September 2025

World Premiere Review!
Genesis Advanced Technologies Premium Platinum Phono Preamplifier Review
Immersing yourself within the sensational sound of spectacular music.
Review By Senior Editor Tom Lyle

  Within the July 2025 issue of Enjoy The Music.com's Review Magazine, I reviewed the Genesis Advanced Technologies G7 Samba floorstanding loudspeakers. Even though my reference speakers were priced considerably higher than the Sambas, it was relatively easy to overlook this fact due to the Genesis' outstanding sound quality, not to mention their good looks. After this Genesis speaker's review was published, I had a chat with Genesis dealer Larry Borden of Distinctive Stereo when he came over to pick up the speakers. We didn't discuss the speakers as much as we talked about high-end audio in general, and of course, music.

This led us to the topic of analog reproduction, and it was then that he mentioned the Genesis Premium Platinum phono preamp. This caught me off guard. I had always thought that Genesis only designed and manufactured loudspeakers.

When I was speaking with Genesis's Chief Designer and CEO Gary Koh he shared with me some specifics about the various phono preamplifiers he owned over the years, but had never been wholly satisfied with. He also mentioned that he designed the phono preamp just for his personal use. Over the years, he incorporated many upgrades until he was satisfied with its performance, and this resulted in the model being reviewed here. He only sold a few of them, since they used unobtainable parts and were never advertised and were only recently added to the Genesis website. This is the first time the Genesis Premium Platinum phono preamp has ever been reviewed.

He subsequently designed a version using commercially available parts for a well-known established turntable company.

Readers
I apologize as this review is a bit longer than most reviews I've written in the past. There is much to discuss regarding the technology behind this phono preamp, as well as my experience using it in my system. I have a feeling that many Enjoy the Music.com loyal readers will skip to the conclusion of this review before reading it in its entirety. For those readers, here's the spoiler: the Genesis Premium Platinum phono preamplifier is indeed "premium." It includes some features that I never even knew existed in a high-end phono preamp. Its sound quality is as good, and even better in some areas, as some of the best phono preamps that have passed through my systems over the years, regardless of their price.

Einstein
On Genesis Advanced Technologies' Premium Platinum web page, it begins with a quote from Albert Einstein: "As simple as possible... but no simpler." It goes on to say that Gary Koh designed this phono preamp with "a minimum number of hand-selected internal components chosen from the best that were available at the time." He was concerned with creating a phono preamp built with top-notch parts to achieve "absolute precision."

Signal
The job of a phono preamp is to take the very low output electrical signal of a phono cartridge and amplify it so that it can be passed on to one's linestage, preamp, or receiver. The Holy Grail of designing and building the "perfect" phono preamplifier is to transfer this signal with absolute transparency, the proverbial "straight wire with gain."  Adding to this challenge is the need to do this while also accurately reversing the RIAA curve that has been applied in the process of LP.

This goal of 100% transparency is currently, as far as I know, unachievable. Although Genesis's Gary Koh says he's done the next best thing – by meticulously assembling a phono preamp that includes the previously mentioned hand-selected internal components, including an extremely transparent op-amp and an RIAA deemphasis circuit that is located outside the phono preamp's main signal path. According to him, this will minimize any "sonic signature" that the preamplifier might impart to the signal.

Review
For this review, I used a Lyra Atlas phono cartridge, which I mounted on a Tri-Planar 6 tonearm. This tonearm features an integral phono cable that connects the cartridge clips and eventually ends in RCA connectors. This meant that I couldn't take advantage of the phono cable that Genesis designed specifically for use with the Premium Platinum phono preamp. Genesis's cable is supplied with a mini-DIN connector to the tonearm. Genesis reminded me that these are now the standard connectors used by most high-end tonearm cables. Although I was unable to use this cable, the cable used on my tonearm is made with very high-quality wire.

Platform
In addition to using the finest, hand-selected precision-tolerance parts, each Genesis Premium Platinum phono preamp features a specially designed chassis damping platform that Genesis claims significantly reduces all types of mechanical vibration, leading to "more extended natural bass, greater detail, and improved resolution."

On their website, Genesis says that the Premium Platinum phono preamp is painstakingly assembled using the best internal parts. It also uses a "highly engineered" damping platform that markedly reduces all types of mechanical vibration, which is claimed to lead to "a more extended natural bass, detail, and resolution."

