Review of the NEW Updated ANK L5 Signature Phono Stage!! What a Beast!

What a BEAST!!

Comprehensive 2-Author Review of the new ANK L5 Signature Phono Pre-Amp.

This review will include my prospective as the owner of the new ANK L5 as well as good input from my brother who assembled the DIY kit from ANK.

Like a lot of us chasing our “end game” components to complete our analog and digital sound (which never actually happens by the way) I spent 2-3 months reading, researching and learning as much as I could about which tube-based Phono Pre-amp would be my end game component. I wanted to make every effort to ensure that my phono sound was as close as possible to pure analog free of any filtering or sound altering qualities.

For reference, the rest of my analog chain consists of a new Denon DP 3000 NE Turntable / Ortifon 2M Black Cartridge /Luxman E250 Phono Pre-Amp /  Luxman 509X Integrated Amplifier and a pair of Legacy Audio Focus SE mains. On the digital side I have achieved what I feel is an amazing sound quality overall with a Innuos Mk3 Streamer/Server paired with a Denafrips Terminator Plus DAC. Being a long-time fan of vinyl and the undeniable warmth and sound that great analog gear provides, my end goal in terms of choosing the right Phono-Preamp was to ultimately better my digital sound quality which, at least from my prospective, was going to be a big challenge for me to accomplish in my budget.

Without mentioning specific models or brands as there are a lot of them to consider, it quickly became obvious that what I really wanted was going to cost a lot more than the $4-$5000 budget I had established for this component…. Until I was told about the DIY kits available from ANK! I personally don’t have the knowledge or skillset to build my own kit, but I’m very fortunate to have my brother who absolutely knows how to navigate the DIY build process. Keep in mind that if you’re like me, and you don’t have the DIY skillset, the great folks at ANK can also build any of their kits for you for a very reasonable fee which still makes these kits an incredible value vs other component I have researched.

At the time of my purchase, ANK offered several affordable kits including the L1, L3, and the updated version of the L5 which were all in my budget range or LESS using very high-quality parts often not seen in other brands until you reach a much higher price point. I wanted a silver faceplate to match my other components, so I reached out to ANK, and worked with Brian directly. I must say, the customer service and communication I received from him throughout the entire process was absolutely great! During our conversation, he mentioned that they were in the process of releasing a new model they were going to call the updated L5 and that he would be willing to sell me the components and parts needed to assemble that kit with the silver faceplate! I was excited to get the project started and he shipped it out right away.

/////

And now this review will switch over to the assembler of the Kit:

A little background, I am nothing more than a guy that likes to tinker. I have built a few kits in the past, from Bottlehead and Pass. This was my first experience with an ANK kit.

I will start off with the fact that Brian is a great guy to work with, with outstanding support and very prompt responses to questions.

The KIT, L5 Phono pre-amp was very well packaged and delivered in two boxes. One with the heavy iron transformer and chokes. The other contains the chassis and components. All the components were packaged in zip lock type bags and each bag corresponded with sections of the build manual. I found this made the process easier as you only have the parts on the bench needed for the section being assembled. The build guide or manual I will admit at first seemed a little daunting. After reading through it a couple times (which I recommend doing!) I found it was pretty easy to follow. Note: It was very helpful to read through each section fully and even the next section before proceeding with assembly. There were a couple “fuzzy” spots but Brian was right there to verify or answer any concerns! If he includes the transformer diagram, he supplied me with, that should eliminate those points.

The build itself was actually very straight forward and pretty easy. Basic tools needed would be #1 and #2 Phillips screwdrivers, small needle nose pliers, small side cutters, good wire strippers, a couple small metric sockets and driver, and a bench top soldering iron is a must! It is also helpful to have some type of soldering clamps, some really good lighting, and some may want reading glasses or magnifier. The supplied PCB’s were of excellent quality and have ample room making soldering very easy. That was one thing that helped make this kit a joy to build. There is plenty of room on the boards but the chassis was laid out excellent and also had plenty of room. There was no trouble at all with making it look nice and clean. No trying to stuff and hide wires! There is ample room to heat shrink and rout wires neatly with enough length to make soldering easy also.

I would say a person should expect the build to take a couple weekends to complete. I am sure someone who does this type of thing for a living or on a more regular basis might cut that time in half or better. I would stress to the average DIYer to take your time! Re-doing stuff is what can get messy so right the first time is key!

In the end this kit was very fun to build, and I am excited to build more ANK kits. This one was for my brother. The next one will be for myself I just need to decide what to start with, 300b amps or a DAC. The fact that you can build something of this level on your dining room table (so to speak) that performs at the level this phono pre-amp does is just amazing, true reference level performance. Can not say enough!

Thank you for supplying DIYers with competent high-quality kits!

////////

Now, back to me, the owner of the L5!

A couple of weeks later, I removed the Luxman E250 from my system and the completed, first ever, ANK L5 unit was installed into my system and that is when the magic happened.

After maybe 60-90 minutes of the initial “burn-in”, typical with any new Tube component, Everything, and I do mean everything, opened up bigtime. The soundstage became much wider and deeper. The imaging and separation of instruments became so much more detailed and evident that it had ever sounded with vinyl previously. The last time I had this kind of almost religious sound quality improvement experience was when I upgraded my DAC to my Terminator Plus a couple of years ago. These are the kind of experiences that make this audio hobby so rewarding. I was grinning from ear to ear, texting my friend who built this amazing pre-amp to thank him profusely, really a great first night. I continued to listen for another couple of hours to spin a variety of music including Eagles Hotel California, Diana Krall Live in Paris, Dave Brubeck Quartet, and even some AC/DC Highway to Hell just for some fun and context.

The next night I fired everything up for another 3-4 hours of dedicated listening time with a focus on this being a bit more of a critical listening session. The ANK L5 did not miss a beat. The sound spectrum this pre-amp delivers is wonderful in every category. The Bass is tight and fast, not overpowering at all as it can be from time to time with the Focus SE’s, the Mid-Range is absolutely clear and precise, cutting through with vocals and guitar, piano as though the musicians are playing on stage right in front of the listening position, and the Mid-Highs and Highs have now become the perfect sound I feel they are meant to be without ever being overly “sharp” or “bright” as some may say. The most impressive experience with this new ANK, at least for me, is the way that the entire sound spectrum just blended together better than it ever has and maybe for the first time in my system the speakers themselves just disappeared as I’ve heard many audiophiles describe but is something I don’t think I’ve ever actually experienced until playing good vinyl on with the new ANK.  

In summary, it has been a full month now since the ANK was installed, and it has inspired me to want to re-listen to every vinyl record I own, listening for probably 6-8 total hours per week, and more on weekends. It is without hesitation that I would give the ANK Phono Stage kits my highest recommendation, especially the updated L5!! Thank you to Brian, and the entire team at ANK for offering such a great selection of affordable, reference quality kits and components!!