Every project has to begin somewhere. When our engineers began work on the Boulder 508 Phono Preamplifier they began with inspiration from the absolute pinnacle of vinyl playback: the 2008 Phono Preamplifier, easily the most celebrated phono stage of all time.
But that’s where the similarities end. Where the 2008 was pure excess, the 508 is pure efficiency. As the smallest Boulder in more than two decades, the 508 packs an enormous amount of performance in a single, small chassis. A chassis that is carved from a single block of metal, no less. All of the proper inputs, outputs, and adjustments are here. As is the one constant from every Boulder product since Day One: a stunning level of performance.
Simple selection of MC or MM modes via switch on the rear panel
Elegant casework carved from a solid block of aluminum
Balanced inputs mean the perfect interface with the balanced output of phono cartridges
Integrated low-cut filter removes excessive low frequency information from warped or damaged records
Balanced outputs to minimize distortion and drive long cable runs with no loss of fidelity
Precision built and compact main PCB, produced on Boulder's own surface-mount circuit board manufacturing machinery
Inputs
1 pair balanced, converts to unbalanced
Outputs
1 pair balanced
Input Impedance, Maximum
MC: 100 ohms, MM: 47k ohms
Output Impedance
100 ohms, balanced
1 kHz Gain, RIAA
MC: 70 dB, MM: 44 dB
Frequency Response, RIAA
±0.5 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz
Distortion, THD
0.01%
Noise (EIN), MC
116 nanovolts flat, 20 Hz to 20 kHz
Maximum Output Level
16 Vrms
Crosstalk, L to R or R to L
>100 dB or better 20 Hz to 20 kHz
Weight
11.5 lbs. (5.2 kg)
Power Requirements
100, 120, 200-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz
Power Consumption
15W maximum