to the titanium tubed Audio Origami PU7 pick-up arm in for review. Prompted by the Tippi your Old Scribe wondered if a moving coil cartridge, with it's extra gain demands usually supplied by a SUT can actually be as good as a Decca London cartridge (directly injected into the moving magnet input) if the extra gain stage is good enough?.Spinning The Orbe Toxygene 12inch - the 'Kris Needs Up for a fortnight Mix' (on side 2) proved exhilarating. Volume #67 on the (tube-rolled and modded) Audio Research Corporation Reference 3 creates 100dB bass peaks from vinyl on the XX2 Mk2 - Tippi - Canor TP306 VR+ (47k MM input), ARC Ref 3 - Marchand XM126-3/PS127 - tri-amped modified Focal Audiom Euterpe system. Low frequency pitch, PRaT and dynamics are stunning.

Little Feat The Last Record Album works well as another low frequency management test. In the pre Cirkus Linn world it was often cited in dems as a killer test of vocal clarity surviving massive bass. Plopping an old Linn Asak into one of the Hadcock GH242SE arm tubes it was like 1990 in a Single Speaker Dem Room but FURTHER! Toots and the Maytals Bam Bam tape pre-echo (on the more common version) offers a ghost of the opening percussion driven bass burst and all my copies. Whether vinyl or cd or compilation most copies have exactly the same mix, eq and pre-echo. Hearing how the pre-echo resolves followed by the same notes at intended volume is a great indication of bass resolution and bass dynamics. The Tippi is a wide open window to this. Pink Floyd's Meddle (MFSL) and Pink Floyd's Animals (both original and 2018 remaster) have been longstanding vinyl review favourite discs. Again the effect is of a wider open window with a bit more clarity in the middle. Likewise, Fela Kuti's Red Hot Fela has rhythm and drive and testing vocal dynamics deep in the mix, as fully revealed as necessary.

Conclusion

This TNT-audio reviewing lark is proving costly. Once again a product arrives that some how your Old Scribe cannot live without. It is going to add further expense because now I want a fully balanced triode phono pre-amp to sit between the balanced ARC Ref3 and the Tippi. Sometimes only a moving coil cartridge will do and with the MC brands your Old Scribe prefers, only the Tippi will do. It is also an ideal for those with several cartridges because it electrically matches them all.

The TIPPI (it's an acronym so should it be capitalised?) breaks one of your Old Scribe prejudices in being a low level amplifier with a built-in power supply. It works noiselessly wherever it was placed. It breaks another Old Scribe prejudice in that it really is one-size-fits-all and manages that in a diminutive package. Many audiophiles spend more than this on their phono cable. Unusually in the genus audiophilia The AudioFiles Tippi has proved to be a no brainer wallet opener.

References

Maclagan 1977 Creation Myths: Man's Introduction to the World, London: Thames & Hudson LTD

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The AudioFiles Tippi

A pre-phono-pre-amplifier with an equally intriguing name TIPPI MC head amp with headroom

The Creation Myth

Technology

Sound Quality

Conclusion

References

A pre-phono-pre-amplifier with an equally intriguing name
TIPPI MC head amp with headroom