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Authorized dealers for Soulnote E-2 ver.2

  • Absoulute Audio plus Video — in-store — Aiken, South Carolina, United States (website)
  • Supreme Acoustic Systems — in-store — Las Vegas, Nevada, United States (website)
  • The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
  • Aalen Hifi — in-store — Schwäbisch Gmünd, Baden-Wurtemberg, Germany (website)
  • Absolute Hi End — in-store — Ormond, Victoria, Australia (website)
  • Anagram Audio — online and in-store — Bury St Edmunds, England, United Kingdom (website)
  • Art & Voice — online (website)
  • Art et son — online and in-store — Montréal, Québec, Canada (website)
  • Art Sonique — France (website)
  • Atelier 13 Audio — in-store — Forest Hills, Tennessee, United States (website)

and 36 more verified dealers

Soulnote E-2 ver.2 #1
Soulnote E-2 ver.2 variant 1
Soulnote E-2 ver.2 variant 2

Soulnote E-2 ver.2

Japan flag
View at Soulnote
Specifications7 reviews & sources
94/100
Rating for E-2 ver.2

Deliciously Crispy

Sound Quality

94/100

Cartridge Compatibility

98/100

Build Quality

97/100

Value for Money

90/100

The Soulnote E-2 ver.2 brings a rich, open sound with room-filling scale, vivid dynamic snap and a luxuriant tonal palette that keeps detail intact. Ken Kessler found it exceptional across a remarkably broad cartridge selection, while its built-in optical support, balanced connectivity and serious construction make it a highly versatile, deeply musical vinyl front end.

Pros

Rich yet detailed presentation with expansive, room-filling imaging and convincing dynamic impact.

Exceptional cartridge flexibility, supporting conventional MM/MC designs alongside DS Audio optical cartridges.

Substantial, beautifully engineered chassis with premium build quality.

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What Reviewers Are Saying

"This phono stage is utterly magnificent."

— HiFi News — Ken Kessler

SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 94/100

Reviewers describe a phono stage that meaningfully lifts playback quality, with a warm, rich, and very open presentation. It is praised for making different cartridges “sing,” for sounding clean and detailed, and for throwing a large, room-filling image with strong snap when the music demands it.

Transparency Noise Floor

92/100

The reviewer calls the sound “clean, detailed and open,” suggesting a very quiet, unobtrusive background in use. There is no complaint about hum or hiss, and the stage is presented as capable of preserving fine detail across a wide range of cartridges.

Tonal Balance Musicality

95/100

The tonal character is described as warm, caressing, rich, and ripe, with a lush quality that still remains engaging rather than soft or dull. The E-2 is said to make every cartridge sing, which points to a highly musical and very accomplished overall voicing.

Dynamics

93/100

Despite the warmth, the E-2 is explicitly said not to be too polite or forgiving, and it conveyed the snap and force needed on Stevie Wonder’s “Living For The City.” Reviewers also describe an instant elevation in sound quality, which suggests strong energy and responsiveness in real musical use.

Soundstage Imaging

96/100

Reviewers repeatedly stress scale and spatial projection, saying it “sounded huge” and placing the performance “right in the middle of the room.” That combination of size, focus, and projection makes imaging one of the stage’s most obvious strengths.

Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.

Cartridge Compatibility

98/100

This is a major strength: the E-2 handles conventional cartridge setups, balanced inputs and outputs, and DS Audio optical cartridges via built-in energiser and equaliser. The review specifically highlights success with seven very different cartridges, making this one of the most flexible phono stages in the report.

Build Quality

97/100

The chassis makes a serious impression, with the reviewer mistaking the box for a heavyweight integrated amplifier. Build quality is described as beautiful and even likened to top Swiss craftsmanship, which is strong praise for both construction and presentation.

Value for Money

90/100

At £6800, it is clearly a serious purchase, but the reviewer calls it “affordable” by today’s high-end standards and points out that comparable equally loaded units can cost far more. The inclusion of DS Audio support and the broad versatility help make the asking price look more defensible than extravagant.

Reviews & Sources

Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.