The damping platform of the Genesis Premium Platinum phono preamp is essential in contributing to its sound, or lack thereof, and Genesis has devoted an entire page on its website to it. It uses an HMWA (High Molecular Weight Acrylic) acoustic suspension system. This type of system is also used in the design of many of Genesis's loudspeakers.

In addition, the phono preamp's suspension system is "like that of a race car." This is because it is made of an acrylic suspension frame, neoprene shock absorbers tuned to the weight of the phono preamp module, and steel spikes that anchor the suspension frame to an equipment rack or one's floor. This acoustic suspension system isolates this phono preamp from any floor or structure-borne vibrations.

Adding to the physical attractiveness of this phono preamp is the acrylic portion of the suspension system. At the bottom of the phono preamp's chassis is a blue LED, which in turn causes the acrylic portion below it to glow with an inviting blue radiance.

One of my pet peeves regarding audio components, high-end or otherwise, has always been when a panel or other lights on them are so bright that they can illuminate my darkened listening room. The blue glow of the acrylic on the Genesis Premium Platinum phono preamp did not have this peculiarity, as its blue light has more of an aura than just plain light. Even though it couldn't improve the Genesis phono preamp's sound quality, it sure looked cool! Its blue luminescence reminded me of certain hot-rodded late model cars on the road that have after-market blue LEDs/neon lights on their underbelly, which reflect off the pavement.

Primary
Genesis's website reminds us that the primary function of a phono preamp is to send a usable signal from a phono cartridge to a line preamp. For the average low-output moving coil (MC) cartridge, it must amplify this signal by approximately 1800 times. If it's a good phono preamp, it will achieve this by sending its amplified signal that's as transparent as possible. However, the phono preamp must also reverse the RIAA pre-emphasis EQ that was used when cutting the LP, without adding a sonic signature to the signal. That means that in the bass at 20Hz, it must amplify this signal by 180,000 times. But only 18 times in the high frequencies.

Spoiler alert 2: When playing records through the Premium Platinum phono preamplifier in my system, the above accurately describes what I heard, or rather, didn't hear.

System
For those unfamiliar with the reference system in my main listening room, I'll discuss the associated equipment used in this review, and while I'm at it, I'll also list some of the other equipment that I occasionally used that I also had on hand, which enabled me to hear how the Genesis Advanced Technologies Premium Platinum phono preamp performed with different gear in this system. 

As I briefly mentioned earlier, the analog front end of my system included a Lyra Atlas low-output moving coil (MC) phono cartridge mounted on a Tri-Planar 6 tonearm. The tonearm was solidly coupled to the plinth of a Basis Audio Model V turntable. This turntable features an AC synchronous motor, enabling me to connect its power cable to an external power supply and speed controller.

I connected the Genesis Advanced Technologies phono preamp's interconnects to a vacuum tube powered Nagra Classic Preamp. I also used a solid-state Pass Laboratories two-chassis XP-22 line preamp at random intervals. I used a 350-Watt-per-channel Pass Labs X350.5 power amplifier, but on a few occasions, I used a 250 Wpc Pass Labs 250.8 power amp. Both of these amplifiers easily powered my reference speakers, a pair of Raidho TD4.2, but for the bulk of the review, I used the more powerful X350.5. I used a pair of SVS SB16-Ultra subwoofers, but only to augment the very lowest frequencies of the speakers.

The reference system did not draw its AC power from the local electric company. Instead, every power cord in the system, except those from the subwoofers, was connected to a Stromtank S-2500 Quantum MKII battery power supply. I reviewed an earlier version of this unit in the February 2918 issue of Enjoy The Music. The Stromtank was specifically designed to be used with audio equipment and ensured that the system's sound remained consistent and performed at its best. Before I had the Stromtank battery power supply in the system, it sounded especially poor during the daylight hours when there was a heavier load put upon the local electrical grid. The Stromtank was able to provide a near-perfect 60-cycle AC sine wave to the system at all times of day. Or night.

Options
In some of my other phono preamp reviews, this is where I would usually discuss the phono preamp's gain and loading options. I would discuss whether the phono preamp loading adjustments had to be made using DIP switches on the rear panel, inside the cabinet, or conveniently on the front panel of the phono stage. To my surprise, the Genesis Premium Platinum phono preamplifier has none of these options, because its gain is fixed at 66 dB, and there are no loading options available.

