Creek OBH 15 MM/MC Phono Preamp

With modern amplifiers expected to cater for so many new devices, the Phono capability has frequently been one of the features to disappear. Creek Audio has always been aware of the benefits of vinyl, that is why the company continues to provide a number of Phono stage options.

The most recent addition to the Creek range is the OBH-15, combining moving magnet and moving coil Phono pre-amplifiers, into one diminutive chassis. Seriously impressive and offering audiophile performance, the new OBH-15 will augment any system.

The OBH-15 Phono pre-amp can now drive longer cables, due to its low output impedance. It has combined the high quality discrete semiconductor circuitry of the OBH-8 and OBH-9 input and gain stages, and added improved open loop gain by cascading them, prior to the selector switch and combined passive RIAA circuit. Separate Burr-Brown professional grade low-noise op-amps are used for each channel, to buffer the output signal and provide a very low impedance drive to any pre-amp or integrated amplifier. The OBH-15 can switch from moving magnet to moving coil cartridges, via a simple push button on the rear panel. As it has two input circuits, optimized for each type of cartridge it allows for the connection of two turntables.

The OBH-15 has a built-in high performance power supply regulator circuit which makes it immune from power supply fluctuations so, it can be used with the un-regulated OBH-1, 6 Watt power supply; but it will sound better with the regulated 12 Watt OBH-2, which is available as an option.

Internally, the OBH-15 has built to the highest standards using a glass-fibre double sided, plated through hole PCB and very high-grade components. The OBH-15 looks the part too! Designed to complement the Creek range of amplifiers, tuners and CD players, the new OBH range features an impressive 4mm thick solid aluminium front panel in a silver finish. The remainder of the 150mm deep extruded aluminium case is painted black, so the product all but disappears.

Hi-Fi World September 2003
...this disc preamp gives you a surprising amount of fun for relatively little outlay...The Creek is a superb value for the money, and will make any vinyl system sound immediate and engaging in a way that only analogue can.