Manchester, UK — Handmade audio instruments
Paul Grand Audio
We make two things. A passive preamplifier that gets out of the way of the music — and a tool that helps you know exactly when to replace the stylus.
Both designed here in Manchester. Both built around a single question: what does the music actually need?
Our products
Two products. One maker.
I didn’t set out to build a product range. I set out to solve two specific problems that bothered me as an audiophile. Both products came from that — nothing more.
stylusscope.com
Stylus Scope
Finally — know what’s happening at the tip
Most audiophiles have no idea what condition their stylus is actually in. You can’t tell by ear — not reliably — and a worn stylus will damage your records long before you notice the sound changing. StylusScope helps you know when it’s time to replace your stylus or how to optimise your cartridge setup.
- Purpose-built for stylus inspection
- Know your stylus before it costs you records
- Designed by a vinyl enthusiast, for vinyl enthusiasts
- Made in Manchester, UK
passivepreamp.com
icOn Preamps
Gets out of the way of the music
Most music lovers today use just one or two sources — a DAC, perhaps a phono stage. What they really need is a pure, transparent control unit that lets the music breathe, without adding distortion, noise or coloration. The icOn series does exactly that. While our competitors might call theirs “ultimate” or “reference”, we simply call ours icOn.
- Passive AVC — Dave Slagle autoformers
- 136 steps, 0.5 dB increments, 83 dB range
- Remote controlled — Apple Remote from your chair
- Best Hi-Fi 2024 — The Ear magazine
“Contemporary DACs, phono stages and streamers don’t require gain to be added to their output — just attenuation. Done right, passive attenuation gives the most direct connection to recorded music that most of us will ever hear.”
The Ear Magazine — Best Hi-Fi of 2024
Why I built these
I started with a problem, not a product idea.
Over seven years of building passive preamplifiers and talking to several hundred audiophiles worldwide — whether or not they bought an icOn — I kept hearing the same unresolved frustrations. Systems that coloured the sound. Volume controls that introduced noise. Stylus condition that nobody could actually verify.
The icOn series addresses the first two. After years of refinement it became what I believe is the most transparent, controllable passive preamplifier available at any price. The Ear magazine called it the best hi-fi of 2024. I simply call it the result of listening carefully to what people actually needed.
StylusScope came from the same place — a problem I couldn’t ignore. Your stylus wears invisibly. By the time you hear something wrong, the damage is done. So I built a tool that shows you exactly what’s happening at the tip, before it costs you.
Both products are designed and made here in Manchester. I hope they serve your music well.
— Pál Nagy, Founder
The Ear — Best Hi-Fi 2024
Editor’s Choice Award
The Ear Magazine
“Simply the best. And by a country mile. It trounced a highly regarded active line stage with a price ticket more than six times greater. This is a line stage that achieves such a high level of transparency and energy transfer that all other contenders are left sounding veiled and un-dynamic.”
Customer — Michael, United Kingdom
“I believe this is the end-game design for attenuation”
icOn 5 owner
“It’s not just another component with marginal gains. The 136 steps of attenuation is absolutely sumptuous. The resulting completeness of sound is simply magical to me… I salute your work, Pál.”
Customer — Paul, Norway
“My stereo has never sounded better”
icOn 5 owner
“I am sitting here a grown man almost crying… yes it’s so good! It has everything — the glow, the naturalness, the flow, the ease. And they say a line stage has no meaning, but this is a game changer for sure.”
What customers say
The music speaks for itself.
Pal, what can I say?! I am sitting here a grown man almost crying… yes it’s so good! It has everything, the glow, the naturalness, the flow, the ease. My stereo has never sounded better! They say a line stage has no meaning, but this is a game changer for sure.
Man! You are right — icOn 5 is just livelier and the bass is tight. The tilt feature is awesome! It’s a keeper. icOn 5 is just amazing, thank you.
The 136 steps of attenuation is absolutely sumptuous. The resulting completeness of sound is simply magical to me. I believe this is the end-game design for attenuation from what I know. Bravo!
Ready to listen?
Choose your path.
If you’re looking for a passive preamplifier that genuinely gets out of the way, visit passivepreamp.com. If you want to know about your stylus wear, visit stylusscope.com. Both are made here in Manchester — by one person, for people who take their music seriously.