I have already written about products from Circle Labs in the pages of Audio Idiom while presenting the company’s integrated amplifier A200, which stayed in my system for some time before the V1000 phono preamplifier arrived. Even then I mentioned that the devices from this Kraków-based manufactory attract admiration not only for their sound but also for their design. This is largely because responsibilities within the company are shared by two enthusiasts whose professional competencies complement each other. It is rather rare for an electronics engineer to be paired with a professional designer for whom form and finish are just as important as amplifier topology and component selection are for the engineer.
I will not repeat what I wrote previously; it is enough to note that the aesthetic language of Circle Labs is coherent, and here again we are dealing with a device that visually follows the same line. The massive front panel is made of thick glass, while the chassis itself is crafted from black anodized aluminum. The front is decorated with gold accents and white lettering. As in the case of the A200, the device is executed with great care, leaving no doubt that we are dealing with a premium-class product.
The device presented here is, so far, the first phono preamplifier in the history of the brand. As I have written many times before, a phono preamp is indispensable for vinyl playback. On the one hand, it raises the signal from the cartridge to levels acceptable for an amplifier; on the other, it introduces the RIAA equalization curve into the signal path.
The recording standard established by the Recording Industry Association of America—hence the acronym RIAA—began to be widely adopted around 1954. Earlier, particularly since the 1940s, each record label applied its own equalization curves; more than one hundred combinations of turnover frequencies and attenuation parameters were in use. The obvious consequence was inconsistent playback results whenever recording and playback filtering were not properly matched. The RIAA standard was introduced precisely to limit such practices.
The purpose of this equalization was—and still is—to enable longer recording times by reducing the average width of each groove. The RIAA curve reduces low frequencies and boosts high frequencies during recording, which must later be restored during playback. This task is performed by the phono preamplifier.
As if that were not enough, a phono preamp operates on extremely low signal levels that must be amplified hundreds of times. This makes it highly susceptible to distortion, because when such low signals are amplified, any accompanying noise is amplified along with them. Designers therefore work tirelessly to minimize noise, yet every attempt to suppress it may also affect sonic vitality. For this reason, building a truly good phono stage is far from simple. Everything matters: component quality, circuit topology, enclosure design—but above all the power supply, which must not negatively influence the entire circuit.
For this reason, in the best designs it is common practice to separate the power supply from the audio circuitry in separate enclosures. Circle Labs opted for a similar approach—though, characteristically, they implemented it in their own way. Before describing that solution, it is worth noting that, as in the case of the A200, the V1000 employs top-tier components—Mundorf capacitors—along with proprietary engineering solutions such as two-stage voltage stabilization and meticulous attention to detail. What solutions did the Circle Labs designers ultimately choose, and what makes their proposal distinctive?
Let us say immediately: the V1000 tempts with numerous features that distinguish this preamp from others.
First, it offers dual adjustment of the RIAA curve—high and low frequencies can be adjusted separately. Thanks to this, owners of records from different eras and productions—sometimes imperfect ones—can rescue the sound of their favorite music with a single adjustment. It is worth remembering that RIAA equalization is not the only historical standard, and even within it deviations exist. The ability to fine-tune playback therefore becomes an exceptionally pro-consumer solution.
Second, the V1000 includes an integrated step-up transformer for MC cartridges, designed and manufactured in-house. I have described such solutions before—for instance in the case of the Line Magnetic LM-1 preamp—and they provide a coherent “house sound” package in its most effective form. A step-up transformer offers the purest passive amplification available for MC cartridges. In the V1000, the primary winding uses Litz wire composed of twenty-five fine copper strands insulated with silk, while the secondary winding is made of high-purity oxygen-free copper.
As if that were not enough, the designers have also accommodated the expectations of advanced turntable enthusiasts by allowing the connection of two tonearms. One must admit: quite a number of attractions for a single device.
Another solution deserves special attention: the external power supply, which I already mentioned earlier. As usual with this company, it is elegantly designed, though in this case the enclosure is made—wisely—from ferromagnetic materials that limit electromagnetic interference. In reality, the separate chassis does not contain the entire power supply section, but only the AC transformer. This approach ensures that electrical disturbances generated by the transformer—potential sources of noise—are minimized.
This becomes particularly important when the transformer power rating is deliberately oversized, which improves power reserves and allows the device to deliver dynamics more freely. And, as always in audio, the better the power supply, the better the sound.
