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How close to perfect is the world's best Phono pre under $500 with the new OPA2210?

Product name: Hagerman Audio Labs Bugle MC Phono Preamplifier
Manufacturer: Hagerman Audio Labs - USA
Price: $249 USD
Reviewer: M.L. Gneier - TNT USA
Reviewed: March, 2024

It's hard to believe that it's been over a year since I reviewed the Hagerman Bugle MC preamp. While working on a survey of phono preamps I heard from Jim Hagerman that he'd reconfigured the Bugle MC with the TI OPA2210 opamp, which promised an astonishing 6dB reduction in noise. I had to hear one ASAP. In a phono preamp a 6dB reduction in noise is big news indeed.

There are no changes to the Bugle MC you can see from the outside. The Bugle MC remains small, as you can see from my original photo where the Hagerman is shown sitting atop my 13 inch MacBook Air. Its shipping weight is less than two pounds, for Pete's sake! There are two rotary knobs for selection of gain and loading, conveniently located on the front panel. The back panel has inputs, outputs and a grounding post. No surprises there. Though modest, the Bugle feels solid and repeated insertion and removal of very tight-fitting cables did not result in any flex or drama from the Bugle's RCA jacks.

I asked Jim Hagerman if there would be any kind of revised designation to the unit using the OPA2210. His reply was classic Hagerman: "No new name. This is just another incremental improvement. I do these every chance I can. Perhaps I find a better capacitor or rubber foot? I am always trying to produce the best product possible." Having lived (endured?) the years that saw Audio Research come out with version after version of their SP-6 preamp I think I get Hagerman's reasoning. That said, I think this kind of improvement may well deserve some kind of formal designation. After all, the Bugle has already gone through significant transformation from its inception through Version 4, or wherever the addition of the OPA2210 finds it. When I was first chasing down the Bugle it looked significantly different. Take a look at this:

Looks pretty different to me! Thank goodness that Hagerman got away from the input is on one end and output is on the other approach. I see the logic (in terms of how the PCB is laid out) but in actual use this is configuration is nothing but a pain. In fact, it's the exact execution that soured me more than a little about some other well-regarded designs that will go nameless here but not in my memory.

The previous version of the Bugle had a pleasingly bold character that I enjoyed but seemed, off and on, to contribute to a sense of congestion and musical restriction. The Bugle MC with the OPA2210 maintains that bold, direct presentation while eliminating or significantly reducing any sense of the music being crowded or forced. Can the substitution of OpAmp really do that? Without a doubt.

As is so often true, noise contributes to a product's sonic signature is sometimes unpredictable ways. While implementation is not everything it's crucial to all designs. The swap of one OpAmp might not seem like a lot to some readers but when you consider that the entire product is changed when any one part is substituted you may come to see things differently. Earlier, Jim Hagerman kind of made a joke about not creating a new designation just because he changed something as seemingly minor as a rubber foot. Maybe swapping in a different foot would make no difference, but then again are you willing to assure every listener that it won't? If you would like to read more of my thoughts about the relevance of implementation you can do just that here: On AI and topologies

Back to the Bugle MC. The addition of the OPA2210 has made this phono pre into an entirely different product. Now when I think and write about its possible limitations I have to shift gears to its dynamic limits. With the noise reduced it's easier to sense that subtle dynamic shifts are captured more readily than before, and that's surely a good thing. Less noise means that everything, especially low-level details, are more easily heard. I very much think that's the case with the revised Bugle MC. While the Bugle MC still has its bold and exuberant presentation it sounds a bit more tempered now, not quite as raucous; perhaps a bit more mature, exactly what you might expect from the fourth or fifth iteration of a fine phono preamp.

Now the time has come for me to fantasize about what Jim Hagerman might have left on the table with the Bugle MC. What else might be improved? Does he have anything else in mind when it comes to solid state phono preampfification? I don't know the answer to that; you'll have to ask him. It seems as if Hagerman's interests slide back and forth from solid state products like the Bugle MC to tube designs like his Trumpet MC and Cornet MM. And, who am I to suggest that if a single OpAmp can transform the Bugle MC what might be had with a more extensive, perhaps a more ambitious design evolution? Who knows. Maybe a new set of feet would push the Bugle MC beyond the title of best phono preamp for less than $500? We will see. Only Jim Hagerman knows what he has on his mind when it comes to his ambitions for his humble but delightful Bugle MC.

Even though I am a long-time believer in the relevance of what some might regard as the minor details of product design I am still surprised by how different the Bugle MC sounds with the addition of the OPA2210. I guess I should not be surprised, yet I am. At the end of my original review I wondered, who wouldn't want the world's best phono preamp for under $500? This new version of the Bugle MC makes that question all the more prescient. Is something better out there for less? If it is, I would love to hear it. Until then, the Bugle MC has found a happy home in my system.

Copyright © 2024 M.L. Gneier - mlg@tnt-audio.com - www.tnt-audio.com

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