Acoustic Sounds
Hagerman Audio Labs Cornet
By: Tracking Angle

July 13th, 2023

Category:

Industry News

Hagerman Audio Labs Delivers an Aesthetic Upgrade to Popular Phono Products

looks matter

Hagerman Audio Labs recently announced aesthetic upgrades to a number of its most popular and popularly priced products including the $589 Cornet MM vacuum tube phono preamplifier pictured above, now upgraded into a metal chassis with optional available wood side panels.

Hagerman Cornet woodHagerman Cornet "sporting wood"

The circuit topology features common cathode class-A gain stages with no feedback, passive equalization, and cathode follower output buffers with constant current sink loading. Power is supplied by a regulated wall-wart driving a boost converter (running at about 50kHz) generating the high voltage rail required for proper tube biasing.

The Piccolo head amp ($289) for moving coil cartridges, formerly housed in a plastic case, now also comes housed in a metal chassis. The active circuitry uses low noise matched discrete JFETs in a no-feedback gain and buffer configuration. Both loading and gain are adjustable, providing extreme flexibility.

Hagerman Piccolo head ampOver the years we've reviewed the uglier versions of these products.

Comments

  • 2023-07-13 07:55:57 PM

    Jim Shue wrote:

    I'll take the Hagerman Audio Labs products any day of the week over the fancier Schiit products. LOVE their late 70s high end audio vibe!

  • 2023-07-26 02:02:32 PM

    DD wrote:

    I do not see adding wood to be an upgrade. It looks worse. Sorry.

    • 2023-08-03 03:25:45 AM

      tim davis wrote:

      You may not see the wood as an upgrade, but I assure you that I (& presumably others do). For one thing it protects the tubes & the the front & back of the unit from potential impact trauma. Also, at least in my old school hand built in the 1960s lower level man cave, the extra level of wood grain beauty is just the icing on an already abundant cake. If this page permitted I would gladly upload a photo to expand upon just what I'm on about.