Its fixed 66 dB of gain was a near-perfect setting for the Lyra Atlas low-output moving coil cartridge. But I wondered how a phono preamp could have no loading options. Genesis's Gary Koh sent me an email explaining how he did this.

Loading
In Mr. Koh's email, he began by saying that when it comes to loading, his approach to phono preamp design might be viewed by some as a bit controversial. He even mentioned that I might not want to include this section in the review because it might be too technical, and he was unsure if readers of Enjoy the Music.com would react. I told him not to worry, because I will only touch upon what I think is the most important information he gave me. Personally, I loved not having to futz with the loading options, and I'm sure other vinyl-loving audiophiles agree with me. If anyone isn't interested in how he was able to eliminate having any loading options, I give them my permission to skip this section.

Eliminates
It is Genesis's Gary Koh's opinion that phono loading is only a "Band-Aid, and so this Genesis phono stage design eliminates the need for it. Because of the tiny voltage and current that comes from a moving coil cartridge, the inductance of the cartridge and the capacitance of the tonearm wire are very important in this electrical circuit. But this results in something called a "tank circuit," which is sometimes called a "resonant circuit", and this resonance results in a spike in the frequency response.

The reason Gary Koh calls loading a Band-Aid is that loading values are used to dampen this resonance. Even though this resonance isn't in the audible range, it will still overload circuits and thus cause problems.

This method used in this phono preamp has been designed by others, but is rarely used: In his phono preamp, Gary Koh extends the RIAA curve. Instead of stopping at 20 kHz, it is extended into the inaudible region. With the Premium Platinum's gain of 66 dB at 1kHz, the gain at 1 MHz is over 60 dB down, and so the resonance spike disappears. An output transformer makes sure that any residual high-frequency distortion is filtered out. And with this relatively simple fix, no loading is needed for just about any low-output moving coil phono cartridge.

Sessions
By now, I'm sure many are wondering how my records sounded when using this phono preamplifier. In short, my listening sessions with the Genesis Premium phono preamp allowed me to revel in some of the best-sounding analog reproduction I've heard in quite a while. This wasn't the first top-tier high-end phono preamplifier I've ever had in my system. Still, the Genesis Premium Platinum phono stage was undoubtedly one of the best-sounding I've ever heard. It might be expensive, but its price-to-performance ratio was off the charts.

I've been a fan of Frank Zappa's albums since I was a kid; his albums from the 1970s have always been my favorite. The album Apostrophe ('), released in 1974, has never left my turntable for very long. I have three copies on my record shelves: an original US copy from 1974, a Japanese pressing made the same year, and my latest copy, the relatively new 50th anniversary, two-LP pressing. The first LP of the set is the original album, which has an all-analog mastering performed by Bernie Grundman. The second LP of this deluxe reissue is filled with bonus tracks that are made from hi-res files.

The bonus tracks on this new pressing are fun, but it was the original album that I listened to during the Genesis phono preamp's audition period. Even though I have an affinity for the original 1974 pressing (maybe it's just nostalgia), its sonic qualities are outstanding. The Japanese pressing sounds even better, primarily due to its total lack of surface noise. The 50th Anniversary pressing trounces both of these older pressings.

The primary difference between the original (or the Japanese pressing) is the explosive dynamics that were now present, which I guess is due to Bernie Grundman's meticulous mastering. Of course, there's also the fact that this record is pressed at a plant that is 50 years newer than the originals, at Optimal Media GmbH in Germany, considered by many to be one of the best vinyl pressing plants in the world.

When spinning this newest pressing of Apostrophe (') the Genesis Premium Platinum phono preamp made it sound as if the grooves on the record went deeper into the vinyl's surface, and its clarity was outstanding. I mentioned above that the dynamics were explosive, but through the Premium Platinum phono stage the album's microdynamics were also rendered top-notch, which led to an increase in dynamic distance – the instruments and voices had greater separation, and remained separated even if multiple sounds were playing at the same volume occupying similar spaces in the huge soundstage that surrounded my loudspeakers.

I could simply list all audiophile buzzwords when it came to the performance of this Genesis phono preamplifier, and still not do it justice. It allowed me to feel as if, and sorry for the cliché, I'd never heard all the buried details on this album before, despite spinning these records all my adult life. My love for this album grew even stronger during my listening sessions, and it's a great album. This album not only features Zappa's twisted humor but also his killer guitar playing. Still, x-Cream bassist Jack Bruce assists him on the long, mostly improvised title track, and also includes the late George Duke on keyboards, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, Aynsley Dunbar on drums on a few tracks, and many other guests, along with longtime Zappa band members such as Ruth and Ian Underwood.

