Made in Germany
The Basic Plus phonostage offers both MM and MC capabilities, with enough gain to drive the lowest output cartridges. It is a very simple unit to operate with a single-button switching between MM and MC functionality. Another nice feature is the dedicated power transformer, which resides outside the actual phonostage to keep the audio circuit as quiet as possible. The Basic is available in silver finish only.
The Clearaudio Basic Plus phono stage is a two-box affair and thankfully the boxes are small, easily stackable and quite attractive. The system consists of the phono stage itself and its outboard power supply initially, plus a third chassis for the additional battery power supply. All in all, the entire stack is 5.5 inches tall by 4.5 inches wide and 8 inches deep (the battery power supply is almost 2.5 inches deeper than the other two pieces). The whole affair is tidy and easily placed within a rack or on a stand. The unit is not only compact but it is also very dapper looking with its machined aluminum face plates. It looks more expensive than it is.