Ron Sutherland’s at it again – introducing his third phono preamp. The Ph3D brings the virtues of a battery-powered phono stage to an even more affordable price point. Sutherland’s new design can be considered an introduction to high-end or a final destination – the Ph3D comfortably plays both roles. By focusing on the essential elements of “high end” values, Sutherland was able to make design decisions that deliver “high end” character and good value for the money. Everything Sutherland’s designed has resulted in rave reviews from throughout the Hi-Fi editorial community. The Ph3D is destined to be yet another classic. But don’t take our word for it.

Just like with Sutherland's more expensive Ph.D., the battery-powered Ph3D means complete isolation from the noisy AC power line. There's no chasing down elusive ground loops and the power supply is an easy-to-find, easy-to-buy and easy-to-replace set of D-cell batteries. A low-battery indicator light lets you know when it's time to replace the batteries, but you can expect about 1,200 hours of effective use per set of 16. The Ph3D includes five cartridge-loading values and five gain settings, both easy to adjust. The unit features a dual mono circuit board layout for the best channel separation.

Conventional designs use inexpensive, low-quality computer rocker switches. Their design is inadequate for configuring the low-level signal from a phono cartridge. To offer the user a wide range of configurations while maintaining signal integrity, the Ph3D uses gold-plated header pins and gold-plated shunts. They offer high-pressure and large surface area contacts.

Features:

• Complete isolation from the noisy AC power line.
• No chasing down elusive ground loops
• Easy-to-find, easy-to-buy, easy-to-replace D-cell battery power supply
• Low-battery indicator light
• Built-to-last, cold-roll steel with baked-on epoxy powder coating
• Complete electrostatic and magnetic shielding
• Easy internal access with stainless steel thumbscrews
• Convenient selection of five cartridge-loading values
• Convenient sleection of five gain settings
• Configured with gold-plated headers and shunts
• High contact pressure, large contact surface
• No cheap DIP rocker switches
• Dual mono circuit board layout for best channel separation
• Audiophile grade components:
  • Wima polypropylene/film capacitors
  • Dale/Vishay CCF-55 metal film resistors
  • Double-Sided FR-4 fiberglass circuit board
  • Gold-plated RCA jacks
  • Gold-plated configuration setting

TAS 2007 Editor's Choice Award Winner!
TAS 2007 Phonostage of the Year Award Winner!

Download owner's Manual (PDF)

Sutherland's PH3D has a simplicity and cleanliness that matches the elegance of its design…This sense of relaxed, unhurried ease allows music to develop in its own time and with its own price. Combined with the textural and temporal insights the Sutherland makes vocals come alive. Great singers capture the listener, be it Neil Young, Lou Reed or Ella, their subtle vocal inflections and mastery of phrasing and placement making their voices captivatingly expressive…For fans of vocal and acoustic recordings this could be a no-brainer." – Roy Gregory, Hi-Fi+, Issue 50

"...The first thing Ph3D users will notice is how profoundly quiet the battery-powered phonostage really is. But more importantly, the Ph3D fills the silent spaces it creates with a wealth of low-level detail that translates directly into a heightened sense of three-dimensionality and focus...musical material that normally sounds flattened in perspective suddenly snaps into sharp 3-D focus, so that the back wall of the listening seems to melt away, revealing the world of the original performance...this Sutherland is no wimp; it offers refinement and serious muscle, too...One of the most compelling aspects of the Ph3D is that it can achieve surprisingly satisfying results with modestly priced phono cartridges...the Ph3D makes a great place to stop and listen while saving up for dream phono preamps such as the Ph.D." - Chris Martens, The Absolute Sound, April/May 2007

"…behind the music, it does sound drop-dead black…The Ph3D's overall tonality resembled the Grado cartridge 'house sound,' with a slightly soft top end and an overall pleasing, addictive liquidity throughout the audible bandwidth…the sound hung together from top to bottom. There wasn't a hard edge to be heard anywhere…if your system sounds a bit fizzy and tight, the Ph3D could be the ticket to sonic happiness, regardless of what kind of music you listen to." – Michael Fremer, Stereophile, March 2007