Lest some think that I only listened to rock music through this phono preamp during its audition period, all one needs to do is take a gander at the size of my record collection! I have lots of jazz vinyl, my favorite type is small ensembles recorded from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s. These included indulging in both my favorite original Blue Note and Impulse Records pressings and some of their exceptional all-analog re-pressings that Blue Note has released during the last few years.

Lately, I've been digging into my favorite albums featuring drummer Tony (Anthony) Williams as a sideman. One of my favorites is by the alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, his 1964 Blue Note album One Step Beyond, where the Premium Platinum phono stage underscored, among many other positive traits, the recording's spaciousness. Even though the recording pans each of the instruments into either the left or right speaker, it was as if I could hear the air in the studio filling the empty space between the instruments and the space between the two speakers. I started by playing my original Blue Note pressing, but ended up listening to the copy pressed on two 45 rpm 12" records on the Music Matters label multiple times.

I own tons of classical music LPs on original RCA, Mercury, EMI, Decca, and others, and the collection includes some masterful reissues. In my opinion, one of the best versions of Dvořák's New World Symphony was recorded by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra with István Kertész conducting. The LP that was first issued on Decca Records is excellent. This record was released in 1961, during an era when stereo LPs were being sold for the first time. To coax listeners into converting their mono systems to stereo, the record companies touted their "high-fidelity" stereo LPs by using a simple setup of only three microphones.

But record pressing plants have come a long way since then. The reissue of this album, released in the 1990s on Speakers Corner, sounds fantastic, regardless of the slight patina of tape hiss overlaying the proceedings. If one has ever had the pleasure of hearing the Vienna Philharmonic live, one can get a taste of their gorgeous sound on this LP. The midrange is where the music lives, and the Genesis phono preamp's astounding transparency brought me back to the evening I heard the visiting Vienna Philharmonic from my seats at the rear of the stage, only about 25 feet from the string section. That string sound will be etched in my sonic memory forever. No, the Genesis phono preamp couldn't reproduce the dimensions of the entire orchestra, but the soundstage I heard was drawn to scale, as the essence of their string sound entered my listening room. Thank you, Genesis!

Years
Over the years, I've reviewed many high-end phono preamplifiers, from budget models to those costing as much or more than the subject of this review. The Genesis Advanced Technologies Premium Platinum phono preamp is not anywhere near the most expensive phono preamp on the market, but unless one owns a very high-end, esoteric, state-of-the-art system, spending more money than the asking price of this phono preamp doesn't make much sense.

But when I put on my favorite records and listened to them through the Genesis Premium Platinum phono stage, even when I didn't have my reviewer's hat on, and using a sonic microscope to dissect its sound quality, I would often get lost in the music. After a while, this happened more frequently, as I'd forget to take notes and forget that I was supposed to be reviewing this phono preamp. The Genesis Premium Platinum became a direct connection to the music, as I would journey deeper and deeper into the music, and would sink deeper and deeper into my listening seat. To me, that is the highest praise I can give any audio component.

Specifications
Type: RIAA phono stage preamplifier
Voltage Gain: 65dB
RIAA Accuracy: Better than +/- 0.1dB @ 20Hz to 20kHz
Absolute Phase: Non-Inverting
Inputs: LEMO / RCA
Weight: Preamplifier: 50 lbs, Power module: 32 lbs, Acoustic Suspension: 5 lbs. 
Finish: Phono Pre-Amp module: Rose Gold (optional black or silver anodized if requested)
Power module: Matte black solid steel chassis
Acoustic Suspension System: Clear Acrylic
Dimensions: Phono Pre-Amp module: 18.5" x 14" x 5" (WxDxH) 
Power module: 9" x 9" x 4.5" (WxDxH) 
Acoustic Suspension: 18.5" x 1.4" x 14" (WxDxH)
Price: $23,000

Manufacturer
Genesis Advanced Technologies, Inc. 
17802 134th Ave NE, Ste 26 
Woodinville, WA 98072

Voice: (425) 415-8383
E-mail: customer@genesisloudspeakers.com  
Website: GenesisLoudspeakers.com