Let us now turn to the specifics. The V1000 is a fully tube-based MM/MC phono preamplifier designed in dual-mono topology. The MM section operates with four ECC88/6922 tubes—two per channel—in a circuit without global feedback, preserving linearity and transparency in the signal path.
The preamp offers an exceptionally extensive range of adjustments. The user can independently select input impedance—from 10 to 1000 ohms—and capacitance—from 0 to 320 pF—for each cartridge. Gain is 45 dB for MM and 65–70 dB for MC, allowing the device to integrate easily into virtually any system.
On the front panel, two knobs allow manual selection of equalization characteristics. In addition to standard RIAA equalization, the device enables precise adjustment of individual time constants (230, 318, 400, 630 µs and 100, 75, 50, 25 µs). Additional switches allow input selection and operating mode (MC, Mute, MM). The unit offers two RCA inputs and two output types: RCA and balanced XLR.
That should suffice in terms of construction and parameters—the rest can be found on the manufacturer’s website. Let us now move to how this device interprets music.
The first thing one notices is absolute silence—no electrical hum, no hiss, none of the noise that can sometimes plague phono preamplifiers. This confirms that electrically the device is impeccable. Remember, this is a tube preamp, so such performance deserves recognition.
Second, there is ease of operation and unprecedented access to core functions. Equalization adjustment as well as MM/MC gain selection are located on the front panel. A mute switch is also placed there—a must-have feature for vinyl playback, as anyone who has ever operated a turntable knows. It eliminates the noise produced when the cartridge touches the record surface.
Capacitance adjustment for cartridges is another noteworthy feature—still not a common solution—which allows better matching between cartridge and preamp. In my opinion, all these solutions have been carefully thought out, and in some respects they even anticipate user expectations.
And now, last but not least: the sound.
In theory, with devices in the higher tiers—by which I mean not only price but also construction quality and finishing—we receive from the outset a sound that leaves little to criticize. The same is true here. The sound is well composed, noble, and clean.
In practice, however, describing such a device requires focusing on details. That is where differences hide—differences that easily escape attention during casual listening. In such situations it becomes tempting to rely on comparative testing: placing one device directly against another. Audio Idiom, however, avoids such approaches. Even when comparisons occur, the ultimate point of return is always the reference system, and these comparisons never become the descriptive model.
Before describing my listening impressions and the sonic character of the V1000, I should admit that this time it took me somewhat longer than usual to grasp the sound of the device. Not because I could not hear it, but because the nuances I tried to capture eluded easy description. If “the devil is in the details,” then here the detail was extraordinarily subtle.
The V1000 draws the musical image with a light, delicate line. That line is extremely precise—one might say guided by a steady hand. It determines rhythm, but it also allows for remarkable separation of shapes and forms. Thanks to it we obtain an exceptionally precise three-dimensional image. The result resembles precise computer graphics rather than painting on heavy canvas.
Yet the V1000 does not focus solely on the line. Continuing the painterly metaphor, one could say it is equally precise in filling the forms with color, though the dominant tonal palette leans toward the cooler side. One should not expect heavy brush strokes or expressive gestures here. Circle Labs remains composed, precise, and restrained—in the positive sense of the word.
There is nothing surprising in this. It represents the contemporary school of playback in its well-understood form, where audio tends to operate within proven, reliable, and safe territories. This reflects a broader phenomenon: in the modern world the category of performance—efficiency, correctness, reliability—has largely displaced originality or charisma. This trend is not limited to audio. We see it in music as well—more and more musicians and recordings in which imperfections are eliminated, sometimes even at the expense of the music itself.
Fortunately, the V1000 avoids sterility. It remains a player with a human face—a rare quality in contemporary audio. It enjoys music and allows the listener to enjoy it as well.
What constitutes its greatest strength—beyond all the solutions already mentioned—is the ability to match it with different cartridges. The device is remarkably flexible. In my system, the V1000 worked with a J.Sikora Initial turntable, a KV9 tonearm, and an EMT HSD006 cartridge (for MM playback one of my favorite vintage cartridges, the Denon DL-80, was used), paired with Falcon LS3/5a loudspeakers.
This is a decidedly transparent setup with precise rhythm and tonal articulation—one that favors nothing and forgives nothing. Within such a system the Circle Labs preamp behaved like a mature performer, demonstrating both class and a deep familiarity with the repertoire. Like a modern virtuoso, it treats music as an occasion for presentation in which precision and correctness do not exclude musicality, and where emotion is not merely the by-product of musical action but an element subject to control, just like any other component of the musical structure.
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© Marcin Oleś