CHOOSE A WINNER!
ALLNIC’S NEW H-6500 PHONO-STAGE
RECEIVES A
PART-TIME AUDIOPHILE
REVIEWER’S CHOICE AWARD
Just a few months ago we introduced Allnic’s newest phono-stage, the H-6500.
The New H-6500 Phono-stage Preamp
Right from its first appearance on the market the response from H-6500 purchasers has been incredibly enthusiastic – amazingly, the following customer comments are not atypical:
“You told me to trust my ears, but I cannot believe my ears right now.”
“Unbelievable. I’m speechless. My records have never sounded this full!”
“At 50% volume the noise is so low.”
“I’m hearing witchcraft right now. The sound is sooo good.”
“Let me tell you, I’m blown away. It surpasses all my expectations.”
This kind of customer feedback is truly gratifying; it’s wonderful when a person gets back to us pleased with a purchase that performs beyond their expectations, thrilled with what the product has done for their music listening at home. Of course, our priority is customer satisfaction first and foremost, always; but it’s also great when a product receives a positive assessment from the world of professional reviews. Consequently, it’s with great pleasure that we announce a highly favourable first professional review of the H-6500, published early this January in part-time audiophile. pta’s Marc Phillips liked the H-6500 so much he gave it a “Reviewer’s Choice” award!
Mr. Phillips’ assessment of this latest addition to Allnic’s increasingly impressive line-up is not only what we think we can call a “rave review”, it is completely in line with what Allnic customers world-wide have been saying about the H-6500. To sum up, Mr. Phillips said:
... That’s all fine and dandy, but the Allnic Audio H-6500 is about the sound. In a mostly tube-based system controlled by the Lab12 Integre4 integrated amplifier, the H-6500 maintains that superb balance between warmth and endless detail while offering a palpable sense of control when it comes to the noise floor. With a system that already has an astonishingly low amount of noise, such as the system I assembled with Aavik, Ansuz and Borresen, the Allnic rediscovers that warm, rounded and textured tone that a great tubed phono pre adds to systems that are mostly solid-state and/or class D.
If your system starts to sound a little too shiny and glossy for your tastes, the Allnic Audio H-6500 will remind you that the world feels better when you can feel it back, with every ounce of your being. This may be my new favorite phono stage, and I’m going to hold onto it for as long as I can.
Highly recommended.
It’s a very thorough review and an enjoyable read (Mr. Phillips even takes a little time to discuss the Allnic ZL (Zero Loss) MU 8R interconnects he used with the H-6500). When you have some time, you might want to read the full review here: part-time audiophile H-6500 Review 06-01-2023
A bit more background on the Allnic H-6500
Ever since the discontinuation of the H-1500 Plus phono-stage, a product so well-received it was manufactured for over a decade, customers have been noting (euphemism for complaining ;-)) that for quite a while there has been a significant price gap between Allnic’s lowest cost but incredibly over-achieving phono-stage, the H-5500, and the top-of-the-line units, the second from the top H-7000/H-7000V and the flagship H-8000 DHT. Finally a few months ago, we were able to announce that Allnic’s KS Park had “rectified” the situation - by designing a phono-stage that bridges that gap, the Allnic H-6500.
This announcement, we should note, followed two other new product reveals, the award-winning L-6500 Line-stage preamp
L-6500 Line-stage Preamp
and... Allnic’s new, ground-breaking, flagship DAC, the D-10000 OTL/OCL
D-10000 OTL/OCL DAC
Allnic’s KS Park has outdone himself, managing to bring out in close succession three products he’s been working on for years, with two of them already receiving top scores from customers and reviewers alike, and one offering true breakthrough technology for a DAC analog output stage.
However! Back to the H-6500. As noted at the start of this blog, purchasers of the H-6500 are very, very pleased and report that while the new H-6500 is a different beast from both the H-5500 and the H-7000, it offers all the hallmarks of Allnic’s globally praised analog products: supremely quiet operation, transparency that enables unveiling of the best of their vinyl, detail and dynamics second to none, plus compatibility with virtually every cartridge made.
The exceptional sound quality is matched by excellent industrial design, with solid build quality and superior ergonomics.
The new H-6500 shares features of both the H-5500 and the H-7000 phono-preamps. First, beyond the obvious similarities in exceptional chassis design, look and build quality, and dual analog tube monitoring meters, it uses the same in-house designed and manufactured moving coil step-up transformers found in the H-5500 and the stock H-7000 (there is an option on the H-7000 to have silver-wound SUTs).
H-6500 SUT controls
Also, like the H-5500 and H-7000, the H-6500 features great flexibility for use of multiple cartridges and tonearms with front-panel selectable dual MM and MC inputs.
H-6500 rear panel
In addition, the DC voltage regulator and correction tubes are the same as in both the H-5500 and H-7000: the 7233 and 5654. And, naturally, the output transformers are also Allnic’s own vaunted permalloy units.
In contrast, though, whereas the H-5500 employs solid-stage rectification with the same high-speed, tube DC voltage regulation as the H-7000, the H-6500 uses not only that same regulation circuit but also the same beefy, separate, tube-rectified power supply as the H-7000! The power supply connects to the main chassis by a DC umbilical cable. The power supply comes stock with an NOS 5U4GB or 5AR4 rectifier tube, but it can use many others. This makes the H-6500 another tube-roller’s dream, as anyone familiar with the original H-3000 and H-7000 preamps knows well. Indeed, reports from some H-6500 owners indicate that changing the rectifier in its power supply can be quite rewarding.
In addition, while the H-7000 offers both single-ended (RCA) and balanced (XLR) outputs, like the H-5500, the H-6500 offers a single pair of unbalanced output connections.
The H-6500 differs from both the H-5500 and the H-7000, though, in terms of the signal tubes. The H-5500 and H-7000 employ NOS E810Fs. KS Park went a different direction with the H-6500, borrowing the signal tube used in the brilliant L-6500 line-stage preamp. That tube is the NOS 5842 and is partly responsible for the magic that L-6500 users are reporting. However, where the L-6500 uses one per channel, the H-6500 uses four. The 5842 is more common than the E810F and made by many manufacturers over many years, so again, tube-rolling is possible among those brands and vintages... if one is inclined that way. Initial impressions may be read here:
https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/allnic-l6500-shiny-and-new.33748/#post-756864
It is important to note that one of the keys to the performance of tube gear is the precise matching of tubes and transformers within a circuit. This is one of KS Park’s particular areas of expertise and the reason one generally does not see the common tube selections found in the standard circuits used by many, many manufacturers. Allnic is special for many reasons. And - once again - the ingenuity and creativity of Allnic’s KS Park has delivered a truly superb product, yet another that makes real music. It also satisfies a demand for which clients have been clamoring.
With a black or silver chassis, depending on customer order, the H-6500 is priced at $9,900 USD and available for purchase now. Review samples are being distributed as I write, so watch for those over the next few months, too.
As always, to discuss purchasing the H-6500 or any Allnic product, for the first time or to move up the Allnic product line, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me, John Ketcham, at Kevalin Audio. If you’re in Canada, please contact Don Corby at Corby’s Audio.
– and please, don’t forget: quality trades are always welcome.
USA:
Kevalin Audio
Corvallis, Oregon
Website link: Kevalin Audio
Email or call John Ketcham:
Email: info@kevalinaudio.com
Tel: +1 503–292–5592
Canada:
Corby’s Audio
Freelton, Ontario
Website link: Corby’s Audio
Email or call Don Corby:
Email: info@corbyframing.ca
Tel: +1 905.689.1976
Toll free: 1.877.689.1976