Jeff Polan's New NextGen PHONO Preamp!

[LeifH]

@Eichenbaum & @LeifH you have both had The NextGen for a while, can you tell us about your long term experience, and what known phono stages you have compared them to? Thanks

@Eichenbaum & @LeifH you have both had The NextGen for a while, can you tell us about your long term experience, and what known phono stages you have compared them to? Thanks

Been using the Jeffs (NextGen) cards (first generation) for a year by now. Still feel it’s the best MC phono I ever had. Extremely silent electronics.
Space (depth, width, height of soundstage) along with the tone and separation of individual instruments is better than any I ever heard. Voice or tone of piano is exceptionally life-like / realistic. Most satisfying to my personal taste.
Over the 60 years I had music as main source of happiness (aside of family) there has been quite a few different MC phono stages. But lately John Curl (sorry but I forgot model #) and ARC PH3SE and Constellation Perseus. The latter two parallel in time with Jeffs boards. Cartridges / arms are still Brinkmann EMT in the 12” Brinkmann arm. And My Sonic Lab Signature Platinum in the 12” Supatrack. Two very different but both excellent sounding combinations. The former warmer than the latter.

 

[Music Master]

Agree with LeifH. Jeff's phonostage reproduces music (of all genres) in the most life-like fashion of any phonostage i have heard. As LeifH indicated, you can hear it clearly in voices and piano (which, for me, is always what I listen for when listening to a new component). The transparency and dynamics are off the charts and everything is fully fleshed out. If you are looking for a tubey roundness, you won't get that, but there is plenty of weight to the music. I have lived with and heard many top (and very expensive) phonostages over the years and have not heard one that does what this does. I spent several months comparing it to the phonostage in my Dartzeel 18NS Mk 2 preamp (whichbi have always considered excellent) and Jeff's phonostage was a definite improvement. If you are looking for bling, this unit is not for you, but if, like me, the sound is what matters most, you should give this phonostage a listen.

 

[Eichenbaum]

I wasn’t able to access WBF for a while — I just saw your question today.
My system consists of MBL Reference speakers, amplifiers, and preamp, along with a Transrotor Tourbillon turntable, SME V tonearm, and Benz LPS cartridge.
I previously had the MBL phono preamp, Tom Evans Mastergroove, and Tom Evans Supreme before buying the NextGen.
The NextGen is by far the best — it’s quieter, and the resolution is outstanding without losing any musicality.
Since you can test it in your system, it’s a no-brainer.
The TE Supreme is six times more expensive than the NextGen and now just sits on a shelf collecting dust.

 

[Bishop1150]

Hello all. I’m new to this site but wanted to share my thoughts with The NextGen Phono preamp by Jeff Polan. I purchased the preamp at the beginning of October 2025. Wow just getting it broke in with a ClearAudio Goldfinger Statement Cartridge. So far it’s the best phono stage I’ve heard. It came highly recommended by a friend of mine who also post on this site. I would highly recommend any one thinking of trying it to definitely do it. I don’t think you will be disappointed. I’m using the VPI Titan turntable.

 

[Tuckers]

Hello all. I’m new to this site but wanted to share my thoughts with The NextGen Phono preamp by Jeff Polan. I purchased the preamp at the beginning of October 2025. Wow just getting it broke in with a ClearAudio Goldfinger Statement Cartridge. So far it’s the best phono stage I’ve heard. It came highly recommended by a friend of mine who also post on this site. I would highly recommend any one thinking of trying it to definitely do it. I don’t think you will be disappointed. I’m using the VPI Titan turntable.

Which phonostages are you comparing it to from your experience?

 

[twowheels]

What is the approx cost of the card with chassis and power supply?

 

[varyat]

Interested in this phono stage.....Current owners- how well does it perform at high gain, > 72 db?
How did you purchase-direct from Mr Polan ? Cost?
Does the unit arrive assembled?
Thanks for your feedback!

