Realistic 42-2101A Phono Pre

[DavidTT]

Another step along the journey, the purchase of the wonderful, or horrible, 42-2101A from the bay, leads me to observations and questions for those more versed. This is a unit that perusal of these forums will bring to light from time to time, primarily because it can be had for so little money and users tend to praise it, but not universally. A very-budget ART DJPre dropped a left channel so I thought this would be a good time to try this little cheapie.

First, I hooked this little metal box up to a Thorens TD-145 (Grado Silver) and a ChiFi Gemtune EL34 tube amp, feeding Klipsch R-15Ms in an office set up. It has been plugged in for almost 24 hours now. It makes no hum and operates quietly. That's a plus considering its old and the bits inside might not be at their best anymore.

It sounds really good to me, nice tone, good bass and highs but an especially welcoming mid-range. I would agree with those who are surprised at how good it sounds. Specs for these units show top end only to 15Khz, but maybe owing to my 50-something hearing ability, I don't hear that deficiency in this unit. I'm going to set this thing up in my main set up, in place of my Little Bear T11, to see how it does. So far, I like it a lot regardless of the $35 it cost me shipped.

Now, is there anything I can do to 'improve' this thing, knowing that I can solder but cannot read schematics? Conversion to battery pack, replacement (with pictures for dummies!) of capacitors, etc?

 

[gadget73]

There is a recent thread on that one in the DIY forum. I suspect replacing the power supply caps with fresh and the signal path caps with film should improve matters. If it happens to use noisy transistors (don't know, dlucy has a link to the problematic transistor thread), subbing them for better ones should also help make things cleaner sounding.

 

[polypetalous]

I haven't used it in years, but I have one of these 42-2101A Phono Preamps...

I always thought they were surprisingly good, especially at the price point.
I got mine to replace a Pyle p999 (or whatever) and the difference was night & day, and then some.
Would say you did well at $35 for it, I've watched them steadily rise in price and popularity over time.

At the time I bought mine simply because I needed a pre and I am an eternal Realistic/Radio Shack fan... they got this one right (IMO).

Ben

 

[RickeyM]

DavidTT, if you poke around a bit on eBay you can see the ones that have been modded and some show pics of what they've done.

I may have to get one of those just to have in hand before the prices really get stupid. I bet one of these little phono pre-amps would go good with one of those little hybrid-tube pre-amps.

 

[DavidTT]

Agreed. The few upgraded/reworked units I found were much more $$ than I wanted to spend. At some point this winter I might buy another one and replace bits and/or install a battery pack to see how it does. This afternoon I installed this unit in my main system, Thorens TD-1XX with Shure V15-IV with HE stylus, upper-tier Pioneer AVR, Focal 726s. In this system the highs proved quite shimmering and the bass was tight but the sound lacked a little bit of midrange magic. I find it hard to believe that this thing is capped at 15Khz. The highs and 'air' are as good as any pre I've used. Still, it sounded very good, different but at a similar level to my Little Bear T11, which is a competent EAR834 clone that I kept over a Lounge LCR months ago.

I like the 42-2101A much better than I ever liked the DJ Pre, more than the U-Turn Pluto, and others I cannot remember right now. Really quite good IMO.

DavidTT, if you poke around a bit on eBay you can see the ones that have been modded and some show pics of what they've done.

I may have to get one of those just to have in hand before the prices really get stupid. I bet one of these little phono pre-amps would go good with one of those little hybrid-tube pre-amps.

 

[dmckean]

I had one, it's main issue is it clips with higher output cartridges but it sounds great otherwise.

 

[audi0n00b]

I just bought a 42-2109 recently, hooked it up for the first time today with a Grado cart and immediately experienced what I expect is clipping. Any chance this changes after burn in or with cap changes?

 

[Nashou66]

these are great to POOGE ( Progressive optimization of Generic Electronics)

Change almost everything in it and it will sound pretty great. I guy on the bay buys them up then sells them
at a premium .

Nashou

 

[audi0n00b]

After some time this evening I figured out my issue...forgot to bypass the internal phono on my amp. It takes me a while sometimes but I always figure it out lol. Anyway, I can now say I get excellent sound with this pre right out of the box. Best so far with softer acoustic songs than rock.

 

[MisterDK]

They’re a bargain, if you’re looking for a cheap phono pre that sounds smooth and pretty decent. After listening to a few different phono pre’s though, I think that by spending a bit more, you’ll get better detail, clarity and a better soundstage.

