Description
Condition: Excellent. Complete with original box and manual.
About the Cambridge Audio Alva Duo Phono Preamplifier
The Alva Duo is Cambridge Audio’s compact, feature-packed phono preamplifier, built to get the most out of any turntable setup. It supports both moving magnet (MM) and moving coil (MC) cartridges with a simple switchable gain setting, so it can be matched to nearly any cartridge without an outboard step-up transformer. A precision RIAA equalization stage and switch-mode power supply keep noise low and dynamics intact, while surface-mount circuit board construction shortens signal paths for a clean, quiet result.
Beyond core phono duties, the Alva Duo includes a 6.35mm headphone output built directly into the phono stage with its own volume control, letting you listen to vinyl privately without powering up a separate amplifier. A subsonic filter helps tame rumble and warped-record artifacts, and a balance control compensates for cartridge or channel imbalances. The unit automatically drops into low-power standby after 20 minutes of inactivity, and its steel-and-aluminum chassis keeps the footprint small enough to tuck next to any turntable.
Key Specifications
- Cartridge Compatibility: MM and MC, switchable gain
- Gain: 39dB (MM), 60dB (MC)
- Input Impedance: 47k ohms (MM), 100 ohms (MC)
- RIAA Accuracy: ±0.3dB (30Hz-50kHz)
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio: greater than 90dB (MM), greater than 70dB (MC)
- THD+N @ 1kHz: less than 0.0025% (MM), less than 0.20% (MC)
- Nominal Output: 300mV
- Built-in headphone amplifier with 6.35mm jack and dedicated volume control
- Subsonic filter and balance control
- Power Supply: Switch-mode design; auto-standby after 20 minutes
- Construction: Steel and aluminum chassis
- Dimensions: 1.9″ H x 8.5″ W x 6.2″ D
- Weight: approx. 2.1 lbs
- Included: Original box, manual
