* This review addresses the MP7B’s use with an MC cartridge. Part two of the review, which addresses its use with a MM cartridge, is forthcoming from Steven — ed.

My stance on phono preamps

Because every integrated amp or preamp that I have owned over the years had a built-in phono input, I never really paid much attention to standalone phono preamps. Though in fairness, there was a six-month period near the end of my first year of college in 1976, when I used a $10.95 RadioShack phono preamp to connect a Stanton Gyropoise turntable with my Superscope compact stereo.

Then, about twelve years ago, I retired my trusty old PS Audio 4H preamp and found myself in need of a standalone phono preamp. Since that time, I have been happy using various phono preamps from iFi Audio, along with a fully upgraded Jolida JD9 tube phono stage, and I have experimented with many others that I borrowed from friends or received for review. My long-term stance on lower-cost, higher-value gear is that I tend to look for phono preamps priced under $1000. 

Darlington Labs

I first heard about Darlington Labs in the online audio forums, where its products seemed highly regarded. Later, I discovered that a friend with whom I share similar taste in equipment was using Darlington’s MM-6 phono preamp with his Well Tempered Lab turntable. The MM-6 is a moving magnet (MM)-only model with 40dB of gain and a fixed 100pF capacitance. So, when Howard Kneller asked me what I wanted to review next for The Listening Chair, I asked for the MM/MC-capable Darlington MP7B ($569/all prices USD).

There is a lengthy history of Darlington on the company’s website, but in short, it has been in business since 2020. The product line is strictly limited to phono preamps and consists of the MM-only MM6B ($369), the MM/MC-capable MP7B reviewed here, and the dual mono MM/MC-capable MP8B ($999), which appears to be a more refined and upscale version of the MP7B. In the past, Darlington also made separate head amps (the SU-7 and SU-6) for low-output MC cartridges. While those were discontinued in 2025, updated models (the SU8A at $799 and the SU6A at $399) are planned by the company for introduction at AXPONA 2027.

Inside the MP7B

The MP7B is listed on the Darlington’s website as a fully discrete, zero negative feedback, single-ended class-A, high-voltage pure J-FET (Junction Field Effect Transistor) phono preamplifier. It is manufactured in the USA and has no op-amps (integrated circuits) or differential FET operation, which according to the company results in “more natural sound, cleaner crescendos and minimal listening fatigue.”  Darlington recommends using the MP7B with an MM cartridge or adding an outboard step-up transformer (SUT) if using a low output MC cartridge. 

Using internal jumpers, the MP7B can be configured for MM, HOMC, and LOMC cartridges, and has gain settings from +35dB to +72dB, with ten intermediate steps in between—plenty to manage almost any cartridge. For low output cartridges, it uses additional jumpers to set resistive loads, with seven steps from 60 to 470 ohms. It supports resistance loads ranging from 38k to 1 megohm for MM cartridges, but that is mostly to fine-tune setup when using an external step-up transformer for low output MC cartridges. There are also jumpers to set capacitance for MM and MI cartridges, with a range of 0 to 350pF. 

More jumpers are used for EQ. High frequencies can be trimmed from -4dB to +4dB at 20kHz in shelving response, with many intermediate steps in between. Similarly, low frequencies can be trimmed +0.75dB and +1.5dB at 20Hz in shelving response. A subsonic filter can be set for Flat or for 16Hz HPF at 6dB/octave or 12dB/octave. The unit can be set for either balanced or single-ended output but only has RCA connections. A user-supplied cable would be needed for balanced output.

The MP7B’s supplied wall-wart power supply is not of the cheap, switched-mode power supply variety, but instead uses a step-down transformer that simply drops incoming wall voltage to 24 VAC, while rectification and regulation are done internally. Rail voltage is +68VDC with a +30VDC rail for LOMC.

Unboxing

My first thought after unboxing the MP7B was that it looked somewhat like a relic from the late ’70s or early ’80s. It is a small (1.5”H x 5”W x 7”D), plain black box with a logo and blue LED on the front.  

On the MP7B’s rear chassis panel are much higher quality RCA input and output connectors than would have been supplied forty or fifty years ago, along with a small toggle power switch and power connector. My review sample had an optional mono switch, and it came with a bag of color-coded jumpers and an Allen wrench to remove the chassis’ top panel. The six-page, stapled owner’s manual, though generally informative, proved confusing when I consulted it for the proper jumper configuration for my system, and it took several attempts to get the setup right. (Darlington states that it plans to release videos that demonstrate the MP7B’s most common configurations.)

Setup

As noted, Darlington recommends using the MP7B with an MM cartridge or an outboard step-up transformer if using a low-output MC cartridge. Despite that recommendation, my listening for this review was performed using a Dynavector 10X5 MK2 LOW MC cartridge with a specified output of 0.5 mV @ 1KHz, 5cm/sec. The MP7B worked well with this cartridge when set for 52dB total gain and a 220-ohm load. I will submit a follow-up review that will address the MP7B ’s use with MM cartridges, as well as using a SUT with the low-output Dynavector.

At those settings and with full volume on my Khozmo passive preamp, there was no audible noise coming from the speakers even if I listened from just a few inches away. Just to confirm, I set gain at the maximum 72dB and then heard only a barely audible hiss coming from the tweeters, but even that became inaudible from just a few feet away. Played straight in, the Darlington offered what is possibly the lowest noise floor of any phono preamp I have auditioned. This was an encouraging start. 

The Sound

After several months of listening to dozens of LPs, I am confident about my thoughts on this little phono preamp. The sound was a definite step up over the iFi iPhono2 that I use, and I was struck by the linear sound of everything I played, with no parts of the frequency spectrum standing out as accentuated or diminished.