Online Reviews & Mentions

YouTube Reviews

Forum Mentions

No forum mentions found yet

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Specifications

Model name
E-2ST(PLATINUM SILVER)/E-2BT(BLACK)
Input sensitivity
MC:0.4mV MM:4mV OPT:50mV
Gain
MC:72dB MM:52dB OPT:30dB
Rated output
Balanced output:2.8V Unbalanced output:1.4V
RIAA deviation
±0.2dB
MC Load resistance
3ohm 6ohm 12ohm 24ohm 40ohm 100ohm
MM Load capacitance
100P 200P 350P
MM Load resistance
47kohm
Equalizer frequency ROLL-OFF [KHz]
1.59 2.12(RIAA) 2.59 3.18 6.89 FLAT
Equalizer frequency TURNOVER [Hz]
250 390 500(RIAA) 630
Equalizer frequency LOW LIMIT [Hz]
50(RIAA) 71 100 125 150 FLAT
Power voltage
115V AC 60Hz
Power consumption
48W
Maximum external dimensions
Main unit: 430(W)×160(H)×410(D)mm
Weight
20kg
Included accessories
Spikes Power cord
Balanced Output
MC/MM Switching

Manufacturer's Description — Soulnote

Soulnote E-2 ver.2

PHONO EQUALIZER – available in Premium Silver / Premium Black


New Type-R circuit for optical cartridges

The analogue circuit for the optical cartridge incorporates the fully balanced, non-NFB “New Type-R Circuit.” This is also employed in SOULNOTE's flagship phono equalizer E-3. The equalizer element is constructed using a differential emitter bypass circuit. This has succeeded in significantly reducing the circuit impedance. “New Type-R Circuit” is electrically stress-free, without requiring phase compensation or bandwidth limiting. This fully exploits the benefits of the optical cartridge, liberated from the constraints of coil weight, magnetic circuit mass, and inductive resistance. The combination of the photoelectric system's excellent transient response and the non-NFB design creates an overwhelmingly vivid and intensely lifelike musical space.

XLR connector for the power-isolated cable

Compatible with the power-isolated cable adopted in SOULNOTE’s flagship phono equalizer E-3. By separating the signal and LED power supply, it maximizes the benefits of the optical cartridge.

Compatible with a wide rang of pre-RIAA equalizer curves (for MC/MM cartridges)

Six types of Roll Off (high-frequency attenuation frequency), four of Turn Over (low-frequency amplification frequency) and six of Low Limit (ultra-low-frequency amplification restriction) are all independent of each other and can be changed individually. They offer a total of 144 types of curves, from Decca and COLUMBIA to early SP records (FLAT). By using these individual adjustment knobs, the most appropriate equalizer curve can be selected. Alternatively, the equalizer curve can be customized to use the included equalizer curve sheet. Equalizer curve switching is performed using mechanical relays, prioritizing sound quality.

Full balanced non-NFB phono equalizer circuit (MC/MM)

This circuit eliminates the shortcomings of conventional NF and CR types by incorporating precise RIAA characteristics directly into the differential amplifier gain itself. Each channel operates independently on its own circuit board, forming a twin-mono configuration. This enables precise and expansive spatial imaging. The bias circuit for both MC and MM circuit has been completely refined and simplified.

MC LOAD Switching

Equipped with 6 types of load impedance switching function (3Ω to 1 kΩ). This maximizes the performance of the MC cartridge.

Four independent inputs

The four inputs can be connected simultaneously and are selectable.

  • 1x dedicated MC balanced
  • 2x MC/MM unbalanced
  • 1x dedicated optical cartridge

Mono mode

Equipped with a function that combines the left and right channels and outputs them as monaural.

400 VA super-massive toroidal transformer & high-speed non-NFB power supply

An extremely powerful 400VA bifilar-wound transformer is deliberately used in a single-ended configuration. This approach clarifies the GND and power supply potential. The combination of numerous capacitors of small-capacity connected in parallel and a high-speed non-NFB regulator results in dedicate playback that even recreates the air movement rising from the stage while forming precise sound images.

MM load capacity selection

Three different load capacity are selectable to fully demonstrate the extreme capabilities of MM cartridges.

Invert function

Equipped with an invert function that eliminates sound quality changes caused by the circuit. This is achieved by swapping the HOT and COLD terminals of the balanced output.

Gain low function

Equipped with a gain low function to reduce output level. This is the result of considering the headroom of the connected pre-amplifier and other equipment.

Degaussing function (MC/MM mode)

This function short-circuits the input. By enabling this feature, the phono cartridge can be effectively degaussed during record playback. It can also be used as a MUTE feature when the stylus settles on the record.

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Authorized dealers for Soulnote E-2 ver.2

  • Absoulute Audio plus Video — in-store — Aiken, South Carolina, United States (website)
  • Supreme Acoustic Systems — in-store — Las Vegas, Nevada, United States (website)
  • The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
  • Aalen Hifi — in-store — Schwäbisch Gmünd, Baden-Wurtemberg, Germany (website)
  • Absolute Hi End — in-store — Ormond, Victoria, Australia (website)
  • Anagram Audio — online and in-store — Bury St Edmunds, England, United Kingdom (website)
  • Art & Voice — online (website)
  • Art et son — online and in-store — Montréal, Québec, Canada (website)
  • Art Sonique — France (website)
  • Atelier 13 Audio — in-store — Forest Hills, Tennessee, United States (website)

and 36 more verified dealers