Paolo T. - Vicenza ( ITALY)

I’m an old boy, over 60 and since I love well recorded music and Hi-Fi, I inevitably find my house full of vinyl.

Like all enthusiasts (or more realistically fanatics…) I have always tried to improve the performance of my system; in the last years I’ve focused on the optimization of the analogic source. Thus I started off with buying a good turntable, then I thought I needed to improve the pick-up and I turned to MC. I felt that it wasn’t quite what I wanted yet and I realized the importance of the tonearm. The ability to understand where and how to improve sound is not that obvious. You need years, listening sessions and many mistakes!

So, I gradually replaced the pre-phono with a good product and to a rather famous step-up, the Head by Parravicini, more and more sophisticated (and expensive) cables and then a top of the range MC pick-up.

All good but...I realized I could have better, but I couldn’t understand where...then, one day, a sudden inspiration! Could the step-up be the small bottleneck?

I contacted engineer Buttafoco of Clinamenaudio; after a few emails he delivered his top 3-inputs step-up (triple gain 99.99 Ag) with pure silver coil, Zobel networks specific to my pick-up…an item objectively beautiful! I was quite convinced of a sound improvement and I couldn’t wait to test this new product on my system and my fussy pick-up.

The surprise was big straight away at the first listening, indeed it was a shock, like a slap in the face, such was the difference from before!

It was not just an improvement of certain parameters, but a completely different approach to the sound! The listening sessions continued in the following days, also optimizing the fine-tuning and allowing the step-up to break-in.

Now, after about ten listening session, I cannot but confirm the first impression. Buttafoco’s step-up is an extraordinary, exceptional device! With some records I have been completely astonished by listening to the sounds coming out of my stereo system! It was like a different record from the information and harmony I could perceive!

It’s as if you get into the artist’s head, you feel his emotions as if they were yours, you get a naturalness of emission that leaves you breathless!

It’s quite clear to me now how important the step-up is in an analogic system! My best congratulations to eng. Buttafoco for designing and building this jewel!

Paolo T.