My current phono pre is once again, a Schiit Mani. I had one of the original Mani before - the one people complained about having RFI issues (I never had any). I sold that Mani after getting a 42-2101a. Then I got a Creek OBH-8 and thought it was OK - but was lacking something - a good soundstage. The Creek sounded somewhat “congested”. Since I read that Schiit had made some running changes to the Mani, I wanted to try a new one. These use some different op-amp chips and have an aluminum case bottom and a ver. 1.2 PCB in ‘em - and this one I have sounds better than my original did. This has a better soundstage, fuller bass and slightly more clear and detailed highs.
I still have a couple of the Realistic 42-2101a’s here (new in box) that I’ll keep to give away, in case a friend needs one (got ‘em cheap). I already gave one to a friend who likes it. Anyway, while the Realistic is good for under $35 shipped, if you spend a hundred more - you’ll hear much better. The current Mani sounds quite good, to me. I’m using it with MI carts, BTW. I may soon try the Mani with a SUT or head-amp and a low output MC.

 

[doctor fuse]

If this is the same unit my girlfriend has (which I believe it is), it sounds very nice and smooth, and is good for use as a high frequency filter-capable preamp (for noisy pressings, tape hiss, a noisy system, etc) since it's FR is listed as somewhere around 15kHz.
If you want extended frequency response with your vinyl (at least "full frequency range" of 20-20,000Hz), then I would recommend something a little better.

 

[tubeactive]

The 2101 and 2109 Realistic phono stages are what I call sleepers. Better coupling caps and a beefier power supply can "step it up a notch." BTW, the original, printed RIAA specification for frequency response tolerance was simply 30-15KHz plus or minus 2 db. Perhaps, the Korean manufacturer simply wanted to "keep it simple." If you hear the high highs, don't worry about any loss, which is probably not there.

 

[oldman54]

I'm listening to one I bought new 40 yrs ago right now. Stock. Also just bought a Recoton for $10, had to add a power supply but this thing is awesome. It's also louder than the RS and 2 others I have. They knew what they were doing, back in the day.

 

[Bicyclist]

I picked up a radio shack pre for a dollar at a garage sale and traded it for a 1963 fender esquire neck. I have loved them ever since.

 

[MisterDK]

Just noticed that asking prices for these have gone way up on ebay, to about double and triple what they were a couple years ago. There are even some “modified” ones that the seller is asking $200 for.. (why?) You can easily build yourself much better than this Realistic for around $120, using new PCBs and quality parts. Of course, DIY isn’t for everyone.

Really, these Realistics do sound OK but lack a little clarity and the stereo separation of better phono preamps.
What I’m saying is - don’t pay too much for one..

 

[RickeyM]

I may have to get one of those just to have in hand before the prices really get stupid. I bet one of these little phono pre-amps would go good with one of those little hybrid-tube pre-amps.

I did get one and I did use it with one of those hybrid tube pre-amps and yes the combo was quite good. I have a regulated 12v power supply for the pre-amp but next step I'll mod the Realistic to run off of that power supply as well.

Just noticed that asking prices for these have gone way up on ebay, to about double and triple what they were a couple years ago. There are even some “modified” ones that the seller is asking $200 for.. (why?) You can easily build yourself much better than this Realistic for around $120, using new PCBs and quality parts. Of course, DIY isn’t for everyone.

Really, these Realistics do sound OK but lack a little clarity and the stereo separation of better phono preamps.
What I’m saying is - don’t pay too much for one..

Yeah if you can find one at a reasonable price get it. If you're patient look for one on auction that people seem to be sleeping on and still get a good price.
There is also a seller on the 'bay that's selling an "upgrade" kit for these

 

[MisterDK]

..Yeah if you can find one at a reasonable price get it. If you're patient look for one on auction that people seem to be sleeping on and still get a good price.
There is also a seller on the 'bay that's selling an "upgrade" kit for these

No need for that.. I still have two new in the box, and a third with no box that still looks new. I used that last one for a few months. I’m keeping them around in case a friend needs to borrow a phono preamp, and just for my reference, to compare with others I have and may acquire in the future. I’m presently liking the sound of my dual mono JFET phono pre that I built not long ago. It’s surprisingly nice sounding along with my favorite SUT - much nicer than the Realistic.