Thorens MM-008 (Years Unknown)
The Thorens MM-008 is a phono preamp that takes both moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges. It's for people whose amplifier has no dedicated RIAA input. The fascia is brushed aluminum over a metal case, and the power supply is external. Modes switch between MM and MC, with gain rated at 40 dB for MM and 60 dB for MC at 1 kHz. MM input impedance is fixed at 47 kΩ plus 220 pF. The MC input runs 47 kΩ with 1 nF and is adjustable through external load plugs. Thorens supplied plug-in values of 10 ohm, 100 ohm, and 1 kohm, which Hi-Fi News said covers "pretty much every mainstream cartridge."
Thorens also made the MM-008 ADC. Hi-Fi News described it as "the same as the unit reviewed here but equipped with an on-board ADC, and USB output, for digitising one's LPs." The ADC version was positioned as the successor to the original MM-008. Both belong to what the magazine called a "quartet of starter phono stages" from Thorens. The other two models in that group are not named in the surviving record.
Documentation on the MM-008 is thin in places. No production years are recorded. RIAA accuracy, signal-to-noise ratio, and total harmonic distortion appear in the manual's spec tables, but without published numeric values. One retailer lists the original price at $329.00. The unit draws just 3.5 W and was designed to be left powered on continuously.
Known specifications:
- Gain at 1 kHz: 40 dB (MM) / 60 dB (MC)
- Input impedance (MM): 47 kΩ + 220 pF fixed
- Input impedance (MC): 47 kΩ + 1 nF, modifiable with external load plugs (10 Ω, 100 Ω, 1 kΩ supplied)
- Frequency response (flat): 20 Hz – 20 kHz ±0.3 dB
- Output impedance: 47 Ω
- Finish: brushed aluminium fascia; external power supply
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