Engström Monica Mk3 line preamplifier

April 01, 2023 / By mobanmarket

Have you ever walked through fresh snow in the woods with all your senses heightened? When I did, shortly before the New Year, it was as if I was seeing nature for the first time, through a fresh lens. Never had white-coated surfaces appeared so white. Nor had shapes seemed so magical. It felt as if I had happened upon a pristine landscape unexplored by human or beast.

Those mesmerizing moments were precipitated not by nature but by spending several previous hours listening intently for differences between three stellar preamplifiers: the solid state Dan D’Agostino Momentum HD ($40,000), which is my reference; the solid state darTZeel NHB-18NS ($53,000), which had entered my system several months before; and the tubed Engström Monica Mk3 ($60,000), which is the subject of this review and the most expensive preamp to ever enter my system. All three preamps are two-piece designs, power supplies connected to their preamp sections via umbilical cords (footnote 1). All were auditioned using the same Nordost Odin 2 cabling and Wilson Pedestal equipment supports.

I was listening so intently—wholeheartedly engaged with the music—not because distinctions were difficult to hear but because they were so major. I didn’t expect the three preamps to sound so different from each other, and I didn’t expect opening my auditory senses this way to supercharge my other senses and refresh my wonder at the beauties of nature. But it did.

The gateway to this experience opened 12 years ago, when I first encountered Engström’s Lars 1 monoblocks at AXPONA 2010. That’s where I met Timo Engström, who runs the company alongside his designer uncle, electrical engineer Lars Engström. John Atkinson was at my side. We heard a system that also included the Scaena Model 3.2 loudspeaker system ($54,000/pair), the dCS Scarlatti digital playback system ($70,000), about $60,000 worth of Silversmith Palladium cabling, Critical Mass Systems racks and stands, three Nordost QX4 Quantum noise purifiers, at least one Nordost Odin power cable, and a custom music server.

I recall the visual impact of those tall, elegant, plastic-encased monoblocks with their many glowing tubes. I wrote in my report, “I was immediately impressed by the compelling sense of acoustic space the system conveyed. Listening to cymbals, I was awed by the complexity of colors in a single cymbal clash, then by the enrapturing sense of air surrounding it and the other instruments playing simultaneously. … I left the room feeling that the system was truly special, and capable of making many who could afford it very, very happy.”

More than a decade later, I was about to audition an Engström product in my home system. No glowing tubes here—not from where I was sitting. All I could see when room lights were low was the glow of a blinking green light on the control board, which shone through an opening on the bottom rear of the chassis, indicating that the motorized step volume control was functioning to spec.

Basics
Apart from tubes, two things are shared by the Lars (now Type 2) and Monica Mk3: the origin of their names and the uncluttered simplicity of their aesthetics. The Lars is named after its designer, Lars Engström (footnote 2); all other Engström products bear names of Swedish musicians: the Eric, for choral conductor Eric Ericson; the Arne, for jazz saxophonist and clarinetist Arne Domnérus; and the Monica, for legendary Swedish jazz vocalist Monica Zetterlund, who made a second version of Waltz for Debbie with Bill Evans (footnote 3).

The Monica Mk3’s chassis is made from bead-blasted aluminum and coated with Engström’s new ceramic finish. In the standard issue, the top is silver, the front coating cobalt, and the knobs tungsten. Timo told me by email that you can get the front and knobs in “almost any color you wish,” with additional charges for high-gloss piano, ceramic satin, or powdercoat (footnote 4). The height-adjustable aluminum feet, which contain ceramic ball bearings, are made by Franc Audio Accessories.

On its front, the fully analog preamplifier module is adorned with the Engström logo—nothing else. Its insides hold only the line-level circuitry—nothing more. Three pairs of RCA inputs, three pairs of XLR inputs, two pairs of RCA outputs, two pairs of XLR outputs, and a “Power and Control” umbilical adorn the rear panel; beneath each input is a ground-toggle switch intended to reduce any hum that could result from suboptimal grounding arrangements. Another toggle switch moves output polarity between noninverted and inverted.

The front of the power/control module contains, in addition to the Engström logo, a small OLED display that indicates volume, stereo/mono, and mute. To the display’s right are two large selector knobs. The leftmost is a six-position input selector that, when pushed, causes the preamp unit to switch between stereo and mono. The right knob connects, via the umbilical, to a 48-step volume control in the preamplifier module, allowing volume adjustment between –63dB and 0dB, with 2dB steps for the quieter half of that range and 1dB steps for the louder half. Pushing this knob engages the Mute function.

The power supply/control unit’s rear panel contains four items of significance: the umbilical connector, a ground connector for a source that has a separate ground cord, a 15A IEC connector, and a power on/off switch.

During a Zoom interview and subsequent email exchanges with the two Engströms, Timo offered insight into the division of function between the two units: “The power supply unit houses all the dirty stuff: Bluetooth, the remote stuff, and small computers. All the signaling stuff as well as the volume control are in the analog preamp chassis. All voltages are stabilized in the power supply unit. … All control units are in the power supply unit, but all relays for mute, mono, inputs, and volume are in the analogue preamp unit. The knobs on the power supply unit only act as remote controls that send signal by [umbilical] wire to the analogue section. Confusing, maybe, but from a sound perspective, very good.”

The most obvious indicator that the Monica Mk3 is a 21st century product is the absence of a remote control; the preamp is controlled by Engström’s iPhone/iPad app. Once you open the app and select “Monica,” you can adjust volume, mute the music, move between mono and stereo, or select an input—all by tapping, touching, or sliding your finger on the device screen. It’s easy to switch between stereo and mono with a casual tap—perhaps too easy—so if you start wondering why an unfamiliar recording’s soundstage is unusually narrow, check to see if you’ve inadvertently switched to mono.

The app’s “Settings” screen currently offers just one option, “Mute on call,” which, when selected, turns down the music when a call comes in on the device running the app. When I’m listening to music, I’d rather mute the call and notifications, but I recognize the potential value of such a feature. Tapping “Support” provides access to user manuals and the Engström website and lets you send an email to Engström.

The major differences between the earlier Monica and the Mk3 version are in the volume control and the tubes. The first volume control was based on “very good” Japanese relays and used only three active relays in the signal path—alas, those relays were discontinued. “When we switched to other relays, they started clicking,” Timo said. An alternative, single-ended volume control, also discontinued, had a transformer before and after, which, Timo said, “wasn’t very good for the sound.” The Mk3’s volume control, sourced from Poland, uses a silent stepped motor made in Germany and a 48-step rotary. Lars says that sound quality should be exactly the same at all volume settings.

Footnote 1: Note that the Monica Mk3’s “Power and Control” umbilical cord serves two functions: to transmit power, and to control functions split between the two units. More on this follows.

Footnote 2: Lars fine-tuned the circuit and designed the power supply, layout, and much more. Monica Mk3 is his baby.

Footnote 3: See youtu.be/BoSpkQz4jXo. All Monica Mk3 buyers receive a vinyl copy of the album.

Footnote 4: Timo sent a photo of a topaz-colored ceramic satin Monica Mk3 prepared for Engström’s UK distributor. The color contrast with its silver knobs and top makes for quite a handsome product.

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COMPANY INFO

Engström & Engström AB

US distributor: Musical Artisans

8335 N. Keeler Ave.

Skokie, IL 60076

musicalartisans.com

ARTICLE CONTENTS

Page 1
Page 2
Specifications
Associated Equipment
Measurements

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