BACKERT LABS RHUMBA XPHONO 1.1 TUBE PHONO PREAMPLIFIER
“Just across the line of demarcation from the rest of the herd that sounds good enough, the Rhumba Xphono has that fleeting thing that takes you on a magic carpet ride.”
We have always loved our LPs.
When we come home to our records, we want exhilaration. Intimacy. A compelling, moving experience. Boring sound simply will not do.
We knew we could get more from our vinyl. So we developed a phono preamp that works in a new way, to produce the emotional beauty we crave from our records. It’s called the Rhumba Xphono. It’s $7,800, and it’s going to change what you hear from your records.
That Feeling.
Bob Backert started the design of our phono preamp with GreenForce, his patented power supply. It’s more nimble than other power supplies. As a result, it propels a “happening-right-now” performance into your listening room.
He then added the tubed amplification circuit from our award-winning Rhythm linestage preamp. Big. Dynamic. Rhythmic. And faithful to the precise tone created by the performers on your favorite recordings. But he wasn’t finished.
Easy.
One of the founding principles of our company is that owning a tube preamp should be easy. So we’ll ask you about your cartridge, and configure your Rhumba Xphono for your system. You’ll be playing records in minutes. And if you change your cartridge later, adjusting your Rhumba Xphono will also be a breeze.
What about the tubes? Maybe you love tubes, or maybe you’ve never held one in your hand before. Either way, it’s OK. The Rhumba Xphono uses four 12at7’s, one of the most popular tubes in history. They are plentiful, and affordable. And Bob Backert designed the Rhumba Xphono so you won’t need to think about them much, because the Rhumba Xphono babies its tubes. We run them so gently, they might just outlast all of us.
You can easily lift our special tube door to replace the tubes, if you want to see how another brand sounds. (After turning the unit off, of course.) The tube door makes changing tubes as quick and easy as changing a light bulb.
The Xphono’s front face can be silver or black (a no-cost option). In addition, you can have the body of your Rhumba Xphono powder coated in a beautiful red or blue for $300 USD more.
MM and MC inputs, via separate RCA input pairs
MM/MC switch on front panel
Gain switch on front panel gives easy access to 2 different levels of gain for both MM and MC
MC: 67 or 61 dB
MM: 47 or 41 dB
Fully balanced XLR output and traditional single-ended RCA output
Backert Labs’ famous auto bias for all four 12at7 tubes
GreenForce power supply
Gold Lion “gold pin” 12at7 tubes
Easy tube access with our tube door on the top panel
Mute switch on front panel
15 different load options for MC
Changing MC load is easy: just plug in the supplied RCA plugs on the back panel
2 MC cartridges can be used at the same time, by feeding one into a step-up transformer leading to the MM input
Two different grounding options for the ground wire coming from your turntable — “chassis ground” and “power supply ground” — select the option that is most quiet in your system
Solid brass feet, the same ones found on our Rhumba Extreme linestage.
Elevate Your Vinyl Listening Experience
The Backert Labs Rhumba Xphono is a masterpiece of engineering and design. By addressing the limitations of traditional phono preamps and incorporating cutting-edge technology, the Rhumba Xphono offers a truly exceptional listening experience.