 

[NextGen]

Interested in this phono stage.....Current owners- how well does it perform at high gain, > 72 db?
How did you purchase-direct from Mr Polan ? Cost?
Does the unit arrive assembled?
Thanks for your feedback!

Allow me to answer your inquiry; I am the designer of the NextGen audio products.

The NextGen Professional Phono Preamp is speced at -76 dBv A-weighted noise level with input shorted at 70 dB total gain; thus you can expect about -74 dBv A-weighted noise floor at 72 dB gain using any low impedance MC cartridge as source.

Total gain is adjustable (separate input stage and output stage gain adjustments to optimize both SNR and dynamic range), and total available gain is in excess of 80 dB.
More to the point: SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) using a 3 ohm source (typical of a very low output MC cartridge and tonearm wiring) and 0.200mv rms per channel (0.28mv lateral modulation at 5cm/s) at 1 Khz input (typical of say a Transfiguration Proteus MC for one example) shall result in an A-weighted S/N of 72 dB at 70 dB total gain, and 70 dB SNR at 72 dB gain total gain setting.

These SNR figures equal or exceed what is generally possible from the quietest vinyl pressings (even test pressings with a fixed cutting stylus), i.e. the noise floor of the quietest vinyl record in playback itself shall exceed the noise floor of the cartridge/tonearm/preamp, so you should NOT require an external input step-up transformer or head amp for just about any available MC cartridge, thus eliminating their adverse effects on reproduction as well as cost.

(One notable exception: the IO-LTD field coil cartridge with a rating 0.04mv/5cm/s - nearly 17 dB output below the example above! - for which I had to design the lowest noise room-temperature head amp in the world - and the results with this cartridge are incredible to match.)

SNR is certainly critically important, but only one of multiple technical considerations in extracting the maximum possible information from vinyl records.

Yes the unit comes fully assembled; more specs and details are available on our site www.nextgenaudiosystems.com and you can also contact me directly from our site regarding application questions, availability, pricing, 30-day trial, and warranty, etc.

Jeff Polan
President and Chief Engineer
NextGen Audio Systems

 

[varyat]

Allow me to answer your inquiry; I am the designer of the NextGen audio products.

The NextGen Professional Phono Preamp is speced at -76 dBv A-weighted noise level with input shorted at 70 dB total gain; thus you can expect about -74 dBv A-weighted noise floor at 72 dB gain using any low impedance MC cartridge as source.

Total gain is adjustable (separate input stage and output stage gain adjustments to optimize both SNR and dynamic range), and total available gain is in excess of 80 dB.
More to the point: SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) using a 3 ohm source (typical of a very low output MC cartridge and tonearm wiring) and 0.200mv rms per channel (0.28mv lateral modulation at 5cm/s) at 1 Khz input (typical of say a Transfiguration Proteus MC for one example) shall result in an A-weighted S/N of 72 dB at 70 dB total gain, and 70 dB SNR at 72 dB gain total gain setting.

These SNR figures equal or exceed what is generally possible from the quietest vinyl pressings (even test pressings with a fixed cutting stylus), i.e. the noise floor of the quietest vinyl record in playback itself shall exceed the noise floor of the cartridge/tonearm/preamp, so you should NOT require an external input step-up transformer or head amp for just about any available MC cartridge, thus eliminating their adverse effects on reproduction as well as cost.

(One notable exception: the IO-LTD field coil cartridge with a rating 0.04mv/5cm/s - nearly 17 dB output below the example above! - for which I had to design the lowest noise room-temperature head amp in the world - and the results with this cartridge are incredible to match.)

SNR is certainly critically important, but only one of multiple technical considerations in extracting the maximum possible information from vinyl records.

Yes the unit comes fully assembled; more specs and details are available on our site www.nextgenaudiosystems.com and you can also contact me directly from our site regarding application questions, availability, pricing, 30-day trial, and warranty, etc.

Jeff Polan
President and Chief Engineer
NextGen Audio Systems

Thank you for your reply Mr Polan-much appreciated. I will reach out to you during business hours to complete this conversation.
ATB,
Mark