Listening to some Jack Johnson LPs, the tone of his voice was beautiful. Johnny Cash’s voice on Unchained (American Recordings 0600753461433) was weighty and full but never overly chesty or bloated. Maddy Prior’s voice on “Lovely on the Water” from the Steeleye Span album Please to See the King (original label release, B&C CAS 1029) never rang out or sounded harsh, which is often an issue with this record.

Instruments also sounded superb. Anner Bylsma’s period correct viola de gamba on a box set of Bach’s Solo Cello Suites (Pro Arte 3PAL-3001) never sounded better on my system, with the lighter, less resonant, woody tone of the instrument, as compared to a modern cello, really coming through. It was the same with the opening trumpet notes from the orchestrated version of Pictures at an Exhibition by Maurice Ravel (Command CC 33-11003), which is possibly the most realistic trumpet sound I have yet heard on an LP. Listening to this with the Darlington MP7B, I had a real “stop everything and pay attention” moment.

A sense of presence and dynamic ease is to me a hallmark of high-end audio, and that is not something I expect to hear with the lower-cost gear that I write about. Perhaps it’s the higher rail voltage, or the J-FET devices, but the MP7B’s dynamic capability far exceeds any other phono preamp I have tried. The 12-inch single of Billy Idol’s White Wedding (Chrysalis – 4V9 42685) though generally compressed sounding as many rock recordings are, had a jump factor that indeed made me jump. It was the same with a 45rpm 12-inch single of “Tumor” by The Fibonaccis (Enigma – ENIGMA 5, 12", 45 RPM), a superb recording of a great band. 

Bass response was the most different from what I usually hear in my system. At first, I thought that the MP7B’s bass was a little lean, but I soon realized that the bass I was hearing was cleaner, less bloated, and probably truer to what was on the record. Bass clarity and depth were excellent down to the lower limits of my main speakers in the low 30Hz range. This gave kick drums real impact on LPs like the reissues of Genesis’s Selling England by the Pound (Charisma / Classic Records FC 6060) or Nursery Cryme (Charisma / Classic Records CAS 1052).

Bass guitar lines in all my favorite late ’60s and early ’70s prog rock LPs had the weight, clarity, and impact I expected to hear. And on the track “What We All Want” from the Gang of Four’s LP Solid Gold (Warner Bros. Records BSK 3565), the repetitive drum beat and bass line had all the power, definition, and impact needed to make this track really work.

Higher frequencies came across as pure and sweet with the Darlington and were never harsh or brittle unless that is how they sound as recorded. The Dynavector 10X5 MK2 LOW handles the upper few octaves better than any other under $1000 cartridge I have heard, and the Darlington really helped to confirm this. The difference in quality of the upper octaves when changing resistive loading was more evident than I am used to hearing, and it was quick and easy to listen to a few records comparing 150, 220, and 470 ohms to decide which setting sounded best. Of course, that will be system dependent, but it is what worked for me.

The imaging and soundstaging were particularly good, too. I will admit I set my system up focusing primarily on tonal quality and bass response and accept a trade-off of somewhat compromised imaging, especially in terms of depth. Even so, lateral image placement and physicality were excellent, and I experienced a better sense of depth than I normally get. Also, musical scale—the size, force, and presence of instruments, and the size of the stage was powerful and musically appropriate.

To be clear, these comments are in comparison to the various lower-cost phono stages that I normally use or write about. When compared to some much pricier products I’ve tried over the years, I have heard phono stages that produce a more three-dimensional image with a more physical presence within their soundstage. Also, other phono stages I’ve tried offered more weight and impact throughout their bass to mid-bass and a hint more transparency across the board, but again, those were all products that sold for substantially more than the target price of my reviews.

At the End of the Day

When used with the moderately low output Dynavector MC cartridge, the Darlington MP7B sounded truly exceptional considering its modest price. At this point and subject to its performance in connection with my MM follow-up, I give it my highest recommendation. 

Darlington Labs MP7B phono preamp

Price: $569 USD 

Warranty: One-year limited. Fifteen-day money-back guarantee from date of receipt, subject to a 10% restocking fee.  

Dimensions: 1.5”H x 5”W x 7”D 

Weight: 2.5 pounds

Darlington Labs

Boston, MA 

darlingtonlabs.com

Associated Equipment  

• Digital Source: Geekom Mini IT8 Win11Pro Mini PC server, JRiver Media Center 33, Qobuz desktop app, iFi Zen Stream, iFi NEO iDSD and NEO iDSD2 DACs, iFi USB 3 and iPurifier2. 

• Analog Source: Linn LP12 turntable with Ittok arm, MOSE/Hercules II power supply, Dynavector 10X5 MK II LOW cartridge, iFi Phono2 phono preamp, Sound Organization wall-mounted turntable shelf. 

• Preamplification: Khozmo stereo passive preamplifier with AMRG ladder attenuator. 

• Amplification: Antique Sound Labs MG-SI15DT-S and Burson Timekeeper Virtuoso power amplifiers. 

• Loudspeakers: Tekton Perfect SET 15 speakers on AVRoom Services EVP isolators or Magneplanar .7. 

• Power Conditioning: Pi audio UberBuss, Monster Power HTS 2000, Belkin PivotPlug 12-plug surge protector, connected in series. 

• Cables: Vermouth Audio Black Pearl interconnects, Vermouth Audio Red Velvet or Audioquest Type 5 speaker cables, Straightwire USB and iFi Gemini twin-head USB digital cables, Standard OEM power cables. 

• Component Racks: Mondo Audio and Pangea Vulcan. 

• Accessories: Kinetronics anti-static brush, Pro-Ject VC-S and Spin Clean record cleaners.